Cal has been out of step with many other universities across the country including I believe all the other UCs in staying with plans to start the semester with in-person classes. Cal classes start later in January than at many other universities, so that probably played into their decision to stick with in-person instruction planning as long as they did. This all changed today:

"Dear Campus Community,

With COVID-19 cases surging and positivity rates on the rise, it's clear we're in for a challenging January. As we navigate the omicron wave it's important that we be especially flexible and patient with one another. In this spirit, we're writing to share some updates to our instructional plans for the spring semester.

After consultation with the UC Berkeley public health committee, input from students, staff and faculty, and much deliberation, we have decided to begin the semester with a two-stage process, with most courses being offered fully remote for the first two weeks (Jan. 18-28) and then moving to fully in-person instruction in the third week of the semester on Jan. 31.

Some courses such as lab sections, studio courses, fieldwork, clinical courses, and graduate seminars may be taught in-person Jan 18-28. For these in-person courses, instructors may require in-person attendance but must offer appropriate make-up arrangements for students who are unable to attend because they have symptoms or are in isolation/quarantine.

Instructors may teach some courses in hybrid mode (where some students are in-person and others are participating remotely via Zoom) or allow their students to attend their lectures in-person during the initial two-week period. Hybrid is not a desirable modality for many courses; instructors are not required to teach any course in a hybrid mode.

More details about these plans are available on the instruction page of the campus coronavirus site.
We have chosen this approach for several reasons:

• We believe strongly in the importance of in-person instruction and in providing an in-person experience for our students. Starting on Monday, Jan. 31, 2022, we plan that all classes and sections will be delivered according to their approved modality as listed in the schedule of classes. But, the plans described here are subject to change as pandemic conditions evolve.
• We expect many students, faculty and staff will not be able to come to campus because of the rapid spread of the omicron variant. While we expect this surge to peak in January, we anticipate current pandemic conditions continuing into February. We will use the two-week period of remote instruction to plan for how best to meet the operational needs of our campus with so many students, staff and faculty unable to be on campus because they have symptoms, are isolating/quarantining or have family care issues resulting from omicron.

The campus will remain open; students, staff and faculty are welcome to come to campus for all other research, administration and operational purposes. Normal campus operations will continue, though we anticipate disruptions resulting from people not being able to come to campus.

As we embark on this latest phase of our response to COVID-19, we ask that you exercise compassion and extend grace to one another. While the pandemic impacts everyone, our individual experiences are deeply personal and unique. We hope that all members of our campus community will find it in their hearts to treat each other with kindness and understanding as we navigate this challenging moment together.

Carol T. Christ
Chancellor

Catherine P. Koshland
Interim Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost

Guy Nicolette
Assistant Vice Chancellor, University Health Services"

Less walking.

City of Berkeley?

Hope they open up in person classes again in two weeks when the wave is over. Old liberal people think this is cool but kids go to college for the college experience! Severely lacking in online classes. Think of your college experience and how you would feel about Cal if it had been shut down for two years of your time in school…


Young people continue to not die or get severely ill from Covid and even more so with Omicron. So the protection of closing down is only for old timers and people with comorbidities. My 27 year old was over his case of Covid in a day. As a 65 year old my recent case was like a typical cold/flu bug.

NVBear78 said:

---

Hope they open up in person classes again in two weeks when the wave is over. Old liberal people think this is cool but kids go to college for the college experience! Severely lacking in online classes. Think of your college experience and how you would feel about Cal if it had been shut down for two years of your time in school…


Young people continue to not die or get severely ill from Covid and even more so with Omicron. So the protection of closing down is only for old timers and people with comorbidities. My 27 year old was over his case of Covid in a day. As a 65 year old my recent case was like a typical cold/flu bug.

---

Well, it wasn't shut down two years but it was shut down last two months of the Spring Quarter in 1970 after the Cambodia Incursion. I thought it was great - no school, pass/fail for everyone and no worries regarding a particularly difficult class in my major I was taking that quarter - I got a pass rather than sweat about getting a B.

