What to expect this spring semester

Study spaces on UMD’s campus have been adjusted to meet COVID-19 guidelines. Photo by: Madison Hunter

An email from University of Minnesota Duluth’s Chancellor, Lendley Black, announcing a change to UMD’s spring break has led to strong reactions from the campus community and questions about what the spring semester may look like during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The email, sent on Oct. 7, informed students that spring break would be changed from March 8-12 to March 8-9, with classes resuming on March 10. The days subtracted from the break would be added to the end of April to allow students extra “study days” before final exams begin on May 3. 

Spring Break

According to Fernando Delgado, Executive Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs at UMD, the decision was made by UMD administration members after meeting with the UMD Student Association, Campus Senior Leadership Council, Council of Deans, Student Life Directors and Faculty Senate. 

Delgado recalled that the decision for the division of spring break came as a result of balancing safety and the need to limit student travel with a suggestion from a Student Association member, asking for “some down time,” saying students needed a break. 

“Places where students would normally go for spring break, if they’re travelling afar, had been ... hotspots,” Delgado said. “So how do we mitigate against that?”

Another “key principle,” Delgado said, was the fact that days would not be added to or taken away from the semester, and professors would not have to drastically alter courses.

Assistant Professor at UMD, Darren Houser, shared that anticipating changes and altering courses has become an expected part of teaching. 

“I have to trust that ... the administration and ... the department heads and those conversations are kind of taking into account a lot of variables that I probably don't even think about,” Houser said.

Abdulla Ali, UMD’s Student Association Representative to the Board of Regents, said he felt the conversation with administration was “fruitful” and that it was strategically better for spring break to be broken up, while keeping in mind the need for students to have a break.

UMD recently cancelled their break for the fall semester in an effort to stop students from leaving the Duluth area. Delgado said that, while he was never fond of the concept of fall break, he is also concerned about the number of students reporting they are feeling “burnt out” in the early months of the term. 

“I look forward to spring break as a whole week of not worrying about school, and by not having it, I think it’s going to be rough on my mental health,” Cheyenne Dollahan, a junior at UMD, said. 

Ali shared that not having a fall break did affect his ability to perform academically and that while many students depend on having a full spring break, he was just grateful that it was not taken away entirely. 

“There needs to be something I guess,” Houser said. “People leaving and then coming back, I think is really problematic.”

Delgado said he has received a couple of complaints from parents regarding travel plans that were affected by the change.

“My reaction was, ‘I’m really sorry this is disappointing to you,’” Delgado said. “[But], as a parent of young people, my reaction was, ‘who is buying plane tickets for six months from now when we don’t even know what six months could look like?’ I mean that seems like a pretty risky proposition in the best of circumstances.”

According to Delgado, the administration thought their decision was timely.

“We thought by making a decision by early October — so five months before spring break — would’ve been ample time for people to make adjustments to their plans, but in a few small cases, apparently not,” Delgado said. 

Kristi Vandenheuvel shared that her family is still planning to carry out their vacation plans, but she is concerned that her daughter, who is a junior at UMD, will be worried about classes while on vacation. 

Vandenheuvel suggested a normal spring break schedule, with a mandated quarantine for those returning from travel. 

“My reaction on spring break being reworked is a feeling of relief,” said Ben Sakry, a parent of a UMD freshman. “All research has shown that a smaller cohort equals lower transmission rates. I think by limiting contact outside of campus the students will be safer.”

Another parent, Sheila Grunst, said that while she feels having students return after a traditional spring break would not have been safe, she would have liked to see the spring semester shortened by a week instead of the division of break days. 

“The extra study days before finals will not be anything like a break as finals week is such a stressful time,” Grunst said. 

Formerly bustling areas around UMD’s campus now sit nearly empty in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo by: Madison Hunter

Spring Semester

When asked about the concerns involving students returning to campus after winter break, Delgado said that there are no plans to alter winter break, but that he plans to encourage everyone to be “mindful” of their activities. 

