The Georgetown University Student Association (GUSA) Senate unanimously passed a resolution demanding hybrid learning options for immunocompromised students at a Jan. 23 meeting. 

The resolution calls for the university to create hybrid methods of instruction for immunocompromised and other vulnerable students, allow students who are quarantining to attend classes virtually, and gather information on the number of immunocompromised students on campus. 

The resolution aims to better accommodate students who are more vulnerable to COVID-19 and to generally increase student wellbeing, according to GUSA Senator Sanjana Ranganathan (SFS ’25), who introduced the resolution. 

“The goal of this resolution is to increase inclusion on campus for medically vulnerable populations while also increasing student and staff safety on campus,” Ranganathan wrote in an email to The Hoya. “We look forward to collaborating with the University health department as well as technology support staff to form a feasible and safe plan for immunocompromised students.”

The resolution also urges the university to gather more data about immunocompromised populations in order to better provide resources for medically vulnerable groups, according to Ranganathan. 

“Another important clause in the resolution is for the university to investigate and publish statistics on immunocompromised populations on campus,” Ranganathan wrote. “Finally, the bill also calls for comprehensive virtual options for any students quarantined due to COVID exposure/infection.”

The university began the spring 2022 semester with virtual instruction but will return to in-person learning Jan. 31. The resolution calls on the university to provide virtual options for students who are immunocompromised or in quarantine as a result of a positive COVID-19 test result. 

The university should learn from its shortcomings from the fall semester and be more receptive to the needs of the student body, according to GUSA Senate Vice Speaker Rowlie Flores (COL ’22).

“While in the fall semester, professors were instructed to record lectures when it comes to courses, it doesn’t always mean that professors followed,” Flores wrote in an email to The Hoya. “Some professors have chosen to not have an online component at all, and with the spread of the omicron variant, attending in-person classes can be intimidating.”

During the fall 2021 semester, Rohan Williamson, vice provost for education, emphasized that students should not expect to attend an in-person class asynchronously or for professors to provide opportunities for virtual participation in a Sept. 30 email to community members. The email said that faculty were not required to allow students to attend in-person classes virtually, even for COVID-related absences, which caused student frustration. 

While the university is committed to in-person instruction beginning Jan. 31, the health of the community will be prioritized, according to a university spokesperson. 

“​​We will also continue to prioritize the health of our community in all we do, therefore, if students miss class because of COVID-19-related isolation or quarantine it will be handled in a manner consistent with students missing class for illness or other reasons,” the university spokesperson wrote in an email to The Hoya. “To this end, faculty members have been encouraged to accommodate students by making course materials available to students missing classes due to COVID-19-related isolation or quarantine, or other symptoms and illnesses, based upon course content and pedagogy.”

While a hybrid mode of instruction should be prioritized for immunocompromised students, having a permanent hybrid learning option for all students would be beneficial during the COVID-19 pandemic and in the long term, according to Flores.

“This should be an immediate policy due to the pandemic, and I believe that the university should look into making this policy a permanent aspect of a Georgetown education,” Flores said. “Hybrid formats are not only helpful during a pandemic. They help working students with hectic schedules but also protect students from other illnesses — not just COVID-19.”

Students who are looking to accelerate the process of implementing hybrid options should make their voices heard to the university through direct communication, according to Ranganathan. 
“I definitely encourage students to write letters to the University administration and health department,” Ranganathan said.