Pitt’s Staff Council spent their June meeting discussing the possibility of a flexible work model as the University returns to in-person instruction in the fall, as well as announcing new officers and reflecting on the council’s accomplishments over the last four years.

Pitt moved to the Guarded Risk posture on March 11, after spending about half the semester in the middle Elevated Risk posture. With students attending classes in person and from home, instructors have to consider both learning experiences as they teach.

Pitt’s administration and Student Government Board have been working to change grading policies in order to represent the challenges students have faced during the COVID-19 pandemic and online learning.

Some students, such as Nish Rajkanth, are currently living in their childhood bedrooms rather than a cramped dorm room. Rajkanth, who is currently in South Brunswick, New Jersey, said taking college classes from home sometimes feels like she’s back in high school.

The thought of a student self-care day in a week and a half feels like putting a band-aid on a broken leg.

Chancellor Patrick Gallagher said Thursday that he expects the [email protected] model to continue into the spring semester due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. He also said it’s likely that next semester’s schedule will be compressed similar to the fall so there aren’t vacations where people leave and come back to campus.

Although Pitt is implementing the new [email protected] teaching model, which allows students to experience classes “in person, remotely, synchronously or asynchronously,” it is unclear when in-person classes will begin.

Despite the unprecedented circumstances for academia, Gayle Rogers said Pitt’s faculty members have adapted their curriculums to non-traditional learning spaces before and are ready to do it again.

In the time of COVID-19, no choice feels like a good choice — and no choice will please everyone. We understand that. But members of the Pitt community deserve to be kept in the loop about fall plans, even if the administration isn’t fully sure about what’s happening.

Kenyon Bonner, the vice provost and dean of students, said Pitt is working on an updated Student Code of Conduct that will further explain guidelines, as well as consequences for violations.