Some Ole Miss Parents And Students Call For More Face To Face Classroom Instruction

OXFORD, MISS. (WCBI) – With just weeks to go in a Fall semester, some University of Mississippi parents say they believe efforts to curb the spread of Covid 19 is impacting the quality of education.

Ole Miss graduate Dr. Patrick Tucker is about to add another graduate to his family.  His son is a senior this year.

But the changing classroom instruction, meant to reduce face to face instruction because of the pandemic has upset some parents and students.  Tucker is part of a Facebook group called “Keep Mississippi Universities Open.”

“This group of parents, we’re not trying to tear down Ole Miss, we’re trying to save our students and their academic integrity, at the same time we’re trying to save Ole Miss, and we’ve had very little results in being able to get the administration, IHL or anybody else in power, to do anything else to make any changes to resolve this situation,” Dr. Tucker said.

Tucker says, as a medical doctor,  he believes there’s a good chance the limited number of face to face instruction, along with restrictions for on campus activities, will have a detrimental affect on some students. That’s why he is encouraging university leaders to have a different approach in the spring.

“There is a way , especially, since the CDC has documented how little problems students this age have, there is a way to get these students involved with each other, there is a way to open classrooms for those instructors that feel comfortable doing that,” Tucker said.

The CDC  has updated its website when it comes to college age young adults.  The CDC posts that institutes of higher learning may be a potential source of Covid 19 outbreaks.  Their updated guidance includes calls for increased social distancing in classrooms and dining halls and requirements for face masks and reducing the density of on campus housing.

This week, Chancellor Glenn Boyce sent a letter to Ole Miss parents. Chancellor Boyce said the university plans to offer more in person courses this spring, along with, expanding the number of places where classes can be held, including off campus locations where social distancing guidelines can be followed.

“To be clear, we want to be in person, that’s why everybody came here, is to deliver a great education to our students in person,” said Jim Zook, who is chief marketing and communications officer for Ole Miss. He says the university takes concerns of students and parents seriously. He also believes there has been some confusion about the terminology used to describe course formats.

“We’re taking some steps before students register for the spring semester to make sure everybody is clear on what each format means and doesn’t mean, there’s some names that may be familiar, online and remote, sounds similar, but they’re delivered in different ways,” Zook said.

Registration for the spring semester starts next week. In his letter to parents, Chancellor Boyce also promised to make more on campus space available, for student groups and other organizations. Concerned Ole Miss parents and students say they will be watching and they hope the university keeps its promises, especially in the area of more in person classroom instruction.

Fall semester for Ole Miss students wraps up right before Thanksgiving.