With the Republican National Convention well on its way to Tampa, it seems as if professors at the University of Tampa are embracing the convention as they prepare for the unknown impact it will have during the first week of school.
To some of the professors at UT, having the RNC come to Tampa is a blessing rather than a colossal traffic jam and just a massive inconvenience in general over a course of four days. Dr. Bruce Friesen, associate professor of sociology, believes that the RNC provides professors with a chance “to take advantage of the resources at the University of Tampa for alternative course delivery for the first week of classes.” For instance, he personally plans on utilizing online venues to engage his students in the course content and issues instead of holding class in a classroom on campus. According to Dr. Friesen, “Having a national political convention close by is certainly a potentially valuable learning experience. We’d be remiss if we didn’t take advantage of it.”
Similar to Dr. Friesen’s hopes for the convention, Dr. Bob Kerstein, a specialist in urban politics, public policy analysis and American national government, believes, “It might turn out that the convention week will be an exciting one for students, offering them the opportunity to experience Tampa during a very unusual period.” However, unlike Dr. Friesen, Dr. Kerstein primarily plans to hold his classes the way he normally would have during a regular first week of school.
Besides having normal class, he “will certainly take time during both Pathways and other classes to discuss the history of the nominating processes of our major parties and to analyze the importance of this election. In my Urban World class, we will also consider the issue of whether mega-events such as the convention, a Super Bowl, etc. can benefit the city even after the event is over,” said Dr. Kerstein.
On the other hand though, Dr. Kerstein believes that if there were an ideal plan, then “ideally, [UT] would have been able to delay the start of classes for a week.” Since that is not the way it panned out, in order to have a cohesive community, students will have to have patience and be open to learning in non-traditional ways during this time of unusual circumstances. As for the faculty and school officials, “This may require a degree of innovation and alteration on [their] part,” said Dr. Kerstein.
Through Dr. Friesen’s eyes, “the school schedule existed long before the RNC came to town, and will no doubt continue to be followed for years to come.” According to him, “There are thousands of people whose lives are affected by the school schedule, and hundreds of activities, programs and priorities that would have to be altered, some throughout the entire semester, if changes were made to the school schedule.”
Additionally, Dr. Friesen believes that by staying committed to its calendar, UT is affirming “the primary importance of a lasting, quality education over event, which are brief in duration and of temporal importance.”
Though some students and professors view having classes during the first week of school as an inconvenience due to the effects of the RNC, cancelling classes would not be the ideal plan for Dr. Friesen. He would like to see that UT continues “to deliver a quality educational experience” during that first week.
Fortunately for UT, it has a dedicated planning committee working out the kinks, examining all of the potential options. Dr. David Krahl, visiting assistant professor of criminology and criminal justice, thinks that the planning committee has been “proactive” so far when it comes to dealing with the different contingencies that might arise and trying to minimize the effects of the uncertainty that comes with the RNC since it is still five months away.
“Promoting student, faculty and staff safety and security, I think, has been a driving force behind the planning committee’s efforts,” said Dr. Krahl.
In certain situations such as the convention, he believes that at this point, the University’s committee should be left to do its job, “let the process play out and arrive at a workable plan that allows for students to maximize their learning opportunities within a safe campus environment for students, faculty and staff.”
Once the RNC and school begin, Dr. Krahl has plans of his own in order to beat any traffic and to be available to his students. He intends to arrive on campus no later than 6:30 a.m. He hopes to “maintain as ‘normal’ a schedule as he possibly can.” The way he looks at the situation is “plan for the worst, and hope for the best”.
In this case, he also plans on having all of his class material and assignments on Blackboard, so that if the University decides to cancel classes at any point in time for whatever reason, his students will have access to all course material during the first week of classes. According to Dr. Krahl, “I think its behooves us all to be as flexible as possible during the first week of classes.”
As far as other professors go with planning for the RNC, “I think most faculty are waiting for more information from the administration regarding what is permissible and what is possible,” said Dr. Kerstein. “I’m exploring all options.”
Professor Dooghan, an assistant professor of English, intends to hold class during that first week of school; however, he is keeping his options open, as well, and is waiting to see what further information is presented to the faculty by the university. “I hope to have some variety of class that week,” said Professor Dooghan. Depending on what that variety might be, he will not have any consequences for students who are unable to show up to class.
Whether classes are held in a classroom, at an off-campus location or online, University of Tampa professors are planning for whatever storm the Republican National Convention might rain down.
Though nothing is set in stone since it is several months away and the University is still working on the matter at hand, the faculty is trying to be two steps ahead, so that the incoming and reoccurring students have an easy transition into the new school year.
Stef Crocco can be reached at stefcrocs@yahoo.com.