The Fall 2020 semester at Mount Saint Mary College, and at institutions of higher learning throughout the United States, is simultaneously a return to the college experience we remember and proof that we must continue to act with both caution and compassion.
Mount students, faculty, and staff are working hard to shield their fellow Knights from illness. The Mount community is wearing masks on campus, maintaining social distance whenever possible, keeping meetings small or virtual, and more. Throughout the day, main areas, classrooms, and residences halls are being cleaned regularly.
First-year student Kylie Dragonetti, a Nursing major, is pleased about these new precautions. “I’m going to wear my mask, I’m going to follow every guideline I can to keep others safe and keep myself safe, and we’ll deal with what we’ve got,” she said. “It might not be exactly what we planned, but we’re still going to have fun and study hard.”
Studying hard is exactly what Mount students are doing this semester, in courses that are a mixture of online/virtual and in-person education. Through the Mount’s Hybrid Flexible (Mount Hy-Flex) model, professors are utilizing many methods of instruction, from in-person to fully online/virtual – and everything in between. Most courses are blending online and in-person elements, creating a hybrid learning experience.
Mount officials are planning to remain on campus for the entire Fall 2020 semester, but the protocols are in place if this must change. Hy-Flex allows professors to more easily accommodate students who may need to quarantine. It also ensures that if a quick transition to online learning becomes necessary, it can be carried out that much more easily and efficiently than could be done on short notice.
A few days into the Fall 2020 semester, Dr. Adsit posted a photo of the sun rising over the Mount campus. His caption read, “Let’s keep it going.” It was a reminder that we have not reached the end of the COVID-19 pandemic yet.
But we will. And we’ll do it together.