NVBear78 said:

---

Hope they open up in person classes again in two weeks when the wave is over. Old liberal people think this is cool but kids go to college for the college experience! Severely lacking in online classes. Think of your college experience and how you would feel about Cal if it had been shut down for two years of your time in school…


Young people continue to not die or get severely ill from Covid and even more so with Omicron. So the protection of closing down is only for old timers and people with comorbidities. My 27 year old was over his case of Covid in a day. As a 65 year old my recent case was like a typical cold/flu bug.

---

I talk to Cal undergraduate and graduate students all the time and find that many are extremely concerned about the pandemic and the Omicron wave in particular. Some students had in fact been advocating for campus to delay the start of in-person classes, as described here: https://abc7news.com/uc-berkeley-spring-semester-covid-cases-students-push-for-remote-learning/11435743/

When you walk around the Cal campus, it is quite striking to see how many of the students wear masks outdoors, where it is not required. In my conversations with Cal students they are concerned about getting sick and disrupting their eduction, they are worried about getting long covid and they are protective of those who are at high risk should they get infected due to health conditions.

GoCal80 said:

---

Cal has been out of step with many other universities across the country including I believe all the other UCs in staying with plans to start the semester with in-person classes. Cal classes start later in January than at many other universities, so that probably played into their decision to stick with in-person instruction planning as long as they did. This all changed today:

"Dear Campus Community,

With COVID-19 cases surging and positivity rates on the rise, it's clear we're in for a challenging January. As we navigate the omicron wave it's important that we be especially flexible and patient with one another. In this spirit, we're writing to share some updates to our instructional plans for the spring semester.

After consultation with the UC Berkeley public health committee, input from students, staff and faculty, and much deliberation, we have decided to begin the semester with a two-stage process, with most courses being offered fully remote for the first two weeks (Jan. 18-28) and then moving to fully in-person instruction in the third week of the semester on Jan. 31.

Some courses such as lab sections, studio courses, fieldwork, clinical courses, and graduate seminars may be taught in-person Jan 18-28. For these in-person courses, instructors may require in-person attendance but must offer appropriate make-up arrangements for students who are unable to attend because they have symptoms or are in isolation/quarantine.

Instructors may teach some courses in hybrid mode (where some students are in-person and others are participating remotely via Zoom) or allow their students to attend their lectures in-person during the initial two-week period. Hybrid is not a desirable modality for many courses; instructors are not required to teach any course in a hybrid mode.

More details about these plans are available on the instruction page of the campus coronavirus site.
We have chosen this approach for several reasons:

• We believe strongly in the importance of in-person instruction and in providing an in-person experience for our students. Starting on Monday, Jan. 31, 2022, we plan that all classes and sections will be delivered according to their approved modality as listed in the schedule of classes. But, the plans described here are subject to change as pandemic conditions evolve.
• We expect many students, faculty and staff will not be able to come to campus because of the rapid spread of the omicron variant. While we expect this surge to peak in January, we anticipate current pandemic conditions continuing into February. We will use the two-week period of remote instruction to plan for how best to meet the operational needs of our campus with so many students, staff and faculty unable to be on campus because they have symptoms, are isolating/quarantining or have family care issues resulting from omicron.

The campus will remain open; students, staff and faculty are welcome to come to campus for all other research, administration and operational purposes. Normal campus operations will continue, though we anticipate disruptions resulting from people not being able to come to campus.

As we embark on this latest phase of our response to COVID-19, we ask that you exercise compassion and extend grace to one another. While the pandemic impacts everyone, our individual experiences are deeply personal and unique. We hope that all members of our campus community will find it in their hearts to treat each other with kindness and understanding as we navigate this challenging moment together.

Carol T. Christ
Chancellor

Catherine P. Koshland
Interim Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost

Guy Nicolette
Assistant Vice Chancellor, University Health Services"

---

I hate to do this, but I'm asking: does it now look like adult humans will always test positive for coronavirus?

