WVU, football team prioritizing online learning amid pandemic

The majority of West Virginia University students begin classes on Wednesday, kicking off a school year that will be vastly different from years past.

In order to continue academics amid the coronavirus pandemic, many classes being offered have resorted to alternative methods of instruction. According to the university, nearly 60% of this fall’s classes will be conducted online in some capacity.

For head football coach Neal Brown, who has openly expressed his belief in the importance of in-person interaction, it is a big adjustment, but definitely a necessary one.

“It’s kind of unfortunate, but it’s something we have to do,” Brown said. “I like having our guys really part of the campus community; I think it’s good to interact with students in a normal setting because what I think it does is students want to support people they know, and if they know our players, they see them on-campus — whether it’s in class or whether it’s the rec center or where they eat, all those places — if they see them there and they know them and they want to come support them.”

Amid the pandemic, the support that Brown often seeks will be restricted as well. The WVU athletic department announced on Thursday that attendance for the Mountaineers’ season opener against Eastern Kentucky on Sept. 12 would be limited to “only essential game operations personnel and families of the players and football staff.”

Brown says that most of the team is taking online classes, but that some players are enrolled in upper level courses that are only being offered in person.

“This year, in a lot of ways, is going to be unique.”

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