Pitt confirms classes to go in-person Monday, provides accommodation resources

In an email sent to Pitt faculty on Wednesday, Provost Ann Cudd confirmed that all classes will meet in person starting Sept. 13, unless professors received permission for remote or hybrid instruction from their dean.

Cudd added that professors can consult the University Center for Teaching and Learning to learn how to accommodate both student and professor absences. Suggestions include recording class sessions, broadcasting live classes and creating asynchronous work to accommodate students. Cudd said she hopes professors will “take advantage of” the Teaching Center’s resources.

Pitt previously announced students could attend classes either remotely or in person until Sept. 13. The announcement came a week before the first day of fall classes due to concerns over rising COVID-19 cases and the COVID-19 Delta variant.

According to Cudd, the two weeks of hybrid instruction to start the semester allowed the COVID-19 Medical Response Office to tally updated vaccination rates. According to the CMRO’s previous email on Sept. 2, 92% of in-person teaching faculty and 96% of on-campus undergraduates have reported being vaccinated. Cudd’s email said 84% of off-campus undergraduates have reported vaccination as of Tuesday, compared to 82% reported last Thursday.

The email also noted that mandatory testing for all non-vaccinated staff and students, in accordance with Pitt’s health rules, began last week.

Cudd said Monday has been a “long-anticipated day” which has the potential to be “powerful.”

“Seeing everyone on campus and in the classroom after such a long hiatus will be very powerful — and, I hope, energizing for all of us,” Cudd said. “We are taking a very big step forward in the face of the pandemic — and I am so grateful for your ongoing efforts. You make our progress possible.”