The Southern Illinois University system has reversed course and announced Wednesday that it would be returning to in-person learning next week.
Last Thursday, SIU-Edwardsville sent a mass email to all students announcing they would be taking their on-ground Spring 2022 courses to a remote format amidst surging waves of COVID-19. This past Wednesday the university reversed course in another email to students stating they were returning to in-person learning on Tuesday, January 18th at the Springfield SIU School of Medicine, Edwardsville, and Carbondale.
Riverbender reports that students who are under certain circumstance who can’t or don’t feel comfortable returning to campus during the latest surge of COVID-19 should contact SIU’s ACCESS office for special accommodations, while faculty and staff can reach out to the school’s Human Resources Office. The report further says that SIU is looking to expand its testing protocols and is attempting to procure additional PPE to distribute on campus.
The SIUE Faculty Association, Non-tenure-track Faculty Association and the Professional Staff Association announced in a press release on Friday their disapproval over the decision and expressed frustration over the quickly changing orders from administration. According to the release, the most recent guidance comes just five business days after faculty and staff were ordered to shift classes to an online format for the first week of the semester.