With Penn State set to resume in-person learning in less than a week, several groups of Penn State faculty and students are calling for the university to reverse course, expressing concern that record-breaking COVID cases could prove disastrous for a community with limited health care capacity.

The university announced Dec. 30 that it would not move to remote learning for the first two weeks of class, ignoring the lead set by other schools, such as the University of Pittsburgh. Instead, spring semester classes will start Monday, even as Columbia University researchers projected that a national peak in cases could occur the week beginning this Sunday.

“I am disappointed. We could have a massive spread with the omicron variant,” said Jesse Barlow, an engineering professor and the council president for State College Borough. “I will have to lecture in a mask for another semester, the stress on Mount Nittany (Medical Center) could be horrible, and it could cause some deaths.”

Penn State has said it believes it can open “safely but carefully.” Kelly Wolgast, director of the university’s COVID-19 Operations Control Center, said high vaccination rates (89.8% at University Park) and mitigation measures like indoor masking “have shown we can manage this successfully.”

In the fall semester, University Park never experienced more than 200 weekly COVID cases - a far cry from fall 2020, when officials scrambled as some weeks approached 700 infections.

But, critics point out, the omicron variant makes this a different scenario. Omicron is up to 3.7 times more infectious than delta, and Sumit Chanda, a professor in the Department of Immunology and Microbiology at Scripps Research, told NPR last week this variant “changes the calculus for everybody.” After all, the vaccinated population is still catching the virus, even if the symptoms are milder.

“So, I could say that I’m surprised we’re reopening in 10 days,” Prof. Michael Berube, a member of Penn State’s chapter of American Association of University Professors and the former chair of the faculty senate, said recently. “Then again, nothing surprises me anymore - we’re just not going to follow the lead of universities that are responding most aggressively to limit infections among their students, staff and faculty.

“Apparently, we’re going full speed ahead and hoping that the new wave of less-lethal infections doesn’t overwhelm the health care facilities in and around our campuses.”

A group of Penn State graduate students started a petition Monday morning, demanding the university postpone the return to in-person learning because, “We should not be forced to choose between our education and our health.” As of Tuesday morning, more than 800 have signed the petition on a Google form.

But that feeling is not universal among students. Although three officials from University Park’s undergraduate student government did not return a message from the CDT seeking comment, many students still expressed relief on social media and online message boards over Penn State remaining in-person. Schonn Franklin, president of the Graduate and Professional Student Association, was not immune to omicron concerns, but said he ultimately “trusted” the university’s decision.

“I trust Dr. (Eric) Barron’s judgment and am sure the administration’s response will evolve as the pandemic continues to evolve,” he said. “We shall see what the remainder of the semester brings.”

But others aren’t so sure. Bonj Szczygiel, faculty senate chair, asked the administration to at least allow faculty the ability to choose how they want to teach the first two weeks of classes. That way, those faculty who live with small children or the elderly could better protect their families, she said.

On Tuesday evening, a Penn State email was sent to all faculty on behalf of Szczygiel - after meeting with officials - that indicated the university had further clarified its flexibility on remote teaching for the first two weeks. Essentially, because an in-person course can still have up to 24.99% of its classes taught remotely, that means a 15-week class could have about 10 classes online while a seven-week class could see about seven classes online. Faculty wishing to exercise that by teaching the first two weeks remotely need only notify their immediate supervisor. No review or approval is needed, according to the email.

Cases in Centre County, home to University Park, have seen a significant increase over the last few weeks. Over the last seven days, from Dec. 28 to Jan. 3, Centre County has seen a record 1,379 new COVID cases. At this time last month, from Nov. 28 to Dec. 4, the county added 689 cases.

At Mount Nittany Medical Center, elective procedures requiring overnight stays remain suspended through Wednesday. The number of hospitalized has declined, from an average of 57 daily patients in December to 43 on Monday. But officials there have said hospitalizations are expected to rise after the holidays; a rise in hospitalizations typically trails a rise in COVID cases by several weeks.

Penn State’s Wolgast said the university has the resources to support students’ health care.

“Through our robust partnerships, we feel through our student health services, hospital and regional capacity here in State College but also at Hershey, Geisinger, and UPMC if needed, can support student health needs,” she said in a written statement.

But with no required (only “encouraged”) arrival testing, lower vaccination rates at some commonwealth campuses and a quarantine/isolation time that’s been halved, at the recommendation of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, many at Penn State are concerned about what lay ahead.

“Penn State administration continues to do less when the crisis demands more,” said Valerie Braman, a spokesperson for faculty group Coalition for a Just University. “Throughout the pandemic, the leadership has put the campuses and broader communities at risk, while also ignoring the clear calls from students, faculty, staff, parents and the community leaders for common sense, basic public health and safety measures to keep us all safer.

“This latest decision, made with little to no input from stakeholders, and even less transparency, borders on simply reckless.”

Penn State has said it will pivot, if necessary. But it has not said what specific changes would force such a pivot.

Arrival day for new students is today.