GoCal80 said:

---

NVBear78 said:

---

Hope they open up in person classes again in two weeks when the wave is over. Old liberal people think this is cool but kids go to college for the college experience! Severely lacking in online classes. Think of your college experience and how you would feel about Cal if it had been shut down for two years of your time in school…


Young people continue to not die or get severely ill from Covid and even more so with Omicron. So the protection of closing down is only for old timers and people with comorbidities. My 27 year old was over his case of Covid in a day. As a 65 year old my recent case was like a typical cold/flu bug.

---

I talk to Cal undergraduate and graduate students all the time and find that many are extremely concerned about the pandemic and the Omicron wave in particular. Some students had in fact been advocating for campus to delay the start of in-person classes, as described here: https://abc7news.com/uc-berkeley-spring-semester-covid-cases-students-push-for-remote-learning/11435743/

When you walk around the Cal campus, it is quite striking to see how many of the students wear masks outdoors, where it is not required. In my conversations with Cal students they are concerned about getting sick and disrupting their eduction, they are worried about getting long covid and they are protective of those who are at high risk should they get infected due to health conditions.

---

These students you describe sound like intelligent, critical thinkers who are able to think beyond their own self interests. Just what we should expect from UC Berkeley students and the Cal community.

Yeah, let's have another thread about corona virus. Excellent.

Rushinbear said:

---

GoCal80 said:

---

Cal has been out of step with many other universities across the country including I believe all the other UCs in staying with plans to start the semester with in-person classes. Cal classes start later in January than at many other universities, so that probably played into their decision to stick with in-person instruction planning as long as they did. This all changed today:

"Dear Campus Community,

With COVID-19 cases surging and positivity rates on the rise, it's clear we're in for a challenging January. As we navigate the omicron wave it's important that we be especially flexible and patient with one another. In this spirit, we're writing to share some updates to our instructional plans for the spring semester.

After consultation with the UC Berkeley public health committee, input from students, staff and faculty, and much deliberation, we have decided to begin the semester with a two-stage process, with most courses being offered fully remote for the first two weeks (Jan. 18-28) and then moving to fully in-person instruction in the third week of the semester on Jan. 31.

Some courses such as lab sections, studio courses, fieldwork, clinical courses, and graduate seminars may be taught in-person Jan 18-28. For these in-person courses, instructors may require in-person attendance but must offer appropriate make-up arrangements for students who are unable to attend because they have symptoms or are in isolation/quarantine.

Instructors may teach some courses in hybrid mode (where some students are in-person and others are participating remotely via Zoom) or allow their students to attend their lectures in-person during the initial two-week period. Hybrid is not a desirable modality for many courses; instructors are not required to teach any course in a hybrid mode.

More details about these plans are available on the instruction page of the campus coronavirus site.
We have chosen this approach for several reasons:

• We believe strongly in the importance of in-person instruction and in providing an in-person experience for our students. Starting on Monday, Jan. 31, 2022, we plan that all classes and sections will be delivered according to their approved modality as listed in the schedule of classes. But, the plans described here are subject to change as pandemic conditions evolve.
• We expect many students, faculty and staff will not be able to come to campus because of the rapid spread of the omicron variant. While we expect this surge to peak in January, we anticipate current pandemic conditions continuing into February. We will use the two-week period of remote instruction to plan for how best to meet the operational needs of our campus with so many students, staff and faculty unable to be on campus because they have symptoms, are isolating/quarantining or have family care issues resulting from omicron.

The campus will remain open; students, staff and faculty are welcome to come to campus for all other research, administration and operational purposes. Normal campus operations will continue, though we anticipate disruptions resulting from people not being able to come to campus.

As we embark on this latest phase of our response to COVID-19, we ask that you exercise compassion and extend grace to one another. While the pandemic impacts everyone, our individual experiences are deeply personal and unique. We hope that all members of our campus community will find it in their hearts to treat each other with kindness and understanding as we navigate this challenging moment together.

