How are we all feeling about f2f teaching?

[Rumblebuffin]

Given that we're gearing up for a massive new wave, I'm nervous about teaching largely unvaccinated first years in poorly ventilated rooms without masks (still waiting on guidance about the masks).

Empathy? No, the only value they abide by is entitlement.

yikes on bikes, guys. thanks for the updates and I'm sorry to hear of people getting sick. Fingers crossed for that second PCR test. I don't know about all you, but just talking to ppl on this board is very helpful to me as a big part of the violence is the gaslighting -- as though we are mad to be worried. I am from another part of the world where they mask to they eyeballs, lock down hard with not many cases etc etc, and so my experience of no mask mandate while we have 45000 cases is so surreal and disturbing. But so many of my colleagues are not so bothered, and it's creating rifts. whole situation is SO AWFUL. so thanks for reminding me i'm not the only one!

Absolutely agree @randomneim I'm terrified by some of the behaviour of our students, mask wearing in lectures seems to be a particular sticking point for the majority. A colleague told me the other day he had 5 of 80 students in masks in his first lecture, and he asked twice for them to mask up, and was met with reluctance, and some defiant death glares. He is a very popular Professor, but still meeting so little respect.

There's no point me celebrating my seminar groups masking up when my husband is in an unventilated room for an hour and a half with entirely unmasked students.

(and I'm on a crammed together bus with loads of unmasked students)

@DinkBoo

Absolutely agree *@randomneim* I'm terrified by some of the behaviour of our students, mask wearing in lectures seems to be a particular sticking point for the majority. A colleague told me the other day he had 5 of 80 students in masks in his first lecture, and he asked twice for them to mask up, and was met with reluctance, and some defiant death glares. He is a very popular Professor, but still meeting so little respect.

There's no point me celebrating my seminar groups masking up when my husband is in an unventilated room for an hour and a half with entirely unmasked students.

I really can't believe the complete lack of concern by your government and your employers for your health and safety. I read somewhere upthread that universities in England were told they cannot deny students an education for refusal to wear a mask. However, I'm sure universities must have some latitude. They could, for example, only permit classes to run if all are wearing a mask and provide a recording or run a zoom class if they can't run the class live. They have a duty of care to their employees that they seem to be ignoring.

We have been told to abandon the class and report the student if we have students who won't wear a mask. Thankfully I haven't had to do it but I have provided recordings to students who were absent for covid related reasons (e.g. waiting on test result as a housemate is positive or having symptoms themselves).

However, I'm sure universities must have some latitude. They could, for example, only permit classes to run if all are wearing a mask and provide a recording or run a zoom class if they can't run the class live.

The guidance to universities from the Government says explicitly that students cannot be denied access to education for not wearing masks. The Office for Students has indicated that they will be sympathetic to students asking for refunds for inadequate education. The blame lies with the Government, not with the universities.

The Office for Students has indicated that they will be sympathetic to students asking for refunds for inadequate education.

Wow. That's really tieing their hands then. I would have been able to get round the "not denying an education" bit by providing virtual classes but the threat of refunds probably rules that out.

I assume your unions are as toothless as they are here in Ireland?

Useless union (there's only really one), spending all its energy on far-left foreign policies, that couldn't negotiate its way out of a brown paper bag. In the meantime we have students saying their rights override those of clinically vulnerable and pregnant lecturers. Our management tells us we can't say a word.

We have been watching with horror what is happening generally in UK universities over the past number of years. We have quite a number of academic refugees moving over here.

Thanks for the updates everyone. Yep, England is such an outlier. Wish the union could do more. They try and there is a lot of individual goodwill and concern, and some places have managed to get masks mandated but not many and they seem overall toothless on this. Now that we are almost at 50,000 cases/day, does anyone have any sense of if/when/what it would take for things to go back online? Presumably they'll let it get really bad before they pivot to online, if at all. One can hope though...

I mean Winter Plan B mentions working from home -- I wonder what the implications are for us.

@Randomneim

Thanks for the updates everyone. Yep, England is such an outlier. Wish the union could do more. They try and there is a lot of individual goodwill and concern, and some places have managed to get masks mandated but not many and they seem overall toothless on this. Now that we are almost at 50,000 cases/day, does anyone have any sense of if/when/what it would take for things to go back online? Presumably they'll let it get really bad before they pivot to online, if at all. One can hope though...

Not sure, but suspect some unis will take action at the local level - if they are big and brave enough to do so.

And perverse to say, but potentially going on strike almost feels like a relief in this respect.

Some excellent new scientific advice from St Greenhalgh. These are things unis are 'kinda' doing, but not mandating, in the main. With mandates on all of these things we'd be possibly golden, when we're so far from that now. 50,000 cases a day FFS! Sending this to my UCU safety rep. wellcomeopenresearch.org/articles/6-282

Rumours abound at my place that if current case trends continue after reading week could see a change in delivery of teaching...

I read on Twitter that Bristol has made face coverings compulsory. Let’s see if the other side follow suit. In the meantime, ventilation is hit and miss, colds and flu are running through the student population and we’re in the line of fire for (allegedly) being lazy for wanting safe working conditions.

The only students wearing masks in my institution are international students.
We put up a slide (provided by the university 3 weeks into term) at the start of teaching sessions to ask for mask wearing. No response. Last week boxes of masks were placed in seminar rooms. No one takes them. Our ventilation is generally good and is being monitored.

The other local universities have mask mandates. Rates are low but there have been clusters and horrible colds and coughs are rife.
Many staff are wearing masks. But not all. The number of staff with covid is higher than last year. The number of students lower but partly that is because they do not report positive tests to the university. It is a mess and I am counting down to my booster.

Interesting to hear Bristol have now mandated mask wearing. I can't see that happening where I work as they don't want any student complaints. I'd say 70-80% aren't wearing masks.

I'm not personally too worried about Covid having already had it but we have vulnerable staff working f2f with students. Senior mgt are continuing to ignore low morale and concerns about staff sickness and safety and are coming down hard on any complaints.

We have blended/hybrid, face to face but students can attend on teams if they need so. Over the course of the term many students have realised that they can open teams, get a tick for attendance and not do any work. The amount of times I have been ignored even if I ask them direct questions!)

So, what are the chances our blessed employers will make mask-wearing compulsory now, or will they continue to pander to students at the expense of our health?

I was just wondering the same @lomaamina

I've just had my first long period with a lot of students. We do have mask wearing, here, but my, the number of students with poorly fitting masks! I was able to find masks that didn't fall down my face, why can't they? It's not like they're just sitting there planning to wear them below their nose, but each time they speak it falls down and they have to pull it up. I would think that would become annoying, especially after a semester of it!