State of the Campus, Spring 2021: Slowly Heading Toward Normalcy

One year after the initial COVID-19 lockdown, the Penn State Greater Allegheny (PSUGA) community continues to follow pandemic precautions, including wearing face masks on campus and attending socially distanced or remote classes.

“We are continuing to follow the same protocol as well as random testing being ongoing,” Director of Student Services and Engagement, Lorraine Craven, stated, “We have not heard anything regarding vaccination requirements for future semesters.”

Dr. Jacqueline Edmondson, chancellor and chief academic officer, is hopeful that campus will be returning to normal in the near future, citing the low number of positive cases PSUGA has seen, according to the COVID-19 Dashboard.

“Barring some terrible thing happening, the plan is for the fall of 2021 to look like the fall of 2019, where everybody’s back together and we’re on campus for classes and clubs and organizations,” Edmonson said.

Health Service Coordinator, Jennifer Ross, agreed with Edmondson.

“The cases have been very low here at GA and that is a testament to all students, staff and faculty following the guidelines,” she said. “I hope that with vaccinations increasing and all continuing to follow the guideline, we may soon have some sense of normalcy.”

This comes after President Joe Biden’s March 11 announcement to urge states to make all American adults eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations by May 1.

“Because of all the work we’ve done, we will have enough vaccine for all adults in America by the end of May,” Biden said during his address to the nation.

“That’s months ahead of schedule, and we are mobilizing thousands of vaccinators to put the vaccine in one’s arm.”

While there is currently no expected vaccination requirement on campus, students are encouraged to receive their shot when it becomes available to them.

“I was hesitant, but the benefits outweighed the risk,” Ross said. “Being vaccinated not only protects yourself but also your family and friends.”

In the spirit of returning to normalcy, Edmondson announced plans to host an in-person commencement for Spring 2021 graduates on May 8 in accordance with University policies.

“Our Wunderley Gymnasium is a venue that can host our commencement aligned with Pennsylvania Department of Health guidance,” Edmondson explained.

“We will need to remain flexible and continue to follow public health guidelines. We are prepared to adjust plans, if necessary, based on changing virus conditions or changes in public health guidelines,” she added.

While plans are not finalized, there will be limits to the number of guests permitted. All guests will be required to wear face masks and maintain physical distance per the University’s guidelines and procedures to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

“The ceremony will look a little different than it did in the past. For example, we won’t have the platform party, the faculty who sit up on the stage,” Edmondson added. “But at least we’ll be able to meet in person and congratulate each of our graduates.”

Additionally, PSUGA’s commencement will be live-streamed to provide a virtual option for those who can’t attend in-person. A University-wide virtual commencement will be held on May 9 at virtual.commencement.psu.edu.

With finals only a month away, Penn State is once again reimplementing its opt-in alternative grading system for the Spring 2021 semester to support students who may be facing academic challenges due the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Students are strongly advised to speak with their advisors when making the decision to use alternative grades.

Students returning to PSUGA for the Fall 2021 semester will have the opportunity to enroll in a new social work major.

“We’ll be able to register students in the bachelor of social work degree in the summer and fall. I’m really excited about that,” Edmondson said. “We hired Dr. Christopher Robinson to be our first social work professor and he brings a wonderful experience to the degree program. I’m excited about him joining our faculty, then joining our campus community.”

Edmondson hopes the degree offering will attract a diverse population of students. She added that the social work program will be special, as Greater Allegheny is the first and currently only Penn State campus to offer the major.

“We will be collaborating with other campuses that may want to offer some of the courses that are in that degree program,” she explained. “But for now, we’re the only campus offering it.”

While the PSUGA community will continue to mask up for the remainder of the Spring semester, Fall 2021 may bring the normalcy everyone craves.

“I’m really looking forward to having everyone back on campus again in the near future,” Edmondson said. “Each day it feels like we’re getting closer and closer to that reality. We’ve certainly turned a corner here.”

Story by: Nathan Rega (nrr5191@psu.edu)