When the virus hit hard in March, universities across the country moved (4)abruptly to online classes while elementary and (5)secondary schools also closed their doors. By the time May graduation (6)rolled around , kids and their parents had already been under (7)stay-at-home orders for a couple of long months. While some college campuses, like mine, postponed graduation until late summer, others quickly (8) put together (9) virtual ceremonies. Our local high school celebrated with a parade of kids, separated in cars with their families. Folks look forward to and cherish graduation , so the pandemic hit college and high school (10)seniors and their families especially hard.

through the Pandemic">Dancing through the Pandemic

I was impressed by the creative ways the local high school, and I’m sure many other schools, still celebrated the (11)momentous occasion of graduation . I also saw countless examples of professors using social media and online platforms to encourage and celebrate their students, through online classes and graduation . Some posted silly dance videos to make their students laugh while others posted photos of an empty campus, letting students know how much they missed them. Rules about attendance , grades, fees and (12)standardized tests were relaxed for college and secondary schools because everyone understood the mental health of the students, (13) isolated from their (14)peers and teachers, was (15)fragile.

to -Face!">We are Face- to -Face!

One thing became clear . Online education (16)is not what our institutions are about. A lot of students from our campus posted angry comments on social media about having to pay the same tuition for online classes and about graduation being postponed. Many said they would not come back to school in the summer or fall unless classes on campus resumed. University officials listened. Declaring that, in our (17) core values, we are a face- to -face institution, they made the decision to reopen campus for the second round of summer classes, starting in early July. There has been a lot of talk here and across the country about the importance of the relationships and experiences students can only have by being on campus, and I agree . But economics is a big consideration , too. Tuition on many college campuses pays staff and faculty salaries, and a drop in (18)enrollment can force layoffs or even close down a school.

So , while most schools will wait until fall 2020 or later to reopen , ours will reopen in July. Yes, masks and other restrictions will be required . But (19)coronavirus cases are (20)skyrocketing in this area right now, and that’s scary . No one knows what the future holds.