As of January 6th, the students at UC Davis have been told that they have to endure three more weeks of online classes. With the new Omicron variant, students feel scared that the whole quarter will be online. For students like myself, this news has not come lightly. As a senior who has had to complete close to half of my dense course work online, I am calling all students to sign this petition and allow students who wish to return to sign waivers stating they are willing to take the risk and will not pursue legal actions against UC Davis if they become sick. LOOK BELOW FOR THE SOLUTION

While I understand that some students and professors alike do not feel safe returning to campus, I think we need to give those that wish to return the option to do so.The professors who wish to remain home can continue to do their classes online. 

The solution: 

To keep things simple and straightforward, the professors who wish to return can record their in person classes using Lecture Capture so that those at home can watch them asynchronously. To make grading all in one place for professors, students who attend in person can also take the tests online just as their fellow students at home are doing so that professors aren’t forced to look at multiple platforms to complete their grades.

It seems that the preliminary findings are that Omicron is a much milder form of COVID and we are reaching a phase where it is becoming endemic, just like the flu. With most of the Davis student body being healthy young individuals, those who feel comfortable due to their current health and vaccination records or exemptions should be able to return. For those of us in STEM and hard science classes, we are losing out on critical in-lab experiences. I am currently in a Human Gross Anatomy cadaver lab and am facing completing the one lab I have looked forward to since freshman year online. Not only will the hands-on component be taken away, but our learning will suffer as a result. While three weeks might seem like a short time to be online, it will mean 4 of the 10 total weeks this quarter will be spent online, losing 40% of the valuable hands-on experience. 

Please sign this petition! EVEN IF your choice is to stay home please help out your fellow classmates in being able to receive the education THEY ARE PAYING FOR.