LC developing plans for fall semester, proof of vaccination to be required

Despite the announcement from Lewis & Clark that all fall 2021 classes will take place in person, what the semester will look like during the continuing coronavirus pandemic is uncertain. However, the college recently mandated vaccines for the upcoming semester.

For Vice President of Student Life and Dean of Students Robin Holmes-Sullivan, this unpredictability has become definitive of the pandemic.

“There’s been many things that have been difficult about COVID,” Holmes-Sullivan said. “I think one of the things that’s been the most difficult is that we make plans, and then something happens that ends up altering those plans.” 

Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Bruce Suttmeier first announced LC’s plans in an email sent to students on March 12.

“We are happy to report that we are planning for fully in-person instruction in Portland this fall,” Suttmeier said in the email. “We expect to deliver a Lewis & Clark undergraduate education as we did pre-COVID, with all courses taking place on campus and without the option of remote access.”

More specifics have yet to be announced as LC awaits guidance from Multnomah County and other authorities, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The risk level of the county and percentage of the population that is vaccinated in August will play a key role in what options the college has. According to Holmes-Sullivan, the county is aware that LC will need advice before Fall 2021 and expects to hear more firm guidelines starting in July.

On April 21, Holmes-Sullivan announced that proof of COVID-19 vaccination will be required for all students attending in-person instruction and programs. All students will need to submit documentation by Oct. 15 proving they have received all necessary doses, or have obtained an approved exemption for medical or non-medical reasons. The Health Service plans to have a limited number of doses available at the beginning of the year, but students who are not two weeks post vaccination may be subject to additional restrictions. 

Faculty will be surveyed this summer to gauge immunization levels, though the college has not announced plans to mandate vaccines for faculty and staff.

For international students who may not have access to U.S.-approved vaccines in their home countries, the college is unsure whether they will be able to reenter the country this fall or receive vaccinations upon entry.

According to Holmes-Sullivan, it is too early to know what health mitigation policies LC will need to continue implementing, though she expects some responsibility on the part of the college.

“If we had an 80-90% herd immunity, then it starts to impact what we need to do for testing, surveillance and all those types of things that we spent a lot of our energy on this year,” Holmes-Sullivan said.

Health Services staff declined to comment on possible COVID-19 policy to be implemented during the fall. The pandemic’s changing course — including new variants circulating and the uncertainty over how many people will be vaccinated — means that it is unclear what the fall semester will look like in terms of precautions such as social distancing. 

Many students and faculty are eagerly awaiting in-person classes. Natalie Parkhurst ’24 is “hesitantly excited.”

“It feels like having all classes in person is a little ambitious, which isn’t necessarily bad,” Parkhurst said. “But I just feel like with everything that’s happened, I don’t want to feel like it’s closer to a real college experience, and that’s taken away again.”

However, some students have also found advantages in the hybrid model, especially disabled students. The pandemic has expanded accessibility, and some wish to preserve an option for hybrid learning. While Suttmeier said the college will continue to accommodate students, its priority is in-person instruction.

“Remote or hybrid classes are not going to be an option next year for everybody in the same way as they were an option this year,” Suttmeier said via email. “A student who feels that they need an accommodation in order to participate should contact Student Support Services to discuss possible accommodations.” 

Holmes-Sullivan said that some faculty may continue to work remotely part time in the upcoming semester. A poll was recently sent out to gauge faculty interest in an effort to free up office space. This is part of a larger effort to continue “innovating” and “learning” from the pandemic, rather than simply returning pre-pandemic structures, according to Holmes-Sullivan.

LC is also planning to loosen some other restrictions. Campus Living is currently planning on 100% occupancy in dorms, compared to just 70% during the 2020-21 school year. They also plan to enforce the four semester living requirement for students who opted out of on-campus housing in order to accommodate this reduced capacity.

Athletics will probably operate under fewer restrictions as well, according to Holmes-Sullivan, who said that students can look forward to a full season of football, basketball and volleyball. However, LC is still waiting for guidance from the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the Northwest Conference.

While fall semester holds tentative promise of being more relaxed than the 2020-21 academic year, students and administrators remarked on the toll that the past year had taken. In a March 30 forum with the Associated Students of Lewis & Clark, Holmes-Sullivan noted that the incoming freshman class would be dealing with feelings of being unprepared for college after learning remotely during their senior year of high school. 

LC’s rising sophomore class also feels the loss of a traditional first year.

“Even with the friends that I’ve made, I still feel isolated,” Parkhurst said. “I still feel like there’s not a lot happening on campus and there’s not a lot of ways that you can take advantage of the stereotypical college things.” 

Suttmeier expressed optimism that the college will remain adaptable in the face of any unexpected changes in the fall.

“Given all the planning we’ve done in the past year, I’m confident that we’re well prepared for any hiccups the new semester brings,” Suttmeier said.

After weathering a year marked by a global pandemic, national protests for racial justice, wildfires, political instability and an ice storm, Holmes-Sullivan expects the LC community will rise to meet whatever challenges arise in the next year. 

“You’ve all learned, we’ve all learned, and we’re not going to forget that just because we go to a full in-person,” Holmes-Sullivan said. “I feel very confident about our community. I’m proud of our community, and I think that we’re able to do this.”