June 30: Academics Update

Academics

Dr. Luke Fetters and Scheduling (3:02):

  • Classes begin as scheduled: August 31
  • Everything will proceed as normal only with a few variations:
    • No fall break in October
    • Students will NOT return to campus after Thanksgiving; the remainder of classes will be conducted virtually until Spring Semester

Health Guidelines and Academics (4:03)

  • Wear masks as you walk through the academic buildings
  • Once in the classroom, it will be up to the professor if masks need to be worn.
  • There will be more non-traditional classroom spaces so that big classes can meet all together as much as possible. (such as Zurcher Auditorium and Dining Commons meeting rooms)

What is the goal of an HU education? (6:00)

  • Christ, Scholarship, and Service. Despite everything going on at the moment, our faculty and staff are still dedicated to providing a Christ-centered education that prepares students for serving others through Christ after graduation.

What three pieces of advice would you give students to help them succeed this year? (9:58)

  • Be prayerful. Ask God to lead you and direct you into what He would have you to do. He may lead you to do things that you wouldn’t have planned for yourself.
  • Plan ahead; use a calendar; keep up on emails from professors. All of these things can keep you on time and can lead to great opportunities. In turn, seek out those opportunities. Find ways that you can get involved in the HU community because you never know what they can bring. These opportunities can also make you a stronger student.
  • Be adaptable; be flexible; be open and roll with things as they happen. Be open to what God is putting in front of you.
  • Be organized! Utilize the resources available to you to stay organized.
  • Find supports wherever you can: church, professors, friends. Sometimes these things don’t always find you, so go find things that are life-giving, not life-taking. With that, practice good self-care! Eat well, get lots of sleep—but most important—form good relationships.

What specific action can a student take to send the right signal to the professor that they take themselves seriously? (16:00)

  • Be accountable to yourself. Be accountable to your peers—give respect and show respect. Be accountable to your professor—get to know them and communicate with them! Get to know your professors so that they can know you.
  • Study your syllabus! By learning and studying and knowing what’s in it, you’re showing your professor that you care about the course that they’ve put together and the work that goes into the class.
  • Try and learn something new in every class. It shows the professor that you are there to learn, not just gather information for the next exam.
  • Communicate. Your professors are more than willing and happy to work with you, but if you don’t communicate with them when something’s wrong, then they won’t know how to best help you.

If I was an A, B, or C student in high school, will I likely get similar grades with similar effort in college? (24:14)

  • A lot depends on how challenging your high school was. Do not use your academic success in high school as a predictor for how you will do in college—unless you really know how to study.
  • If you didn’t have to work hard in high school—if it came easier to you—then you can’t keep the same habits in college. You have to learn how to study and how to study for you.
  • Learning is a talent, not a discipline. It’ something that you have to practice and condition.

Q&A Session (30:20)

What number constitutes a large class that would have to be moved to a new location? (30:52)

Classrooms will be operating at around 30% of their original capacity; if you’re in a class of 30 students or more, your class will likely be relocated. (Not many of our traditional classrooms can handle 30 students socially distanced)

The registrars will be sending out a list of classes that location has been changed. Also, by re-downloading your schedule, you can see the new location of the classroom.

Will we still be having activates like dance teams and sports? (33:40)

Athletics and activities will be covered the Tuesday Night Live sessions with Dr. Degitz and Lori Culler

Will Olympiad still be happening?

Tune into the Campus Ministries/Student Life session to hear more from our Student Life team!

Will some classes be outside?

There will be some tents available outdoors. Faculty is encouraged to reserve a tent for a class session, but it’s not required to have class outside.

What if a student needs to quarantine due to COVID exposure?

The Academic affairs office is looking into different opportunities for that student to actively participate synchronously with the class.

Is there a possibility that we could switch to virtual classes before Thanksgiving break?

It’s up to the County Health Board to decide if another outbreak has occurred and if the occasion arises where classes would need to switch to virtual learning.

Is wearing masks “encouraged” or “required”?

They will be required in all academic buildings, but Professors will decide mask requirements in their classrooms.

Can the commuter lounge still be able to be used?

That is a student life question, however, we haven’t heard of it being closed yet.

Will there be any changes to the library?

The library won’t be closed, however, social distancing protocols will be implemented—like keeping a safe distance from one another and, possibly, limited seating.