Carol T. Christ
Chancellor

Catherine P. Koshland
Interim Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost

Guy Nicolette
Assistant Vice Chancellor, University Health Services"

---

I hate to do this, but I'm asking: does it now look like adult humans will always test positive for coronavirus?

---

Yes. Much like influenza, humankind will reach a point at which the virus will shift from pandemic to something that occurs but not at the same level as COVID.

I would also suggest that anyone who relates their own experience with the virus to that of the other eight billion people on earth is rather narrow-minded. We wear masks and take other precautions for two reasons…

To care for ourselves
To care for others

93Bear said:

---

GoCal80 said:

---

NVBear78 said:

---

Hope they open up in person classes again in two weeks when the wave is over. Old liberal people think this is cool but kids go to college for the college experience! Severely lacking in online classes. Think of your college experience and how you would feel about Cal if it had been shut down for two years of your time in school…


Young people continue to not die or get severely ill from Covid and even more so with Omicron. So the protection of closing down is only for old timers and people with comorbidities. My 27 year old was over his case of Covid in a day. As a 65 year old my recent case was like a typical cold/flu bug.

---

I talk to Cal undergraduate and graduate students all the time and find that many are extremely concerned about the pandemic and the Omicron wave in particular. Some students had in fact been advocating for campus to delay the start of in-person classes, as described here: https://abc7news.com/uc-berkeley-spring-semester-covid-cases-students-push-for-remote-learning/11435743/

When you walk around the Cal campus, it is quite striking to see how many of the students wear masks outdoors, where it is not required. In my conversations with Cal students they are concerned about getting sick and disrupting their eduction, they are worried about getting long covid and they are protective of those who are at high risk should they get infected due to health conditions.

---

These students you describe sound like intelligent, critical thinkers who are able to think beyond their own self interests. Just what we should expect from UC Berkeley students and the Cal community.

---

They have fallen for the hoax, aided by CoB, and other communist propaganda machines.

FEB 24, 2020
"The Coronavirus is very much under control in the USA. … Stock market starting to look very good to me"
Donald Trump

Actually, UCI is remote through 1/31. Although certain labs, seminars, etc. can meet in person.

OPINION: People seem to think COVID-19 is a binary — you either die or you get better. But there’s actually a third path, which is long COVID.

And no one is sounding the alarm about the risk of disability from “mild” cases of COVID.https://t.co/V6v19cq0Z9

— San Francisco Chronicle (@sfchronicle) January 8, 2022

NVBear78 said:

---

Hope they open up in person classes again in two weeks when the wave is over. Old liberal people think this is cool but kids go to college for the college experience! Severely lacking in online classes. Think of your college experience and how you would feel about Cal if it had been shut down for two years of your time in school…


Young people continue to not die or get severely ill from Covid and even more so with Omicron. So the protection of closing down is only for old timers and people with comorbidities. My 27 year old was over his case of Covid in a day. As a 65 year old my recent case was like a typical cold/flu bug.

---

On January 7, 2,649 Americans died of COVID, which is approaching the highs of over 3,000 per day we experienced a year ago. ICUs are filling up. Many parts of the world are locking down. We are not out of the woods yet, but glad to hear your case was mild.

And having some people with mild or no symptoms, while other people die from it, has been part of this pandemic from the beginning. That is why places like Taiwan and South Korea were largely able to keep it in check through widespread testing, tracking and tracing. Finding the mild or asymptomatic cases is the key to limiting the spread.

NVBear78 said:

---

Hope they open up in person classes again in two weeks when the wave is over. Old liberal people think this is cool but kids go to college for the college experience! Severely lacking in online classes. Think of your college experience and how you would feel about Cal if it had been shut down for two years of your time in school…


Young people continue to not die or get severely ill from Covid and even more so with Omicron. So the protection of closing down is only for old timers and people with comorbidities. My 27 year old was over his case of Covid in a day. As a 65 year old my recent case was like a typical cold/flu bug.

