AUC has a Coronavirus Contingency Plan in the Works
By: Omar M. Ramadan
@OmarMag15414519
AUC is considering contingency plans in the event COVID-19 infection rates surge nationwide and on campus.
The upward crawl of infection rates just a month after face-to-face instruction resumed has prompted university administration to plan for some classes to potentially be taught virtually.
Last week, Management Department Chair Ahmed Tolba, who is currently heading part of the AUC Covid response taskforce, reached out to department chairs to discuss contingency plans with suggestions that some classes remain on campus with others going online.
“We’re not planning to go online. Our intention as a university is to stay face to face, but being ready with a contingency plan is very important,” Tolba told The Caravan.
Tolba explained that some practical and experiential classes and those which require labs are recommended to continue face to face on campus.
“I asked the department chairs to identify the courses that require exams to be face to face, I got a list from most departments. This makes us ready in any bad situation that could happen, to prepare spaces for these courses to have exams on campus safely,” Tolba added.
He also said that the university has taken great efforts to guarantee the best academic and social experience for students while being as safe as possible.
“We want to be ready as the number of Covid-19 cases is growing in the country in general. Another thing is that we are very proud that above 90% of students have been vaccinated,” Tolba told The Caravan.
He emphasized that students play an important role in whether we switch to online modality. Students should understand that it is not a matter of preference to stay on campus or switch to online, but it depends on the situation to ensure the safety of the AUC community.
“We hope that the students really help by abiding with the precautions inside and outside [classrooms], and try as much as possible to avoid being cramped next to each other,” Tolba said.
AUC’s Scientific Advisory Committee head and Chair of the Chemistry department Hassan Azzazy said that a four-stage system adapted from the Minnesota Department of Health is being considered by AUC as part of its COVID-19 response.
According to the system, the first stage – labelled green – is when seven positive cases a day are reported as a rolling average within a 14-day period.
The second stage is reached when 8-21 positive cases a day are reported over a 14-day period.
AUC is currently at level yellow with 10-14 positive cases as a daily average in the past week, according to the Community Dashboard. Another factor is that the Egyptian dashboard shows a steady increase in new Covid-19 cases.
“The third stage indicates the orange level and a rolling average of more than 21 positive cases [daily rolling average]. Lastly, the fourth stage indicates the red level and more than 21 positive cases being infected [daily] over a period of 14 days,” Azzazy told The Caravan.
Azzazy also explained that every level according to the proposed system will require specific measures to be followed in order to curb the spread of the Covid-19 virus as much as possible.
For the green level, everything is considered adequate and the university can continue operating normally.
When the yellow level is reached, the new recommendations call for all indoor and outdoor activities such as sports, events and co-curricular activities to be cancelled plus the possibility of cancelling the assembly hour. It also suggests starting to revoke campus access of those individuals who don’t comply with precautionary measures.
“The orange level indicates starting hybrid teaching and only classes with strong justification will run on campus … assembly hour will be cancelled or [shortened to] 30 minutes. Finally, the red level will mean fully switching online,” Azzazy said.
Political Science Department Chair Syed Maswood says that it is not certain whether AUC will remain open or not. However, it makes good sense to plan ahead just so that the community is prepared.
“The problem in Egypt is that vaccination rates are still very low and that needs to ramp up very quickly so that we have certainty about universities staying open. Many universities in the US are also face to face, but the difference is that vaccination rates in the US are much higher than in Egypt,” Maswood explained.
According to the New York Times, nearly half of the global population have received at least one vaccine dose, with the United Arab Emirates leading with 86 percent fully vaccinated.
The US has fully vaccinated 56 percent of its population.
Egypt’s Ministry of Health says it has administered nearly 21 million doses of the vaccines, enough to fully vaccinate at least 10 percent of the population.
If We Do …
Mathematics and Actuarial Science Department Chair Wafik Lotfallah says that most of the courses offered in his department can be online, but he highlighted that most of the exams will need to be held on campus.
“Many courses have had cheating incidents in previous semesters, especially low level courses and courses that help in declaration. Students try to declare by any possible means … this is why it is important to have the exams on campus,” Lotfallah said.
Psychology junior Rana Waleed believes there is a need to stay on campus since her major requires completing experiments and activities which cannot be done online.
“There were certain courses like “Abnormal Psychology” which require us to work on the ground or in hospitals, but when I took it online I did not do any of that stuff and did not get the actual experience that was supposed to be [gained] from this course,” Waleed said.
She also regrets that online learning minimizes interaction with faculty.
Architecture sophomore Hana Hesham says she struggled during the online learning period, and is adamant that many of her major courses should not be switched online.
“I took a course called “Descriptive Geometry” that is mainly about drawing [and] this needed the professor to be there since it was the first time for me to use these kinds of rulers to draw, and the professor wasn’t able to deliver how to use it remotely,” Hesham said.
