COVIDHAS AREA COLLEGES DELAYING RETURNTOCLASS
Area universities push back in-person classes, start dates amid COVID.
Colleges and universities in the region have delayed starting the spring semester because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Some colleges are starting the semester online and then transitioning to in-person or hybrid classes after a fewweeks, like the University of Dayton and Wright State. Collegeofficials said they are doing this to give students time to isolate after being around others
during the holidays.
Wright State University
Wright StateUniversity will continueitshybridmodelthat combines in-person, remote and flexible instruction in the spring semester. About 70% of the instruction will be remote. Wright State has not canceled spring break.
Wright State will begin the spring semester today as planned, said university spokesman Seth Bauguess.
“Out of an abundance of caution, for the first two weeksofthesemester, nearly, but not all in-person instructionwillbedeliveredremotely as a precaution following the holiday surge incommunity spreadthatwe are experiencing in our region and across the state,” he said.
Wright State continues to encourage everyone towear masks and social distance while in the classroom and on campus.
University of Dayton
At UD, the majority of undergraduate springsemester classes will start remotely on Jan. 19. If conditions permit, UD’s plan is to begin in-person classes on Feb. 1.
Students in classes with required in-person components will be notified individually.
Before getting toUD’s campus, students are encouraged to quarantine for two weeks. All undergraduate students must sign up for a time and date to check in, similar to the way UD did in the fall. Students will get to campus between Jan. 15 and 31. Between 500 and 600 students will get checked in on a day.
Allundergradandgraduate students will be testedwhen they get to campus, according to instructions from the university.
Studentswho test positive will be required to return home if they live closer than 400miles. Studentswho test negative will be allowed to go to their residences immediately. This plan is subject to change until Jan. 15, the university said.
Since August, UD has had about 1,500 student cases of coronavirus.
University President Eric Spina previously told this newspaperUDwill continue random surveillance testing like they did in the fall, especially early in the semester, but it will be a higher number of students and results will come in faster because of improved tests.
Greene County schools
Students atCedarvilleUniversity will begin in-person learning on Tuesday, Jan. 19. They canmove into their residence halls on Jan. 17 starting at 8 a.m.
Central State University is giving students the option for in-person, online or hybrid classes. Classes will start virtually on Jan. 19. In-person classes won’t start until Jan. 25, said Zillah Fluker, vice president of institutional advancement.
Students have been told to take a COVID test within a week before returning to campus. Students will also be tested when they get to campus.
“Central State University had less than two percent cases last semester and we were able to safely quarantine and isolate individuals accordingly. Ourmedicalstaff, student affairs and facilities teamwill continuetocollaborate to diligentlymaintainour campus health and safety as we navigate this global pandemic,” Fluker said in an emailed statement.
Wilberforce will start classes on Feb. 1. Normally, classeswould start right after the New Year.
Wilberforce students have been given the option to stay at home and continue learning virtuallyor return tocampus. On campus, classes will be held in a hybrid fashion. Classeswere all online in the fall.
Students must make an appointment online tomove in. They must get tested for coronavirus if they want to move onto campus.
“We are committedtosupport our students whether they select in-class or virtual learning. Ourmessage to our students is, ‘we will not allow COVID-19 to derail your academic goals andwe are here to support the continuation of your academic journey,’ ” said Wilberforce President Elfred Anthony Pinkard.
Virtualworkshopsarebeing held this week to prepare instructors for the beginning of the semester, Pinkardsaid.
Miami University
Miami University ended its fall semester earlier than normal, with classes done Nov. 20, instead of Dec. 7 as in 2019.
Miami’s spring semester is now scheduled to start Jan. 25 rather than last year’s start date of Jan. 13, according to the school’s latest updated calendar. Students will have the option for face-to-face, hybrid and online classes. Miami canceled spring break and instead will have “reading days.”
About 4,000 fewer students than usual lived on the Oxford campus this fall, with thousands of students deciding to take remote classes from their family homes in Ohio, other states and internationally.
Mostcollegessaytheirplans are subject to change as the pandemiclandscapechanges.
‘Our message to our students is, “we will not allowCOVID-19 to derail your academic goals andwe are here to support the continuation of your academic journey.” ’ Wilberforce President Elfred Anthony Pinkard