---

Did you even read the Chancellor's message before reverting to your knee-jerk accusations? The message says nothing about protecting students. It says the reason is that so many students, faculty, and staff are unable to come to campus at this time because so many people are infected and in quarantine/isolation. I sure hope that if you tested positive (regardless of what age you are or the severity of your symptoms), you would not immerse yourself in densely crowded indoor settings. Or maybe that's something that you think is cool?

Also, seriously, "old liberal people think this is cool"? If you must make things up to fit your world view, try doing it with things that aren't patently absurd.

calumnus said:

---

NVBear78 said:

---

Hope they open up in person classes again in two weeks when the wave is over. Old liberal people think this is cool but kids go to college for the college experience! Severely lacking in online classes. Think of your college experience and how you would feel about Cal if it had been shut down for two years of your time in school…


Young people continue to not die or get severely ill from Covid and even more so with Omicron. So the protection of closing down is only for old timers and people with comorbidities. My 27 year old was over his case of Covid in a day. As a 65 year old my recent case was like a typical cold/flu bug.

---

Finding the mild or asymptomatic cases is the key to limiting the spread.

---

???

Actually, the key to limiting the spread is:

Vaccinations
Masks
Avoid crowded settings
Demonstrate common sense

71Bear said:

---

calumnus said:

---

NVBear78 said:

---

Hope they open up in person classes again in two weeks when the wave is over. Old liberal people think this is cool but kids go to college for the college experience! Severely lacking in online classes. Think of your college experience and how you would feel about Cal if it had been shut down for two years of your time in school…


Young people continue to not die or get severely ill from Covid and even more so with Omicron. So the protection of closing down is only for old timers and people with comorbidities. My 27 year old was over his case of Covid in a day. As a 65 year old my recent case was like a typical cold/flu bug.

---

Finding the mild or asymptomatic cases is the key to limiting the spread.

---

???

Actually, the key to limiting the spread is:

Vaccinations
Masks
Avoid crowded settings
Demonstrate common sense

---

???

Actually, the key to limiting the spread according to some governments is:

Lockdowns

BearForce2 said:

---

71Bear said:

---

calumnus said:

---

NVBear78 said:

---

Hope they open up in person classes again in two weeks when the wave is over. Old liberal people think this is cool but kids go to college for the college experience! Severely lacking in online classes. Think of your college experience and how you would feel about Cal if it had been shut down for two years of your time in school…


Young people continue to not die or get severely ill from Covid and even more so with Omicron. So the protection of closing down is only for old timers and people with comorbidities. My 27 year old was over his case of Covid in a day. As a 65 year old my recent case was like a typical cold/flu bug.

---

Finding the mild or asymptomatic cases is the key to limiting the spread.

---

???

Actually, the key to limiting the spread is:

Vaccinations
Masks
Avoid crowded settings
Demonstrate common sense

---

???

Actually, the key to limiting the spread according to some governments is:

Lockdowns

---

Some governments? Which ones? Facts, please. Not your right wing Twitter bubble BS.

71Bear said:

---

calumnus said:

---

NVBear78 said:

---

Hope they open up in person classes again in two weeks when the wave is over. Old liberal people think this is cool but kids go to college for the college experience! Severely lacking in online classes. Think of your college experience and how you would feel about Cal if it had been shut down for two years of your time in school…


Young people continue to not die or get severely ill from Covid and even more so with Omicron. So the protection of closing down is only for old timers and people with comorbidities. My 27 year old was over his case of Covid in a day. As a 65 year old my recent case was like a typical cold/flu bug.

---

Finding the mild or asymptomatic cases is the key to limiting the spread.

---

???

