令和3年10月14日
ニューノーマルに向けて
〜 対面授業とキャンパスライフとの両立を目指して 〜
金沢大学長 山崎光悦
10月1日から第3クォーターが始まり,対面授業を受講する学生がキャンパスに集い,静かな中にも活気が戻りつつあります。
国内の新型コロナウイルスの感染者数は,9月以降減少へ向かうようになり,第5波はほぼ収束したとの認識が示されています。そして,10月1日には全国の緊急事態宣言が解除され,同時に金沢市へのまん延防止等重点措置も解除されました。また,10月9日には石川県の4つのモニタリング指標は,すべてステージ1となりました。これは7月2日以来の改善です。
本学ではワクチンの大学拠点(職域)接種を実施し,多くの学生が8月末までに2回目の接種を終えています。このことも勘案し,10月1日開始の第3クォーターでは,活動指針のうち,教育と研究活動については「レベル1(警戒・要注意)」に引き下げ,引き続き感染防止策を徹底した上で,できるだけ対面授業を拡大しています。
一方,「学生の正課外活動」の基準は,6月22日より続いている「レベル1.5(警戒)」を継続し,慎重に対応してきました。幸い,10月に入って2週間が経過した現時点において,本学の様々な対策に加え,皆さんの協力により,本学の安心安全が確保できています。従って,10月15日(金)から正課外活動を「レベル1(警戒・要注意)」に引き下げ,『感染防止対策を徹底の上,実施可とするが,状況に応じて一部を不許可』とします。
なお,新型コロナワクチン接種の有無によって,授業への出席可否等の制限を行うことは原則としてありません。また,持病等により対面での授業に不安を持っている学生には引き続きオンライン授業の提供等の配慮も検討するので,所属の学務担当係等に相談してください。
対面授業の教育的効果は改めて言うまでもありませんが,他にも受講のため学生が教室等に集うことは学生間の横のつながりの場の提供となります。一方,学生の正課外活動は学域・学類を越えた先輩と後輩の縦のつながりの場の提供となります。また,正課外活動は分野の異なる学生同士が直接向き合える交流の場であり,様々な出会いや経験により,将来の社会での一層の活躍につなげる機会でもあると考えます。
このように,大学における4又は6年間は人生にとって大きく成長する貴重な時期と言えます。しかし,コロナ禍により皆さんは約1年半にわたり多くの活動を制限されました。教育と研究活動に次いで,この度の「学生の正課外活動」の基準レベルの引き下げが,本来のキャンパスライフに近づくための第一歩となることを期待します。本学としては,今後は「活動制限による感染防止」から「平常の活動へ戻しつつ,感染防止」へと方針を転換します。すなわち,対面授業等を守りつつ,新しいキャンパスライフとの両立を目指していきます。
国内の新規感染者は急減していますが,今後もコロナ禍が完全に収束することはなく,当面,ウィズコロナが日常になると想定されます。国,自治体,各種業界(企業や組織)等がそれぞれのレベルで取るべき対策は明らかになってきましたが,実際に活動する「個人」のウエイトが大きいのがコロナの特徴といえます。本学では平常のリアルな活動への一層の拡大を目指します。この方針の成否は本学の全ての構成員に掛かっています。
皆さんは,ワクチン接種を終えていたとしても引き続き『基本的な感染予防対策を徹底』してください。そして,学生・教職員が一丸となって,新しい日常(ニューノーマル)時代の大学を創っていきましょう。
October 14, 2021
Toward the New Normal
~Balancing face-to-face classes and campus life~
YAMAZAKI Koetsu
President, Kanazawa University
Dear Students,
Since the 3rd quarter has begun October 1, the campuses are filled with students taking face-to-face classes, and are coming to life.
The number of people infected with the COVID-19 in Japan has been decreasing since September, and it is recognized that the fifth coronavirus wave has almost come to an end. On October 1, the nationwide declaration of a state of emergency was lifted, and at the same time, “Priority Preventative Measures” in Kanazawa City were also lifted. In addition, on October 9, all four monitoring indicators in Ishikawa Prefecture were downgraded to Stage 1. This is the first improvement since July 2.
We have implemented workplace vaccination and many students have received their second dose of the vaccine by the end of August. Taking this into consideration, in the 3rd quarter, we have lowered our activity guidelines to "Level 1 (Caution)" for “Education” and “Research activities”, and are expanding face-to-face classes as much as possible while continuing to thoroughly implement infection prevention measures. On the other hand, we have been cautious about "Extracurricular activity of students" and have kept it "Level 1.5 (Caution)" since June 22. Thanks to your cooperation and the various measures taken by the University, we have been able to secure the safety and security of the University for the first two weeks in October. Therefore, from October 15 (Fri.), we will lower it to "Level 1 (Caution)" and extracurricular activities will be allowed with thorough infection prevention measures. However, some activities may be prohibited under certain circumstances.
In principle, there will be no restrictions on students attending classes based on whether they have received the vaccination or not. We will also consider offering online classes for students who have anxiety about face-to-face classes due to chronic illness or other reasons. Please consult with your affiliated student affairs.
In addition to the educational benefits of face-to-face classes, gathering in classrooms to take classes also provides a place for horizontal connections among students. On the other hand, the extracurricular activities provide a place for vertical connections between seniors and juniors beyond the borders of the Schools and the Colleges. I believe that these are opportunities for students from different fields to interact directly with each other, and through various encounters and experiences, to become more active in society in the future.
The four or six years at university are a valuable time in your life when you can make great progress. However, the corona disaster restricted many of your activities for about a year and a half. Following “Education” and “Research activities”, I hope that the recent lowering of the level for "Extracurricular activity of students" will be the first step toward the original campus life.
From now on, Kanazawa University will shift its policy from "prevention of infection through restriction of activities" to "prevention of infection while returning to normal activities. In other words, we will aim to balance the new campus life while conducting face-to-face classes, etc.
With the spread of the COVID-19 in early 2020, many changes have occurred in many places. It was normal for students to take classes in a classroom. However, many universities, including us, had been forced to restrict access to their campuses. Fortunately, as part of our information strategy based on the Campus Intelligent Technology Plan that began in 2005, Kanazawa University requires all students to carry a portable computer and has implemented web-based application since the 2019 entrance examination. Therefore, we have been able to connect to all students individually via network and maintain the academic calendar without any interruptions or postponements by incorporating online classes from the start of the new semester in 2020, when the COVID-19 infection was spreading rapidly.
Although the number of newly infected people in Japan has been decreasing rapidly, the COVID-19 epidemic will not be completely stopped in the future, and it is assumed that coexisting with the coronavirus will become the norm for the time being. Although the measures that should be taken at each level by the national government, local governments, and various industries (companies and organizations) have become clear, a characteristic of the COVID-19 is that the weight of the "individual" who actually engages in activities is significant. Kanazawa University aims to expand normal activities and the success of this policy depends on all members of the University.
Even if you have already been vaccinated, please continue to take basic infection prevention measures. Let's work together as students, faculty, and staff to create a university in the new normal era.