Texas State moves majority of Summer II classes online

Texas State University announced Thursday that it move a majority of its Summer II courses online. 

The university’s move comes days before the start of the second summer session, which begins Monday. Texas State previously announced on June 23 that it would reduce the amount of people on its campuses by expanding the amount of courses offered online, remotely or in a hybrid format as COVID-19 cases continue to rise throughout the state. 

Texas State will only offer in-person courses for those that require a face-to-face component for licensure or degree requirements. University President Denise Trauth said approximately 200 students at its San Marcos campus and 200 students at its Round Rock campus would participate in face-to-face classes. 

“The health, wellness, and safety of staff are also our priority,” Trauth said. “We do not expect all staff to return to full-time in-person work during the summer II session. Offices that have been able to operate with minimal staff physically present on our campuses since the beginning of summer should continue to do so until we begin to ramp up for the fall semester in early August. All units that normally provide face-to-face student services in the summer must continue to do so with appropriate modifications to enhance public health.”

COVID-19 cases have exponentially increased in San Marcos through the month of June. The city had tallied 88 total cases on June 1 but the total case count rose by 1,739% by June 30 with 1,619 total cases. San Marcos has had 2,549 coronavirus cases through Thursday, while Hays County has recorded 3,050 total cases since the first diagnosis of the virus within the county on March 14. 

Prior to Thursday’s announcement, nearly 100 faculty members voiced their concerns with the university’s plan to resume face-to-face courses in a letter. 

“We urge the University to reconsider the blanket policy of returning to face-to-face instruction in all but exceptional cases,” the letter read. “A uniform approach to classroom instruction and continuity of education cannot account for the complexities of teaching multiple disciplines across a campus of nearly forty-thousand undergraduate and graduate students. We are convinced that the faculty themselves are the most able to find the balance between the benefits of face-to-face instruction and the need to protect the safety of faculty, students, and staff, while ensuring that the students receive quality instruction. It is the faculty who will be directly responsible for following CDC and WHO guidelines for social distancing, wearing masks, sanitizing facilities, and so on in the classroom.” 

While the university moved to reduce the amount of people on its campuses, the university’s decision doesn’t change the status of its phased resumption of research in its research facilities and field sites, Trauth said. 

Texas State still plans to return to face-to-face classes for the fall semester. Trauth stated that the university has protective measures in place if students want to return to its campuses but there will also be remote learning opportunities for students who choose not to return. 

“We will get through this together, even in times of uncertainty,” Trauth said. “I am asking all Bobcats to remain patient, flexible, and vigilant.”