Fitchburg State, QCC to hold fall semester in-person

Photo | Courtesy | Fitchburg State University Fitchburg State University

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By Grant Welker

Fitchburg State University is planning to have a fully in-person fall semester, while Worcester's Quinsigamond Community College is expecting a return to normalcy after a more than a year of remote learning.

Fitchburg State University President Richard Lapidus cited an increase in COVID-19 vaccines and a downward trend in cases, and QCC President Luis Pedraja said it hoped to expand upon flexible learning methods it quickly picked up during the pandemic.

Fitchburg State and QCC were the second and third Central Massachusetts college to make that announcement this week, along with the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester. The Fitchburg school is hosting spring athletics but is not planning an in-person graduation ceremony.

Lapidus said the university will continue to operate within government health guidelines and review plans in response to any changing conditions.

Fitchburg State has processed nearly 10,000 mandatory tests on campus since the start of the year, with 75 positive tests, for a 99.2% negativity rate.

QCC was unusual in staying almost entirely remote throughout the 2020-'21 school year while many others held classes largely in-person this spring. The community college, which doesn't have dorms, cited a responsibility to help keep the community safe with many students also living and working in the community.

Before the pandemic, about one in five QCC courses were online. Nearly all were during the pandemic except for a small number of clinical courses and labs.

“We hope to build on our experience in these areas to provide more services and flexibility for our students,” Pedraja said in a statement. “While we believe that we will have a robust in-person presence this fall, we are constantly monitoring the situation, and will continue to follow the best advice available and adapt accordingly."