APTOS—Cabrillo College students will return to in-person instruction when classes resume in the fall, spokeswoman Kristin Fabos announced Tuesday.
According to Fabos, more than 50% of course offerings feature face-to-face or hybrid instruction during the fall term, which begins Aug. 16. The college will continue to offer online classes.
Registration for the fall semester is currently underway, and students are encouraged to check their email and the college’s website after June 15 for class changes and new sections providing face-to-face instruction, Fabos said.
College officials anticipate making a full return to in-person instruction and services by spring 2022.
As part of this plan, the college is requiring Covid-19 vaccinations for all students, faculty and staff who come to campus.
Individuals with religious objections or health reasons for not obtaining a vaccination can get exemption, but will be required to routinely provide negative Covid-19 test results in order to be on campus.
Several in-person services have already opened at Cabrillo’s Watsonville Center during the spring semester, and will remain open throughout the summer and into fall semester. The college’s Welcome Center in Aptos will reopen for student access, registration and financial aid questions in early August.
Cabrillo President and Superintendent Matt Wetstein says the move came after students said they missed making connections with their peers and instructors.
“We are making this shift to serve our community,” he said. “One of the things we learned during the pandemic is that some of our students like the flexibility of online learning. But we also heard loud and clear that some of our students miss the structured learning and social interaction that takes place on campus.”
The move comes thanks to Santa Cruz County’s high vaccination rate, with more than 50% of residents 18 and over being vaccinated as of June 1, Fabos said.
County health officers in the 10 counties of the San Francisco Bay Area have all endorsed a reopening of K-12 schools for the fall term, citing the public health benefit of community learning.
The California State University and University of California systems have also made moves to resume in-person instruction.
College officials will be communicating with registered students to provide directions on how to comply with the new vaccine mandate and processes for requesting medical or religious accommodations, Fabos said.
Students will need to be fully vaccinated by Aug. 2 to comply with the requirement for in-person attendance.
For information on vaccination documentation, visit cabrillo.edu/student-health-services. Students need to have a picture of their vaccination card and click on the “upload document” feature of the secure website.
