At the University of Letters of Montpellier (Archives) -

N. Bonzom / Maxele Presse

This year, more than 21,000 students returned to the Paul-Valéry University in Montpellier (Hérault).

Even if a good part of the 4,000 foreigners who usually come to study on the campus could not make the trip because of the health crisis, their absence was largely compensated by an influx of French students.

In a faculty which was already very cramped, it was difficult to enforce the barrier gestures to the letter.

The university, which has so far only identified 15 proven cases of Covid-19 among students, has thus decided that the courses will go "semi-distanced" from next Monday.

Each week, some of the students will normally go to campus, the other will follow the distance learning courses.

Students whose card number ends in an odd number are thus expected in the lecture halls and tutorials from Monday to Friday, the others from October 5 to 9.

And so on…

From September 28, teaching methods change at @univpaulvalery.

Semi-distance learning for all #Licence and #Master students.


All the info here: https://t.co/TkgI4I3L5E#Covid19 # UnivCovid19 @ acmontpellier @sup_recherche pic.twitter.com/IvjaoMyxJu

- Paul-Valéry University Montpellier (@univpaulvalery) September 17, 2020

"Reduce the flow to the university, if possible by half"

But there will be no card control.

"We trust students," says Patrick Gilli, president of Paul-Valéry University.

I do not guarantee that everything will be fine, that there is not a student, whose number is even, and whose friend has an odd number, who absolutely wants to come to class with him.

For us, the stake is macro.

The aim is to reduce the flow to the university, if possible by half.

"

Those who take the lessons from home will have to log into a platform, where lessons will be broadcast live, where videos will be posted, and where written lessons will be uploaded.

The rooms were thus equipped with cameras.

Students and teachers will also be able to exchange, via a messaging system, to discuss the lessons.

Hundreds of computers will also be loaned to students who do not have any.

A survey to identify them has been made by the university in recent weeks.

"A dropout of some of the students"?

But why was this system not put in place at the start of the school year?

“Our students needed a physical return,” after months away from the faculty benches, says Patrick Gili.

"This could have fueled images of saturated amphis on social networks.

The purpose of this provision was to renew contact with the students.

"

Back to school @univpaulvalery today.

I admire these young people and no one comes to give me the talk about their carelessness in bars.

Those who are carefree are the university presidents who let @CPUniversite do that, it's @VidalFrederique and @JeanCASTEX pic.twitter.com/Q32k3iUKGf

- yann bisiou (@yannbisiou) September 8, 2020

But at the University Combat Syndicate (Scum), the “semi-distancing” does not seem to convince.

"The university has decided to spend the lessons in semi-distance, two weeks after having piled up its 21,000 students like sardines," notes the union.

Such an organization, if it has the merit of finally allowing respect for social distancing at the campus level, could lead to the dropout of some of the students.

In addition, if this rotation is done on the overall workforce, it does not necessarily guarantee respect for social distancing within the same class.

"

For now, it is not known if the exams, scheduled for mid-December, will take place at the university, or remotely.

Both diagrams are ready, the university notes.

Whatever happens, they will cover all the courses, those that have been acquired in person and at a distance.

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