College-19: A Dose of Inconvenience

The Washington Post: "The University of Virginia, with 24,000 students, will distribute 'Welcome Back Kits' in drawstring bags to those who return to Charlottesville. Each bag will contain two cloth face coverings, two bottles of hand sanitizer and an L-shaped 'touch tool' for students to open doors and push elevator buttons without direct contact. Similar kits at Purdue University will include a thermometer for daily temperature taking. The school, which has about 44,000 students in West Lafayette, Ind., will ask them for 'a commitment to at least a semester of inconvenience' to protect faculty and staff."

"Like other large public universities, Virginia Tech faces the complex challenge of protecting a community of tens of thousands. It said Monday that it would offer beds on campus to about 9,100 students, 12 percent fewer than normal, setting aside hundreds of rooms for quarantines if needed. It’s a big switch from a year ago, when Virginia Tech was packing students into residence halls because of an unexpected enrollment surge and using hotel rooms to accommodate the overflow. The university also said this week on Twitter that it will not offer meal plans to students who live off campus, signaling that dining halls will be far more regimented than normal."

Frank Shushok Jr., Virginia Tech’s vice president for student affairs, comments: “We’re calling on our students and community to care for the whole. At the end of the day, that’s going to be more effective, and in some ways, it is the kind of education we’re trying to deliver. It’s not about you. It is about the greater good.”

College Presidents Plot Pandemic Plans

American Council on Education: A survey of 310 college and university presidents has 53% saying "it is 'very likely' that their institution will resume in-person classes for at least some portion of the fall term ... Roughly one-third (31 percent) reported that it was 'somewhat likely' they would resume in-person classes this fall. Eleven percent said it was 'somewhat unlikely' (6 percent) or 'very unlikely' (5 percent) their institution would resume in-person classes this fall, while 5 percent said they were 'unsure' ... Just over half (51 percent) indicated that it was 'very likely' that their institution would resume on-campus housing for at least some portion of the fall term. Nearly 40 percent of presidents reported that it was 'somewhat likely'."

"Nearly two-thirds (65 percent) of presidents with on-campus housing reported that their institution is currently planning to 'establish residential space on campus for individuals who test positive to quarantine.' About half reported that their institution is planning to 'require masks to be worn on campus' (53 percent) and 'provide PPE to faculty and staff' (48 percent). Approximately one-third reported that their institution is currently planning to 'require regular temperature screening for faculty and staff' (36 percent) and 'require regular temperature screening for students' (33 percent). About two-thirds reported that their institution is still deciding whether to 'require COVID-19 testing for faculty, staff, and students' before arriving back on campus."

"Only 12 percent of presidents reported that their institution is currently planning to 'subdivide the fall term into shorter modules,' 52 percent are still considering the action, and 36 percent are currently not planning to take the action ... More than half reported that their institution is currently planning to 'limit lab and studio class sizes to promote social distancing"' (61 percent), 'limit faculty and staff travel' (60 percent), 'limit general class sizes to promote social distancing' (60 percent), or 'limit student travel' (52 percent). Forty-three percent reported that their institution is currently planning to 'cancel all study abroad experiences,' 48 percent are still deciding whether to take this action, and 9 percent are currently not planning to take the action.​"

Schools Map the Covid College Experience

The New York Times: "Fever checkpoints at the entrances to academic buildings. One-way paths across the grassy quad. Face masks required in classrooms and dining halls. And a dormitory-turned-quarantine facility for any students exposed to the coronavirus. That was one vision for the fall semester at the University of Kentucky conjured up by a special committee last week — and not the most dystopian scenario ... Similar discussions have taken place at almost every American college and university over the last few weeks, as administrators fiercely debate whether they can safely reopen their campuses, even as most provide students with encouraging messages about the prospects of returning in the fall."

"Notre Dame became one of the first major universities in the country to announce detailed plans for bringing back students, saying it would implement a regimen of testing and contact tracing, put quarantine and isolation protocols in place, and require students to maintain social distancing and wear masks in public. Notre Dame’s decision is in contrast to an announcement last week by the California State University system, which will keep its 23 campuses largely shut and teach nearly half a million students remotely. Most other universities have said they are planning to reopen in the fall, but have yet to announce specific plans."

"Notre Dame said it would start the fall semester on Aug. 10, two weeks early, and end it before Thanksgiving, forgoing fall break. South Carolina made a similar announcement, saying it would also skip fall break and switch to remote instruction after Thanksgiving. In Kentucky, the teams debated similar ideas, talking about reconfiguring the traditional 16-week semester in a number of ways: Split it into two eight-week half-semesters, or go for 12 weeks plus four weeks, or even five, five and five. Such changes would allow for maximum flexibility, proponents of the various scenarios said, in case another outbreak forced administrators to send students home again for virtual instruction, as they did in March."