Reply to Which colleges are open and doing well with COVID? Why are they succeeding?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Isn’t George Mason open?[/quote]

Yes, but most classes are online. Very very little in person.

Dorms are limited capacity, mostly singles and some doubles. About 3,500 on campus.

Positive cases have been very low, but they just did another round of mandatory testing after Labor Day and reports of gatherings (and people traveling).[/quote]

About 1/3 of classes are in person at GMU right now.[/quote]
edited--I mean have at least some in-person component (hybrid) or in-person.  BUt this varies widely--some dept are mainly on line and some are mainly in person. [/quote]

GMU is also doing random testing of people who are going to campus. It is important to note that unlike other large state schools GMU doesn’t have a big off campus party culture. I think most students who aren’t living in the dorms are at home.

I teach there and at this point I would be comfortable teaching in person this spring with everything they are doing. But the problem is that the courses I teach enroll about 40-50 students. In person classes are going to have the same social distancing caps as the spring, and there are very few very large rooms on campus. Capping my courses at a low number means a bunch of people would be shut out and possibly not graduate on time. The majority of classrooms are not equipped for live-streaming so having half the class attend each day isn’t a great option either. It’s looking like I will have to teach online again because of the logistical barriers. Just something to keep in mind for parents who might be upset that their kids’ classes might be online again on the spring. It’s going to be hard for the typical 50 person lecture course to be held in person until social distancing is no longer required. Thankfully courses with very low enrollment (~20 students) can generally be offered in person. [/quote]

Different poster. PP, thank you for this very valuable reminder about class sizes and room limitations not just for GMU but for all colleges and universities. I wish some parents who are on other threads would come read your post.

I don't have a kid there, but am glad to hear GMU is doing well so far. I think if anyone questions why colleges like GMU still must have online teaching now and in the spring too, they need look only at the photo posted online a few weeks ago by a student at James Madison University. The photo shows a supposedly "distanced" JMU classroom with students in every other seat or so (some seats blocked off so no on could use them) -- and lots of students crammed knee to knee sitting the floor. Someone utterly dropped the ball on the idea that distanced seating means nothing if you don't limit class in-person enrollment as well. Not here to gin up debate about JMU, but to say that all colleges -- and all complaining parents -- have to realize that classroom distancing is just "pandemic theater" unless the class SIZE is kept small.

I hope you have a good and healthy year at GMU whether in person on online, PP. [/quote]

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