Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | June 21, 2021 | Worcester Business Journal 13 We're not about to let an extra billion change the way we do business. Thanks billion. another Member FDIC/Member DIF Equal Housing Lender. NMLS # 583135 EQUAL HOUSING LENDER 100% local and now $2 billion in assets. We are pleased to announce that UniBank has achieved $2 billion in assets. While this newest milestone is impressive, we remain firmly committed to doing business as we always have: by providing sound financial solutions and support to our local community. UniBank • 49 Church Street • Whitinsville, MA 01588 www.unibank.com • 800.578.4270 We don't require masks anymore Is your business requiring masks? In conjunction with updated guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, the mask mandate in Massachusetts lifted on May 29 for all fully vaccinated individuals. While some have been eager to forego their masks as soon as possible, not everyone has jumped at the chance, including those who are unvaccinated, immunocompro- mised or who interact with those who are. Employers have been in an equally unusual position, having to decide whether or not to allow their staff and/or customers to go maskless, largely based on the honor system. When polled online, more than two- thirds of WBJ readers said their organizations are no longer requiring masks. F L AS H P O L L 5% No, although we require proof of vaccination stand and how students are progressing in their academic courses," said Maloney. "As a result, we're preparing additional steps to support students in a stepped up effort for academic advising, reaching out during the summer to provide these students with support." Anna Maria College in Paxton plans to provide incoming students with a preparatory class focusing on academic skills to ease their transition. "It's a one-credit course to make sure they feel confident in academic rigour and the demands they're going to face because it was so disruptive in their senior year," said Mary Lou Retelle, pres- ident of Anna Maria. "Many of them are feeling a bit insecure in their preparation and our faculty and tutoring center recognize that. It's going to be a common problem on all college campuses." For both incoming and return- ing students, the isolation from their peers presented both an academic and mental challenge. Now that activities are increasingly in person, a consideration is the potential strain on mental health in adapting to crowds aer a year of isolation. "Student mental health was an issue heading into the pandemic, and certainly COVID has only amplified that," said Maloney. "All of us have to acknowledge that when we get back together again in great numbers even as profession- als, it will be different. We've got to be prepared to support making sure people are still mentally doing well and staying healthy." New ways to teach e learning climate of the pandemic prompted adaptive approaches to higher education, challenging established teach- ing conventions. With online learning now increasingly an option rather than necessity, educators are considering what benefits resulted from the experience, like reduced travel time between classes or greater flexibility for different learning styles. "We've been able to adapt pretty quickly in higher education to remote learning and using technology. We will likely be able to use technology in the future to greater benefit," said Foley. For certain programs like nursing, where hands-on experience is required for accreditation, the pandemic generat- ed difficulties in completing the neces- sary clinical hours to fulfill graduation requirements. "Clinical sites and internships were difficult to do during the pandemic due to restrictions, and we just don't know when this will happen again," said Retelle. "So we're looking at simulations and other programs they can do on cam- pus to help them get that type of learning experience without having to be off-site. We still need to prepare for that type of situation to be able to pivot quickly." 9% Yes, but only for employees W No, and we use the honor system for people's vaccination status. 62% Yes, for both employees and customers. 24%

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