Actually, the key to limiting the spread is:

Vaccinations
Masks
Avoid crowded settings
Demonstrate common sense

---

Oops. i went to Haas Pavillion today to watch Cal try and beat UCLA.. My 6th time there this season, but the first time that there were enough people to where we couldn't social distance. I'm not sure how my KN95 did against omicron. A UCLA fan two rows behind me refused to put on a mask. Regrettably, I was too diplomatic (timid) to challenge him.

Kind of seemed like a super-spreader event. Plus, we lost.

AunBear89 said:

---

Facts, please.

---

I know you, you don't want facts. You want a pastrami sandwich on Rye.

But what does Wilner say about this?

NVBear78 said:

---

Hope they open up in person classes again in two weeks when the wave is over. Old liberal people think this is cool but kids go to college for the college experience! Severely lacking in online classes. Think of your college experience and how you would feel about Cal if it had been shut down for two years of your time in school…


Young people continue to not die or get severely ill from Covid and even more so with Omicron. So the protection of closing down is only for old timers and people with comorbidities. My 27 year old was over his case of Covid in a day. As a 65 year old my recent case was like a typical cold/flu bug.

---

On January 7, UCLA announced they would extend remote learning until Jan 28. I have a close friend whose son is attending UCLA, and the son has decided to take a leave of absence for this quarter. He says with remote learning, the teachers act like they don't care, the students lack interest, and he can't learn much of anything from online instruction. I think he has a good idea. His parents agree.

Back when I attended college there was no internet and thus, no online classes. In high school however, I was required to take to take a televised experimental English (mostly poetry) course from SF State. I learned absolutely nothing, and my classmates all felt the same about TV learning. The only time I was ever that bored or distracted in a college class, was any class I had to take in the big auditoriums at Wheeler Hall or in the Life Sciences building at Cal. Huge classes, hundreds of students, and I learned nothing. I was so happy when I got to upper division at Cal, where the classes were smaller, and I managed to pay attention to some actual meaningful instruction and learn something.

AunBear89 said:

---

BearForce2 said:

---

71Bear said:

---

calumnus said:

---

NVBear78 said:

---

Hope they open up in person classes again in two weeks when the wave is over. Old liberal people think this is cool but kids go to college for the college experience! Severely lacking in online classes. Think of your college experience and how you would feel about Cal if it had been shut down for two years of your time in school…


Young people continue to not die or get severely ill from Covid and even more so with Omicron. So the protection of closing down is only for old timers and people with comorbidities. My 27 year old was over his case of Covid in a day. As a 65 year old my recent case was like a typical cold/flu bug.

---

Finding the mild or asymptomatic cases is the key to limiting the spread.

---

???

Actually, the key to limiting the spread is:

Vaccinations
Masks
Avoid crowded settings
Demonstrate common sense

---

???

Actually, the key to limiting the spread according to some governments is:

Lockdowns

---

Some governments? Which ones? Facts, please. Not your right wing Twitter bubble BS.

---

Netherlands for one…

71Bear said:

---

calumnus said:

---

NVBear78 said:

---

Hope they open up in person classes again in two weeks when the wave is over. Old liberal people think this is cool but kids go to college for the college experience! Severely lacking in online classes. Think of your college experience and how you would feel about Cal if it had been shut down for two years of your time in school…


Young people continue to not die or get severely ill from Covid and even more so with Omicron. So the protection of closing down is only for old timers and people with comorbidities. My 27 year old was over his case of Covid in a day. As a 65 year old my recent case was like a typical cold/flu bug.

---

Finding the mild or asymptomatic cases is the key to limiting the spread.

---

???

Actually, the key to limiting the spread is:

Vaccinations
Masks
Avoid crowded settings
Demonstrate common sense

---

I was talking about up until the vaccine is available and widely administered. What we should have been doing for the first year and a half. Look at the countries where the number of deaths per capita are a fraction of ours.

The point is asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic cases have been a major issue since the beginning of the pandemic.

