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Jessica Tran may not be able to take some of her required classes next semester unless she returns to campus in person.

Syracuse University announced in early November that it will not stream or record in-person classes during the spring semester. The university will expect students taking classes held entirely in person to attend those classes unless they’re sick or have arranged a disability-related absence.

Tran, a sophomore photojournalism student who has been studying remotely in Vietnam, may come back to campus next semester in part because she might not be able to take some of her classes remotely. To complete all the assignments for her class, she needs the right camera equipment, which she cannot access in Vietnam.

“We don’t normally have a lot of (COVID-19) cases (in Vietnam). Compared to the U.S. right now, it’s very scary and dangerous for me,” Tran said. “But again, I have no choice. And so I am leaning towards going back, which is dangerous but will be better for the sake of my education.”

While Tran and other remote international students expressed concern about safety and said that the change will affect their ability to graduate on time, several deans of schools and colleges said they have no reason to worry.

Karin Ruhlandt, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, said the decision — which resulted from many discussions between faculty, deans and the provost’s office — will not hinder remote students’ from graduating on time if they can’t take courses that are only offered in person.

“We offered it as a way for students and faculty to interact in very specific topics with each other,” she said. “Sort of an enriching experience rather than something which prevents people from doing something in particular.”

The university made the decision based on feedback from faculty and surveys from students showing they wanted more in-person components in their classes, Ruhlandt said.

“I feel quite strongly that students will be happy in this frame with what we’re offering,” Ruhlandt said. “There was a lot of thinking and a lot of work which went into the planning.”

If a remote student wants to take a class that is offered in-person only, the advising office will work with them to discuss alternatives, she said.

“Everybody will be able to graduate on time,” Ruhlandt said. “And it is not the course modality which will be preventing them from doing so.”

There will only be a few courses with the in-person only format, Ruhlandt said. The mathematics department teaches hundreds of courses, and only five are in-person only, she said.

J. Cole Smith, dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science, also said the new format will not affect students’ ability to graduate on time. Almost all classes in ECS are available remotely for spring 2021.

“I feel that the decision is appropriate, mostly because it was based on student and faculty feedback, and because we can implement this in a responsible manner,” Smith said. “That decision also allows us to adjust as need be if the situation changes down the line.”

While the spread of COVID-19 was a concern when SU considered integrating more in-person components into courses, Ruhlandt said the low spread of cases within the classroom allows the university to safely bring some faculty back to campus and teach in the classroom. University officials have confirmed that no infections have spread to faculty within the classroom.

“We knew that faculty really wanted to come back and interact in person with their students,” Ruhlandt said. “We made that option available for faculty because we really wanted them to come back and be able to interact with the students.”

Chris Johnson, associate provost for academic affairs, said in a statement to The Daily Orange that professors can decide what mode of instruction they’d prefer to use for class.

SU encourages students to stay at home if they’re sick and should notify their professor to ask how to make up work they missed, he said. For students in quarantine, the Dean of Students Office will notify the professor of the their absence and will rely on professors to record lectures or provide other resources for students to access the material online.

“We expect that all students will be able to make progress towards their degrees regardless of whether they are in residence or studying remotely,” he said.

But for international students taking classes remotely this semester, SU’s decision added another stressor among finals and registering for spring semester courses.

Eileen Chen, a junior from China studying international relations, also said she’s concerned that the change may affect her normal graduation time. Chen, who plans to study in Japan next semester, doesn’t know if the courses she can take remotely will match up with her major requirements.

While she said she understands the need to bring students back, she does not agree with the university’s decision.

“It is very unfair for most students who choose to study abroad, especially for international students,” Chen said. “This decision increases the chances of then risking their lives and economic losses to return to the United States. This is very unfair.”

This post has been updated with additional reporting.

Published on November 18, 2020 at 12:46 am

Contact Abby: akweiss@syr.edu | @abbyweiss_21