Pitt planning to reopen for in-person classes on Aug. 19
University of Pittsburgh students will return to campus this fall with adjustments to curb pandemic risks, including early semester start and end dates, hybrid forms of instruction and reduced classroom and dorm occupancies.
A note to incoming students from Provost Ann Cudd, released by the university late Monday, outlines Pitt’s plan to balance student desires for a campus experience with remaining risks from
COVID-19, which shut down campuses in March and has killed 110,000 people in the U.S.
University officials and the public in general “are still experiencing the uncertainty of the pandemic’s course,” said Ms. Cudd, but the decision was made with health and safety in mind.
“Classes will begin a few days earlier than in past years—and we have made some other calendar adjustments,” she wrote.
Among the modifications she
described:
• Fall term classes start Aug. 19 and will end Nov. 20
• Classes will be held on Labor Day, Sept. 7
• Students will not return to campus after the Thanksgiving break
“There will be an extended final exam period for the Fall semester that includes the possibility of holding in-person exams on the Monday and Tuesday before Thanksgiving and holding remote exams the week after Thanksgiving,” Ms. Cudd said.
In scheduling final exams, priority for in-person final exam room assignments will be given to “departmental exams,” she explained.
The plan is still, in effect, under construction, but Chancellor Patrick Gallagher in a message to faculty, staff and students said there is enough to give a clearer picture of what the school can offer.
“The current planning effort supports all activities of the University, including teaching, housing and residence life, student activities, food services, research, athletics and more,” he said in his message released Monday night. “These activities will still occur, but according to the new requirements outlined in our infection prevention and control program.”
Pitt is Western Pennsylvania’s largest university with 34,000 students. Of them, about 29,000 attend classes on the main campus in Oakland.
Students at Pitt and elsewhere have watched for signs of whether they can expect something approximately equal to a normal residential campus experience in an era of social distancing. Many students have delayed decisions, and surveys have said students were reluctant to pay in-person prices for remote instruction as occurred when campuses were shuttered early in March.
Reopening strategies recently announced elsewhere include shortening the inperson portion of semesters to avoid flu months of December, January and February; having half a class’ students attend in-person on any individual day, while the other half learns remotely; wearing masks; and creating one-way pedestrian paths.
At Pitt, officials contemplated a public announcement by the end of this month, but late Monday afternoon elements of the plan were published in the student newspaper, The Pitt News. Pitt officials said it was an unfinished draft inadvertently sent out, but later described its contents as accurate except for Welcome Week, which has not yet been decided.
On Monday night, officials said a condensed version of Welcome Week for new students will be Aug. 16-18 and move-in will be staggered.
Ms. Cudd, in her note, said details are being finalized for release, but the plan includes efforts to “de-densify our residence halls, dining halls, and classrooms under the expert guidance of health and environmental safety professionals.
“Similarly, we are building flexible course delivery methods to enable us to respond quickly and flexibly to changing circumstances should they arise,” she added.
The Pitt News on Monday quoted a faculty leader who appeared surprised to learn of the calendar plans.
“While beginning the semester early was always an option, we were not informed that a decision was made,” said University Senate President Chris Bonneau. “I hope this was just an oversight and not an indication of reduced faculty involvement in the plans for next year.”
The original dates for fall semester were Aug. 24 through Dec. 12, said Pitt spokesman David Seldin.