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UCLA announces remote instruction will continue for spring quarter

Students, faculty and staff will continue working remotely for spring quarter, UCLA announced in a statement Monday. (Ashley Kenney/Assistant Photo editor)

By Genesis Qu

Jan. 11, 2021 12:34 p.m.

This story was updated Jan. 18 at 11:30 p.m.

UCLA will continue remote instruction and work from home for spring quarter.

The university will offer remote-only instruction in the spring, except for a limited number of in person or hybrid classes that train essential workers, Executive Vice Provost Emily Carter announced in a statement Monday.

On-campus housing will remain at reduced capacity, with limited space offered to students who do not have alternative housing options, Carter said in the statement.

The decision was informed by regulations from the LA County Department of Public Health and the university’s COVID-19 Response and Recovery Task Force, Carter added.

UCLA faculty and staff who have worked remotely will continue to do so until June 30, Carter said, which is nine days after the start of summer session A.

[Related link: UC campuses plan for return to in-person instruction by fall 2021]

UCLA has not yet decided whether summer session classes will be held remotely or in-person, Carter said.

The extension, however, does not apply to staff working on campus and some research and classes approved by UCLA, she added. Staff at UCLA Health, David Geffen School of Medicine and the School of Dentistry are also exempt from the extension, Carter said.

More than 900,000 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in LA County since the start of the pandemic, according to the LACDPH. More than 300 people in LA County died from COVID-19 on Friday, which is the highest number of COVID-19-related deaths reported on a day since the pandemic started, according to a Friday LACDPH press release.

The county saw more than 14,000 new COVID-19 cases Sunday, according to a Sunday LACDPH press release. Around 22% of the 8,000 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in LA County are in the intensive care unit as of Sunday.

“While we celebrate advances like the development, approval, and first stages of the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, we also acknowledge that change will not happen overnight,” Carter said. “At present, the risks posed by the virus remain.”

Rosalinda Moreno, a third-year human biology and society student, said she is concerned that some professors may reduce class flexibility under the assumption that students have gotten used to remote learning. 

Debrina Collins, a third-year sociology transfer student, said the university’s decision makes sense from a public safety perspective but she is personally disappointed.

Collins said the university should take the initiative to reach out to students about online activities and resources now that spring quarter is also online.

“Personally, as a transfer student, I found it very difficult to find resources and activities on campus to do,” Collins said. “It has become exponentially more difficult because it is online.”

Sandy Kim, a fifth-year computational and systems biology student, said she expected an online spring quarter and, with the entire school year being online, she feels less motivated and is concerned about burning out.

“At the rate the U.S. is vaccinating, I didn’t see it being realistic that spring quarter would be in person,” Kim said. “With all the information we have right now, I think it is probably the right decision.”

Contributing reports from Christine Tran, Daily Bruin contributor.

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Genesis Qu | Alumnus
Qu was the 2021-2022 Editor in chief. He was previously the 2020-2021 campus politics editor and a contributor for The Stack. He studied statistics and political science at UCLA.
Qu was the 2021-2022 Editor in chief. He was previously the 2020-2021 campus politics editor and a contributor for The Stack. He studied statistics and political science at UCLA.
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