Back to Class, With a Difference

Tuesday was the first day of classes for undergraduates at Tufts, and like everything in this pandemic year, things were very different. Any other year, you would see large groups of students pouring out of the dorms or dining halls, hurrying to morning classes. But this first day of classes was much quieter than normal.
Masked students walked across campus in small groups of twos and threes and sat at least six feet apart in classrooms. Those in classrooms took time to wave to those who were attending on Zoom.
SMFA first-year student Demitrious Matus had just taken his first class. “It was really cool—an interesting class,” he said. “I’m excited to actually be taking classes, since I haven’t been able to for a while now.”
First year graduate student Paige Dunlevy said “it’s definitely a different experience, being in class with a mask on. But I am really glad to be back in the classroom.”
Classes come in many different formats now. Some are in person, while many are hybrid—in person and online—and others are online only, the result of intensive planning and work over the summer by faculty and staff in order to be open to all learners.
Sara Norberg contributed to this article.