Weekly Briefing: Do you want to return to campus this fall?

I asked readers to tell me how they felt about returning to campus, anonymously. [Weekly Briefing] Are you working remotely? Many institutions provide access to premium Chronicle content on campus. If your college or university is one of them, you can maintain that access when you’re at home. Read this helpful [FAQ]( to see how. Your account is easy to set up and will provide you access wherever you are. --------------------------------------------------------------- You, or your colleagues, may not want to return to campus this fall. Here’s why. [Image] Mykyta Dolmatov, iStock By Fernanda Zamudio-Suaréz About 64 percent of colleges say they’re planning for a fall semester back on campus. About 6 percent say they will use a hybrid online/in-person model, 7 percent plan for online-only classes, and 12 percent haven’t decided. We’re tracking what institutions are saying about their plans [here](. Administrators — predictably — are optimistic when they roll out their fall schedules. ADVERTISEMENT [advertisement]( That’s why many onlookers were shocked this week when the California State University system [announced]( it would conduct most of its fall classes online. The system has nearly 500,000 students and 23 campuses. Cal State is bucking the trend and the system’s chancellor, Timothy P. White, said that leaders were preparing for the worst-case scenario, including a second wave of coronavirus infections. White is not the only one hesitant about coming back to campus. Full- and part-time faculty, staff, and graduate students are wary, too. I asked readers to tell me how they felt about returning to campus, anonymously. I wanted them to express their concerns without fearing the repercussions that could come from speaking out. So I asked the simple question: Are you comfortable returning to work on your campus this fall? [They wrote responses]( like, “College campuses are the white-collar version of meat-packing plants: people living and working together, packed into the smallest places possible.” And, “Yes. College students are not a very high-risk group, and distance learning is a disaster.” Readers’ other worries were equally powerful. When asked, “What are you most concerned about?” one reader wrote, “That the university will make rash decisions in attempts to get staff back too quickly, thus putting me and my family at risk. That I will be forced into unnecessarily deciding between my family’s health and putting food on our table.” This isn’t a scientific survey, but the responses are the beginning of a dialogue we’re starting to hear. We hear it echoed in Cal State’s decision. Most administrators want to get students and instructors back on campus. Many employees fear contagion, but that worry is coupled with anxiety over further job losses if colleges stay online. Some people have conflicting feelings. Others simply have a conflict with their administration’s decisions. Many are just starting to process all the risks and complexities. That’s why I want to continue this discussion. Please [answer these three questions]( about a fall semester. It will inform Chronicle reporting and illustrate this tricky conversation that so many people are having. Best of the rest. [Image] Aaron M. Sprecher via AP Images - [We’re Tracking Employees Laid Off or Furloughed by Colleges]( - [Was This Professor Dangerous?]( - [‘If the Students Don’t Come Back, We’re Dead in the Water’: Loss of Sports Spells Trouble Far Beyond Athletic Departments]( Lagniappe. [Image] Fernanda Zamudio-Suaréz - ✏️ Learn. Have you picked up any new skills or hobbies during the quarantine? It’s not too late to [learn to draw](. - 📚 Read. The bookcase in your Zoom background may [give you some intellectual credibility]( or –– depending on your shelves–– discredit you. - 🎧 Listen. The podcast [Wind of Change]( investigates a rumor that a well-known rock ballad with the same title wasn’t written by a mental band, but by the CIA during the Cold War. - 📺 Watch. Dr. Debroah Birx, response coordinator for the White House Coronavirus Task Force, has the nation’s attention. [Her scarves]( have the internet’s eye. I’ll be back next weekend. Cheers, —Fernanda Subscribe Today Our mission, at a time of crisis and uncertainty, is to make sure you have the information you need to respond effectively, and make the best decisions for your institution and your students. Please consider subscribing today to sustain our continuing coverage. [Subscribe Today]( This Week's Top Reads Athletics [Loss of Sports Spells Trouble Far Beyond Athletics Departments]( Some small institutions rely on athletics to raise enrollment, and college towns could be severely hurt if game-day crowds disappeared. ADVERTISEMENT [advertisement]( Faculty [Was This Professor Dangerous?]( After 26 years in the classroom, a professor was pushed out. Was he a legitimate threat, or just tough? (PREMIUM) Paid for and Created by HP [Understanding the Security Issues in Higher Education]( Printers, copiers, and scanners are often overlooked in university security procedures and policies. As printer breaches grow nationwide, HP outlines 11 important steps to take to ensure the safety of valuable student data, research, and university information. Data [We’re Tracking Employees Laid Off or Furloughed by Colleges]( Are you aware of furloughs or layoffs at a college or university? If so, let us know. Paid for and Created by Stevens Institute of Technology [Teaching Finance For The Future]( Stevens Institute of Technology Qualitative Finance program students find themselves in high demand, prepared to make impact once hired, and receiving starting salaries exceeding the national average after graduation. Latest Jobs Visit [ChronicleVitae.com]( to view the latest jobs in higher education. --------------------------------------------------------------- [Sign up]( for other newsletters, [stop receiving]( this email, or [view]( our privacy policy. © 2020 [The Chronicle of Higher Education]( 1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037 [The Chronicle of Higher Education](