Many Florida universities set to begin in-person classes amid surge in COVID cases

As new COVID-19 cases surge across Florida and the country, colleges in Florida are preparing to welcome back thousands of students from around the world. While the University of Miami will pivot to remote classes at the beginning of the spring term, many of Florida’s colleges will continue with in-person classes despite omicron proving to be a highly contagious variant of the coronavirus.

On Wednesday, Jan. 5, the University of Florida, the flagship of the state university system with more than 50,000 students, will reopen its doors to in-person classes, despite protests from its faculty.

On Tuesday, University of Florida faculty union leaders emailed UF President Kent Fuchs, asking that the university start classes remotely for the first three weeks of the spring term.

“We’re not talking about canceling a single class,” said Paul Ortiz, a UF history professor and union president. “We are talking about holding classes in a safer modality during this really challenging time.”

Ortiz notes that many of the faculty are older and at higher risk of a severe reaction to COVID.

“My sister is grappling with stage three breast cancer and I really need to avoid getting COVID,” he said. “A lot of us have elder care responsibilities. We have folks with endemic pulmonary issues and stage four cancer survivors who teach here, and they should not be in classes risking their lives.”

Fuchs responded Wednesday to Ortiz in an email, saying he will “let the bargaining team respond to items specifically from the union,” the News Service of Florida reported.

On Monday, the Florida Board of Governors Chairman Syd Kitson and Chancellor Marshall Criser emailed the 12 schools within their purview emphasizing mask wearing and vaccination.

“The best way to lessen the impact of COVID-19 on our campuses and our communities is to protect yourself, your family, and your friends every day by following the recommended precautions, including wearing masks, testing when necessary, and getting fully vaccinated, including a booster, if you are able to do so,” they wrote.

But their letter also emphasized a return to in-class education, a measure that Gov. Ron DeSantis has reiterated throughout the pandemic, despite Florida’s recent surge in COVID cases.

“Looking ahead to the spring semester, you can expect all 12 of our state universities to continue to offer a comprehensive array of academic classes and degree programs and that facilities will be fully utilized based on the academic and extracurricular needs of each institution,” the letter from Kitson and Criser said.

On Thursday, Florida health officials reported 77,848 additional COVID cases to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, reflecting a multi-day case count that resulted from the CDC backlogging cases and deaths, according to Miami Herald calculations of CDC data. On Wednesday, Florida reported 46,923 new COVID cases to the CDC, the largest single-day increase in cases since the pandemic began in March 2020, according to the Herald’s calculations.

University of Miami

UM is pivoting to remote learning at the start of the semester, UM President Julio Frenk announced in a campus-wide email Wednesday evening.

Classes at the private university will start on Tuesday, Jan. 18, as scheduled, but students will not be attending courses in classrooms at either the Coral Gables or Marine campuses. They will be taking classes remotely until Jan. 31, Frenk noted.

The move was applauded by Scotney Evans, an associate professor at UM’s School of Education and president of UM’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors.

“We’re pleased to see they have made this sensible decision,” he said. “With students traveling in from all over the world, this is one way to delay the gathering of students and faculty with each other.”

Evans said faculty had been waiting to see if the administration was going to act in response to the rising COVID cases in Florida.

“The administration at UM has done a good job navigating the uncertainty of the pandemic,” Evans said Thursday. “Taking early action like this is really great. It puts some folks at ease and allows time for faculty, students, parents and staff to plan how to make the necessary adjustments.”

In South Florida, UM stands alone in its decision to start online. Other universities in South Florida, public or private, are pushing ahead with in-person classes, employing different levels of testing and masking requirements.

Barry University

Barry University, a private school in Miami Shores, plans to start in-person classes on Jan. 10.

Residential students will be required to test negative within 24 hours of returning to campus.

Face coverings will be required in classrooms, labs and large group settings. Additionally, most university meetings will be held virtually through January.

Barry also updated its isolation and quarantine policy to reflect the new CDC guidelines. On Monday, the CDC shortened its recommended quarantine time for people who’ve tested positive for COVID from 10 days to five days if they don’t have symptoms.

FIU

Florida International University, a public university, will adhere to state guidelines and open its Modesto Maidique campus in southwest Miami-Dade and its Biscayne Bay campus in northeast Miami-Dade on Jan. 3 and start classes in person on Jan. 10.

“As usual, we will operate under the guidance of the State University System and the Florida Board of Governors,” the school’s spokeswoman, Maydel Santana, wrote in an email to the Herald on Thursday.

FMU

In Miami Gardens, Florida Memorial University, South Florida’s only historically Black university, will start in person as planned on Jan. 10, spokeswoman Sharee Gilbert wrote in an email to the Herald on Thursday.

Before returning to offices or classrooms, individuals will be required to take a COVID test. Upon testing negative, they will receive a wrist band that will be required for access into classrooms and offices. Additionally, everyone coming to the campus will go through a singular entrance.

Masks will be required for everyone, vaccinated or not. Testing will be conducted weekly.

Miami Dade College

Miami Dade College will continue with in-person classes. The school, which faced a steep enrollment drop of 9,000 students when it pivoted to online classes in the early months of the pandemic, has been teaching students in person fully since January.

When classes begin in January, the school, one of the largest in the country with roughly 120,000 students, intends to “strongly encourage mask usage indoors at all times.” MDC does not have dorms; its students commute to its eight campuses.

The university has moved some meetings and welcome-back events online.

NSU

Nova Southeastern University, a private university in Fort Lauderdale and Davie, will start classes in their regularly scheduled format in January (in-person, hybrid and online). But in light of the rapid spread of COVID cases, the university will institute an indoor and outdoor mask mandate on campus, regardless of vaccination status, according to a memo NSU President George Hanbury II sent to the NSU community on Thursday.

“Please, I strongly encourage you to get fully vaccinated and receive a booster shot,” Hanbury wrote in the memo.

STU

St. Thomas University, a private Catholic school in Miami Gardens, will convene classes in person as previously scheduled. The school offers a January term that begins on Jan. 10, according to the school calendar.

The university will also hold a vaccine pop-up from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Jan. 5 on campus at Convocation Hall, where the school will offer first and second doses of the Pfizer vaccine along with booster vaccine shots.

“STU, as it has done throughout the pandemic, will offer the full collegiate experience with in person classes and activities,” St. Thomas President David Armstrong said in an email to the Herald Thursday. “It is our belief students are better served by providing a full experience academically, physically, socially and spiritually!”

This story was originally published December 31, 2021 at 6:00 AM.