By Harry Brownell/Clarion staff writer
Lincoln University is open for in-person classes for the 2020 fall semester. For all of us, returning to campus and getting back into a learning routine is a necessity. I believe that in-person classes are the best way to achieve academic success. We need a physical academic environment, not a digital one.
We need live lectures, the ability to ask questions while we’re learning, and the capacity to engage professors with real discussions and feedback. However important our education may be, we need to respect and understand the importance of preventing the spread and flattening the curve. We get it. Most of us respect the rules and understand the gravity of the situation. I am proud of how LU is responding. My only hope is to continue the semester as routinely as we can and keep everyone safe.
The COVID-19 pandemic is certainly an unprecedented series of events that has led to life as we know it – the so-called new normal. Each of us will remember March of 2020 when our world came to a screeching halt. Staying inside, scared of what may happen, wondering if family or friends are at risk. Students, staff, and faculty learned to adapt.
Zoom calls, no-contact food delivery, wearing masks and social distancing. As we finish the fall semester and approach winter, we are settling into a new LU. But just being in class brings a comfort that the world is healing – it’s a huge relief for many students.
Physical engagement, socializing, meeting old and making new friends – that’s the university experience we crave. Not only is the social aspect of continuing in-person classes extremely crucial to our mental health, students are clearly more engaged and committed to a class that they literally go to.
No system is perfect, and nobody can control a global pandemic. However, we can control the response. With the proper testing, social-distancing protocols, and wearing the proper face protection, the classrooms should stay open.
Myclarionnews.com 