Delgado also pointed out that with the exception of New Year’s Eve, there is effectively 14 days between any major holiday and the return of students to UMD campus. 

“Our number one goal is to create a safe and healthy learning environment,” Delgado said. “All we can do is develop the plan.”

According to Delgado, UMD is expected to have students return to campus in the same four modalities as fall semester: online synchronous, in-person, blended and online asynchronous. 

However, Delgado said this could change as data continues to evolve around COVID-19 cases and resources. He also expects that the Maroon and Gold Sunrise Plan, or something very similar, will still be in place for those living on campus. 

“With the way the pandemic continues to evolve, it's too soon to make final decisions in Student Life,” Vice Chancellor of Student Life and Dean of Students, Lisa Erwin, said in email. “We are keenly aware that students have questions, however, we don't want to make a decision in October that might have to be changed in December.”

Delgado said that decisions made regarding spring semester depend not only on UMD data, but data for St. Louis county as a whole. 

“We are in the higher education business, so it's not in our best interest and it’s not part of our mission to intentionally make things hard or difficult or unnecessary for students or faculty,” Delgado said.

If necessary, the university will make adjustments to the plan and, Delgado said, would “reluctantly” delay the return of students to campus, as was done in the fall semester pivot.

In-state annual tuition for UMD is $13,576. Photo by Madison Hunter.

Tuition and Grading

With about 40% of classes at UMD taking place in-person and the rest being in some form of online delivery, Delgado said he can understand why there may be calls for a rebate in tuition, but that UMD’s costs for the year are set.

What this means is that if there were to be reduction in tuition, it would likely result in the loss of faculty members and/or programs at UMD. Students on financial aid would also be required to refile with FAFSA and could have their funds affected. 

“Those dollars are paying for people,” Delgado said. “I hear the call, but understand that we are not a profit center.”

According to Delgado, the bulk of UMD’s income comes from tuition, and costs have risen in the light of COVID-19 because of new investments in distance education equipment.

“The amount of work that a faculty member puts [in] to teach a new class online can be twice what it is to teach face to face,” Delgado said. “Students may not experience that, but the faculty member does.”

On August 26, UMD students received an email regarding a pop-up message that had begun to appear when students logged on to their MyU portals. This pop-up required students to agree to not ask for a reduction in tuition and not to pursue legal action against the university were they to contract COVID-19.

The email regarding the pop-up was sent by Executive Vice President and Provost Rachel Croson and included the following statement: “This pop-up acknowledgement is not a waiver of your legal rights … By clicking on it, you are simply confirming that you understand COVID-19 is present in almost every community across the country and that you are aware that the University is doing everything it can to make its campus communities as safe as possible, but still cannot completely prevent COVID-19 transmission. By clicking the acknowledgement, you also confirm that you understand that the manner in which your coursework is delivered may change during the semester as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Delgado said the pop-up caught UMD administration by surprise and they have not had the time to “re-investigate” the issue. 

Along with calls for lower tuition have come calls for a pass/fail (S/N) grading option for students, and extended deadlines for dropping courses at UMD. On Nov. 7, students received an email from Delgado addressing these concerns.

“The new deadline for requesting the S/N grading option is Thursday, December 10 by 11:59 p.m. The new deadline for withdrawal from a fall course is Friday, December 11 by 11:59 p.m. December 11 is the last day of instruction and final exams are the following week,” the email read.

Houser emphasized a need for people to realign how they think about decisions regarding the coronavirus, while Ali highlighted the need to continue to address racial injustices and issues regarding marginalized groups. 

“COVID has definitely, I think, been a catalyst for bringing things to the surface,” Houser said. “We’re not an individual and I think that this is demanding people to stop thinking about themselves as an individual and think more of a collective.”

The message that was sent to students on August 26th. Image courtesy of Heidi Stang.