Where we go from here
A year after the coronavirus upended the University of Iowa's operations, the road to "normal" is ahead of us.
It’s March 15, and we’re coming up on the end of the year anniversary of The Week where everything changed. On March 8, 2020, Gov. Kim Reynolds announced three positive cases of COVID-19 in Iowa, all Johnson County residents who went on the same cruise in Egypt. That very quickly turned to 12, and then we found out the regents were preparing to move classes “temporarily” online on March 11.
By the 17th, the governor mandated bars and restaurants to close and recommended schools close for the rest of the semester, and we knew that two week break was going to be a lot longer.
The experience of higher education has been radically different since then. Hundreds of hours spent on Zoom, spending a semester with professors and classmates without ever meeting face to face. Next semester, though, the UI is tentatively planning to be “back to normal,” if that phrase can mean anything at all.
Classes under 150 are expected to be in person, and the administration is no doubt hoping the marketing of a normal college semester will bring in students hesitant to sign onto an uncertain first year at college. Already, enrollment in the class of 2024 dropped off by more than 10% compared to the previous year. Throw in other COVID losses and consistently falling state appropriations, and the UI needs to attract students (and their tuition dollars) to keep the wheels rolling.
To make that happen, or at least to make it safe, the most important factor will be student vaccination. If 75% of the student population is still unvaccinated in August, it’s going to be hard to justify packing 100+ people into a lecture hall.
Luckily, the vaccine is being rolled out about as quickly as we could hope: 12% of Iowans are fully vaccinated, putting the state at 15th among the 50 states. It’s far from the gold standard, (Alaska wins that title, at nearly 18%), but it’s slightly above average and far higher than the Utahs of the world, who we were among just a couple weeks ago.
And there’s the Biden moonshot, to make all Americans eligible for the vaccine by May 1. Reynolds seems intent on beating that goal, as she noted in a press release last week. Iowa has been pretty aggressive with vaccine eligibility, opening up to people with preexisting conditions while most states were still in the 65+ phase. I won’t be surprised if the vaccine is open to everyone by mid-April, but then the question will be, how easy is it to get an appointment, and how aggressively will students pursue vaccination?
Another question is how quickly students will adopt in-person classes. I’m sure there’s a large segment that’s itching to be back fully in person, but there’s likely also to be a contingent of students that prefers online learning and doesn’t necessarily want to go back to campus.
Fully-online classes have always been an option, but it will be interesting to see if more are offered and they become more popular in the coming years. Speaking anecdotally, I brushed over online classes my first two years, but I’m considering taking one next semester even though most classes are being offered in person, simply because of the flexibility that comes with online learning.
The lasting effects of the pandemic on higher ed will be felt, written about, and argued for years to come, no doubt, and just like last spring, there is a fair amount of uncertainty as we chart the path forward. But instead of being a sort of ever-present dread, the mood now feels like cautious optimism, and that’s something to celebrate.
City business
To watch this week: The Iowa City City Council will decide on Tuesday whether to temporarily suspend the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that began meeting only a few months ago. The first several meetings were full of disagreement and discord, which ultimately ended in the ousting of the chair and vice chair, and four resignations from the board.
Laura Bergus, who suggested the suspension, wants to wait as the board fills its vacancies. The remaining commissioners, at least those who have spoken publicly, want to keep doing their work with a quorum of remaining members. The public comment is sure to be lively tomorrow, and this is a consequential decision for the city, so tune in.
✨Personal news✨
The subscribers list on this newsletter is composed almost entirely of my Twitter followers so this may not be news to many, but just wanted to drop in here that I’ll be working as the executive editor at the Daily Iowan next year. It’s an exciting opportunity to work with an incredible staff, and I’m looking forward to continuing providing journalism to this community for another year.