U of Louisville Insists on In-Person Courses, Despite Dismay from Faculty, Students

To the dismay of more than 500 professors, staff, students, parents and other community members petitioning for remote courses, the University of Louisville (UL) is insisting on in-person classes, reports the Courier Journal.

, UL's interim president, Dr. Lori Stewart Gonzalez, is directing that courses designated as "in-person" not be moved online, saying that “severe illness to fully vaccinated individuals from contracting COVID remains very low” and that students' academic performance and mental well-being suffer during remote instruction.

Citing Gonzalez's directive, Professor David Owens also said that violations to the policy may result in discipline, though faculty who contract the virus and have to isolate may teach classes online from home, reports the Journal.

According to the Journal, faculty members say "they are not asking for the university to go to remote instruction entirely but instead give instructors the flexibility to teach online if their safety or the students’ safety demands it." 

The online petition had been signed by 179 students, 109 faculty members, 72 staff, 480 alumni and 18 parents by Monday morning. Of those signers, one wrote that the “wish for normalcy should not supersede the need for safety,” while another said, “Please be dedicated to BEING SAFE, not dedicated to being in person.”