After writing a series of articles about the “return to campus” throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, I can say with certainty that the Fall 2021 semester truly represented a return to campus for students, staff and faculty at UHCL.
After initially reopening in Summer 2020, the campus offered a vast majority of its classes in online or hybrid formats. For Fall 2020, the campus increased the number of in-person and hybrid classes slightly, but still 75.56% of courses offered were online. Fall 2021’s course offerings were 59.34% face-to-face, a significant change from Fall 2020’s 17.1%. Despite this, the installation of cameras in classrooms offered a hybrid and virtual option for many students during the Fall 2021 semester.
Although there was optimism offered by widely available vaccines and increasing vaccination rates, there was a lot of concern about coming back. The tales of those affected by long-haul covid symptoms and persisting side effects after recovery were enough to encourage continued vigilance, even with vaccinations offering protection from death or serious illness.
On the first day and subsequent week of classes, most folks on campus wore masks, which provided some comfort, especially given the continued disinformation about their efficacy in protecting people from transmitting the virus. However, hearing people cough during class or in the halls made me feel like virtual coursework might still be the safest option. Within a few weeks, many of the people on campus were maskless. The lack of communication and engagement related to masking, testing, vaccinating and self-reporting cases across campus was alarming, and the consequences were becoming apparent.
In April 2020, The Signal’s editorial board recognized that institutions deserved some leeway when responding to the chaos and confusion during the pandemic’s early stages. However, more than a year later, the institution continues to struggle with providing clarity and transparency to students, staff and faculty.
Communication about mask-wearing, vaccination and even testing was minimal from UHCL’s official channels. Only one social media post from Sept. 9 was made about testing on campus at UHCL. Another post on Oct. 19 encouraged students to wear masks, get tested, self report and get vaccinated. Oct. 5 and Oct. 7, UHCL’s social media channels posted about a vaccine clinic opportunity on campus. The vaccination clinic scheduled for the week of Oct. 19 was canceled “due to lack of participation,” said Al Black, director of emergency management. The lack of promotion for the clinic from UHCL is likely to blame. UHCL did not post on social media or email the community about vaccination again despite the campus hosting various vaccination clinics with Harris County Public Health throughout November.
Former President Ira K. Blake’s Aug. 11 email promised that information about UHCL’s vaccine incentive program would be announced in “the coming days,” but it was not announced or rolled out until Oct. 4, seven weeks into the semester.
The incentive program was announced via email to all UHCL students, staff and faculty Oct. 4, but was not followed up on until Nov. 1, two days before the final submission date for the raffle portion of the incentive program. The original announcement did not include any information about vaccine clinics on campus, despite the fact that they were planned.
UHCL’s social media pages only posted about the incentive program four times: Oct. 5 after it was announced; three weeks later Oct. 25; one day before the raffles ended Nov. 2; and the final day to upload, Nov. 3. Though the raffles have ended, UHCL students, staff and faculty who upload proof of vaccination are still eligible for a $50 gift card. There has been no promotion of that since the raffle period ended.
As part of the incentive program, UHCL offered a free small coffee coupon for anyone who got tested on campus during the semester. However, this was not advertised anywhere. Not via email, social media or even on campus with flyers. It was not included in the incentive program announcement. There was a table next to the testing location in the Bayou Building offering the coupons after people completed their tests.
Offering free testing and vaccination were the most obvious and necessary things for UHCL to do for students, staff and faculty to come back safely to campus this semester. These things were imperative to safely reopening, and although UHCL did them, the lack of effort to publicize and communicate these things to stakeholders as they returned to daily mass gatherings on campus is a failure that should not be ignored or downplayed.
Lives are at stake when it comes to responding to the ongoing pandemic crisis. UHCL’s initial response early in the pandemic was flawed, but its continued lack of communication about these efforts as students, staff and faculty return to campus en-masse is reckless and irresponsible.
With the Omicron and Delta variants certain to surge over the holidays and UHCL’s current plans to return to campus even more so than this semester, it is imperative that they improve communication and messaging related to COVID-19 and get it right this time around. Now that I’ve published five articles about UHCL’s COVID-19 response, I’d really appreciate it if I didn’t have to write another one.
As a learning institution, UHCL has a responsibility to inform and educate students about the dangers of COVID-19, the efficacy of masks and safety of vaccines, and should work to debunk fears, myths and misinformation to help prepare its stakeholders to face the chaos and confusion of the world beyond academia, to learn from it and adapt to it.
