CEO shares an updated CFSI COVID Statement: Looking ahead to the Fall semester
We will be updating this statement regularly as more information about COVID-19 comes in.
To our Semester in the City (SITC) community members including prospective students and their families, host organizations, college partners, and more:
Like all organizations, College for Social Innovation and our Semester in the City program have had to adapt over the last year amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, related economic challenges, and an ongoing and continuing reckoning with racial and social injustice. In this note, I want to share a little about what we have learned and as much as I can about our expectations for the fall semester.
Last spring, we pivoted in week eight of our 15-week semester to an all-online format for classes and, with a few exceptions, for internships. The fall and spring cohorts also participated in a hybrid model, with classes mostly online, in-person community building opportunities across the city, and internships that ranged from 100% online to mostly in-person.
So, what did we learn? To me, a few lessons stand out:
Our program is nimble and resilient. It turns out that while most of us prefer to work in person, online internships work and can still be an effective way to learn skills and build networks, confidence, and purpose. Additionally, our students had a real-world crash course in adaptive leadership, a critical 21st Century Skill;
While most of the content of our classes is best taught in person where the joy and power of discussion-based learning is easier to experience, some of the skills and content we cover is actually just as well delivered through brief online discussions with frequent small-group breakouts and/or through asynchronous or “flipped classroom” online lessons that learners can pursue at their own pace;
A big advantage of our program is the cohort of peers students are learning with as well as the passionate and compassionate staff that lead the way. What student after student tells me is something along the lines of: “Semester in the City is where I found my people” or “SITC is where I found my passion” through the experiences, the relationships, and the support.
Work-based learning works. In fact, in a tight job market where employers are raising expectations for the “hard” and “soft” skills they seek in prospective employees, SITC gives students an essential leg-up in building real-world skills and networks as they prepare for their own college to career transition.
As we look ahead to the Fall 2021 semester we are encouraged at the progress in distributing the vaccines approved for use in the US and encouraged that COVID rates continue to moderate in Massachusetts. This semester, students living in our Allston apartments have participated in an innovative pooled testing program and, to date, we have achieved 100% participation and 100% negative tests for nine weeks in a row! With spring having just arrived and the President’s assurance that every American who wants a vaccine will be eligible to get one by the end of June, at the latest, we are optimistic about our fall semester. Despite the optimism, however, it is likely as we emerge from the pandemic that the world of work and of higher education will have changed forever. The importance of being a nimble, human-scaled, and mission-driven organization will become greater than ever before.
Our Commitment to you (as a potential student): Regardless of the state of the world, and regardless of exactly what COVID-era scenario is adopted by your college and others, we will deliver a high-quality, dynamic, and FUN program. We understand that we are living through unprecedented times. We also believe now is a more important time than ever to pursue our mission of “educating and inspiring the next generation of problem solvers.”
Specifically, we expect that our classes will return to a majority in-person format while maintaining some online sessions in both discussion and asynchronous formats. Internships will likely follow future trends in the workforce, which we believe will provide flexibility to most workers and interns with an option to work mostly from home, mostly in the office, or half and half. We believe the world of work has likely changed forever and that jobs and internships that are partially remote (maybe 1-3 days per week) are likely to be the norm across most industries.
Given our successes and learning over the last year, we are more confident than ever that we can deliver an impactful semester of experiential learning with the opportunity to make positive change through a well-supported internship in a social impact organization.
Here are specific expectations we currently have for the fall to ensure Semester in the City is a safe experience for our entire community while also ensuring we continue to deliver excellent learning outcomes, personal growth, and strong career outcomes:.
We will offer single and double rooms at a discounted price in our beautiful Boston apartments. The average size of our rooms is more than 150 square feet, with the doubles being substantially larger. The furnished apartments are lovely, rated highly by our students, and will be deep cleaned prior to student move-in on Sept. 7. In recognition of the economic challenges many families are facing, we are retaining our pre-pandemic prices of $4,500 for a single room and $3,200 for a double room, substantially lower than prices for apartment-style living at most of our partner colleges.
All students will be asked to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test result prior to moving in. For students unable to get vaccinated and who test positive, there will be provisions to quarantine and complete the program remotely for the recommended 10 days. We, or our partners with the city and/or state government, will cover the cost of testing while students are attending SITC.
For our Wednesday evening class, the Social Innovator’s Tool Box (SITB), we expect to offer an in-person and an online option (two sections), with some in-person coaching sessions on Fridays for both sections. The Friday class, Becoming A Problem Solver (BAPS), will meet in person in downtown Boston, at The Nonprofit Center near South Station. Classes will typically meet for about three hours in person on Friday mornings and will include a complimentary lunch for the SITC community. In-person BAPS classes will be complemented by a limited number of asynchronous/self-paced online learning sessions. If public health conditions require it, which we do not expect, we can transition back online as needed.
Internships, the special sauce of the Semester in the City program, will likely include some hybrid placements (with some days in the office and other days working from home), some fully in-person placements, and possibly a small number of 100% online placements. During the internships matching process there will be a chance for students to express their preferences and we will do our best to accommodate these preferences along with other factors relating to major, student interests, and organizational needs. In all cases, students will have spoken with their mentor and confirmed their match in May, well before arriving in Boston for the fall semester;
Part of the appeal of Semester in the City is the chance to enjoy Boston — from walks along the Charles River (less than one mile from the student apartments) to visits to award-winning museums, historic neighborhoods, and trips to get fresh food at the open-air markets throughout Boston. We expect all of these experiences to be open, though possibly with new post-COVID configurations. Throughout the semester we will organize community life events that are a mix of indoor, outdoor, and virtual gatherings contingent on public health and state recommendations at the time.
We will provide an unlimited use MBTA pass (a value of ~$320) and will also reimburse up to $350 of food costs (receipts will need to be submitted) for each student across the semester. This is in addition to the $595 spending stipend that each student receives.
Our modest size, we are expect 60-70 Fellows in Boston this fall, will allow us flexibility in designing powerful experiential learning opportunities while following public health guidelines. We are fortunate to be part of Boston’s vibrant social change ecosystem and a leader among the 146 social impact organizations that have hosted our Fellows over the last five years. The times demand innovation, perseverance, grace, and a deep commitment to social justice and we are excited to partner with so many students committed to making change in the world while they build their own skills as problem solvers and changemakers.
We hope to see you in Boston this fall and to invest in your learning and future as you invest in building a better and more just world for all of our neighbors. If you have questions about anything in this post, please feel free to reach out to us at info@collegeforsocialinnovation.org. And as a final note, here is a comment from one of our recent participants:
“My experience in my SITC has been truly transformative for myself as a changemaker, professional, and as a friend to others. I have also become a lot more hopeful and inspired by the work that so many social sector organizations do. Whether it be members of my own organization, guest speakers in class, or our own CFSI staff, I have become so much more optimistic about the future of our country, even at times when our political circumstances make it seem hopeless.
This semester I also learned so much about myself, and found a way to truly channel my passions into a career. I acknowledge that not everyone has that ability, and know that it is ok if your job is separate from your passions, but in my case, I think I found a way to combine the two.”