GoCal80 said:

---

NVBear78 said:

---

Hope they open up in person classes again in two weeks when the wave is over. Old liberal people think this is cool but kids go to college for the college experience! Severely lacking in online classes. Think of your college experience and how you would feel about Cal if it had been shut down for two years of your time in school…


Young people continue to not die or get severely ill from Covid and even more so with Omicron. So the protection of closing down is only for old timers and people with comorbidities. My 27 year old was over his case of Covid in a day. As a 65 year old my recent case was like a typical cold/flu bug.

---

I talk to Cal undergraduate and graduate students all the time and find that many are extremely concerned about the pandemic and the Omicron wave in particular. Some students had in fact been advocating for campus to delay the start of in-person classes, as described here: https://abc7news.com/uc-berkeley-spring-semester-covid-cases-students-push-for-remote-learning/11435743/

When you walk around the Cal campus, it is quite striking to see how many of the students wear masks outdoors, where it is not required. In my conversations with Cal students they are concerned about getting sick and disrupting their eduction, they are worried about getting long covid and they are protective of those who are at high risk should they get infected due to health conditions.

---

We shouldn't base policy on what people who are misinformed are scared of.

AunBear89 said:

---

BearForce2 said:

---

71Bear said:

---

calumnus said:

---

NVBear78 said:

---

Hope they open up in person classes again in two weeks when the wave is over. Old liberal people think this is cool but kids go to college for the college experience! Severely lacking in online classes. Think of your college experience and how you would feel about Cal if it had been shut down for two years of your time in school…


Young people continue to not die or get severely ill from Covid and even more so with Omicron. So the protection of closing down is only for old timers and people with comorbidities. My 27 year old was over his case of Covid in a day. As a 65 year old my recent case was like a typical cold/flu bug.

---

Finding the mild or asymptomatic cases is the key to limiting the spread.

---

???

Actually, the key to limiting the spread is:

Vaccinations
Masks
Avoid crowded settings
Demonstrate common sense

---

???

Actually, the key to limiting the spread according to some governments is:

Lockdowns

---

Some governments? Which ones? Facts, please. Not your right wing Twitter bubble BS.

---

Sigh

In general I am not in favor of preemptive school closures (at any level). Most everyone is probably safer on a highly vaccinated campus than they would be elsewhere.

But if there truly are too many sick/quarantined individuals to open up then a temporary closure is warranted. I'll give the benefit of the doubt and assume this is true.

SFCityBear said:

---

NVBear78 said:

---

Hope they open up in person classes again in two weeks when the wave is over. Old liberal people think this is cool but kids go to college for the college experience! Severely lacking in online classes. Think of your college experience and how you would feel about Cal if it had been shut down for two years of your time in school…


Young people continue to not die or get severely ill from Covid and even more so with Omicron. So the protection of closing down is only for old timers and people with comorbidities. My 27 year old was over his case of Covid in a day. As a 65 year old my recent case was like a typical cold/flu bug.

---

On January 7, UCLA announced they would extend remote learning until Jan 28. I have a close friend whose son is attending UCLA, and the son has decided to take a leave of absence for this quarter. He says with remote learning, the teachers act like they don't care, the students lack interest, and he can't learn much of anything from online instruction. I think he has a good idea. His parents agree.

Back when I attended college there was no internet and thus, no online classes. In high school however, I was required to take to take a televised experimental English (mostly poetry) course from SF State. I learned absolutely nothing, and my classmates all felt the same about TV learning. The only time I was ever that bored or distracted in a college class, was any class I had to take in the big auditoriums at Wheeler Hall or in the Life Sciences building at Cal. Huge classes, hundreds of students, and I learned nothing. I was so happy when I got to upper division at Cal, where the classes were smaller, and I managed to pay attention to some actual meaningful instruction and learn something.

---

As an undergrad I took one class that was conducted largely online/virtual, but students were required to meet in person in study groups and with the professor a certain number of times. So the collaborative atmosphere was maintained.

I suppose such a thing could be done now over Zoom as well. Such high quality virtual conferencing didn't exist back then.