By Richard Williams, Contributing Writer
Wearing a facemask in the classroom is now a requirement for students and professors at St. Bonaventure University for the 2020 fall semester due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Students have shown they are not concerned about the masks hindering their learning experience.
“I don’t think my learning ability is getting affected by the masks or other COVID-related restrictions,” said sophomore biochemistry major Bhavika Sethi. “We haven’t been on campus since March, so I feel used to the idea of wearing a mask all the time.”
In addition to the facial coverings St. Bonaventure has designed every room on campus to adhere to social distancing guidelines. Students at the university feel they are still learning despite the different setup in the classroom.
Changes to the learning format were made in the university’s reopening plan, which stated, “St. Bonaventure University will ensure that a distance of at least six feet is maintained among individuals when seated in a classroom and require individuals to also wear acceptable face coverings while in classrooms.”
St. Bonaventure students have adapted well to the new changes in their learning, as shown by the university’s total number of COVID-19 cases. As of Thursday, St. Bonaventure has only reported two positive tests since Aug. 1.
“You need to understand how tirelessly so many people at St. Bonaventure have worked to create a safe environment that gives us the best chance to remain in session until Thanksgiving,” said university president Dr. Dennis DePerro in a letter to the students highlighting the goal in sight of keeping students on campus.
“I want to stay on campus as long as possible so whatever we can do stay here, we should be doing,” said freshman sports media major, Luis Perez.
Professors have also found it difficult to teach with the new restrictions.
“One of the weirdest things is I don’t see my student’s whole faces,” said Dr. Tara Walker, assistant professor of communication at the Jandoli School of Communication.
The university did allow professors to teach online or in a hybrid model in their reopening plan: “Some faculty are choosing to teach their courses in a hybrid fashion to lower densities in academic spaces and because that format works particularly well pedagogically for those courses.”
This means students are being taught in a variety of settings – not just in the classroom with a mask on.
With the recent student suspensions, the university remains committed to keeping St. Bonaventure a safe place for their students to learn free of COVID-19.
williarj20@bonaventure.edu
