As faculty college students throughout the U.S. return for the spring semester, instructors at one college are elevating considerations about in-person instructing.

With roughly 10,000 college students flooding again onto campus, some professors at Ohio State College are uneasy concerning the security of in-person studying, questioning if it is clever to return to the classroom amid the continuing Omicron-fueled COVID-19 surge.

"This was the bizarre factor immediately," Man Rub, a professor at OSU's Moritz Faculty of Legislation, advised Columbus information station WCMH-TV. "It was a lot enjoyable to be in particular person and to have so many individuals collectively, but it surely's additionally, I am unsure it serves the group at massive."

Rub highlighted the rising COVID case numbers in Ohio and the packed hospitals whereas making his case for distant studying. In accordance with the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC), the Buckeye State has seen over 134,000 new circumstances of the virus within the final seven days. Whereas appreciative of the security measures which have been taken by the college, Rub nonetheless thinks they need to maintain digital lessons for the primary few weeks of the semester.

ohio state university covid
Professors are elevating considerations concerning the return to in-person studying at Ohio State College. Above, persons are seen on the OSU campus in Columbus throughout the first yr of the pandemic.Matthew Hatcher/Getty Pictures

"If somebody must be within the lab, the lab shall be in-person, whereas if somebody wants to listen to a lecture, the lecture will be on Zoom," he advised WCMH. "I believe that will make extra sense versus one dimension matches all, which doesn't match all."

Considered one of Rub's colleagues at OSU, Professor Katrina Lee, expressed comparable sentiments on Twitter. Instructors from different regulation colleges expressed their sympathies within the feedback.

"I've spoken w a number of profs at regulation colleges which are digital for now," Lee wrote on Sunday. "They have been involved I am instructing in particular person tmw. I do love being within the bodily classroom. However one way or the other OSU imposing in-person mode on college students & profs this week does not really feel protected or supportive or understanding."

As a part of the college's plan to maintain folks protected, all college students and employees at Ohio State are required to put on face masks indoors and college students shall be examined for COVID weekly no matter their vaccination standing. Meals halls are additionally being capped at 40 p.c of their most capacities.

When pressed by WCMH, the college highlighted the truth that 92.5 p.c of its college students and employees members are vaccinated in opposition to COVID-19.

"We're monitoring carefully and can modify our well being and security protocols if wanted based mostly on the most recent scientific information and public well being steering," the college stated in an announcement.

Newsweek reached out to Ohio State College for remark.

In December, Inside Greater Ed reported that main universities like DePaul, Harvard and Stanford can be holding digital lessons for the primary few weeks of the spring semester. Pennsylvania State College, the College of California Los Angeles, and the College of Southern California have been reportedly contemplating an analogous transfer on the time.