Toward a Better 2nd Half of Autumn Semester 2020

Dear Students of Waseda University,

November 23, 2020

   I hope that you are all well.  We wish we could have offered more face-to-face classes and opportunities to meet other students on campus in this semester if circumstances had permitted. At the same time, we greatly admire your patience and self-control in protecting yourselves from the COVID-19.

Today, as our academic calendar moves into the second half of the Autumn Semester (or Winter Quarter), we are endeavoring to increase opportunities for the students to meet each other, gradually as circumstances permit.  Many departments are planning to hold in-person class meetings once a month or more, including some lecture classes.  Although some departments will not offer any face-to-face courses for freshmen this semester, they are planning to hold some informal meetings so that those students can meet each other on campus.

I understand that we are moving slowly and let me explain why.  In mid-June we began preparations for face-to-face classes for the Autumn semester.  We labelled seats for appropriate distancing in each classroom, and we installed advanced air-conditioners capable of circulating 30 cubic meters of fresh air per hour per person in older classrooms at the cost of 340 million Japanese Yen.  We are now installing the same type of air-conditioners for all remaining classrooms at the cost of 410 million Japanese Yen for the Spring Semester 2021.

After all of this effort and investment, unfortunately, the third peak of the COVID-19 is hitting Japan.  It is conceivable that Waseda could generate big clusters of infected students, staff, and faculty were we to move as swiftly to in-person classes as planned.  We are therefore slowing our return to campus to permit at least some face-to-face classes, mainly for freshmen, with utmost caution.

It remains crucial that each of you wear masks, wash your hands frequently, and avoid holding parties, as you have so impressively done so far.

If you live outside Japan or outside Greater Tokyo Metropolitan Area, we must ask that you remain off campus.  Moreover, anyone who feels uncomfortable with in-person classes may continue to attend remotely.  We are requesting all faculty members to record their face-to-face classes for the sake of students who cannot participate in person.

Please stay healthy and keep studying well.  We are looking forward to seeing all of you on campus as soon as prudence allows.

Aiji Tanaka, President
Waseda University