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Worcester State University plans to welcome students back to campus in the fall its president announced to faculty, staff and students Thursday morning.
President Barry Maloney said the university will bring students back to classrooms and residence halls provided the state has progressed to phase three by mid-August. Gov. Charlie Baker ushered the state into phase two on June 8. Phases can last at least three weeks.
Reopening campus is part of a strategy the university is calling “the Safe Return Plan,” which has classes beginning on campus on Sept. 2.
Despite returning to campus, Maloney envisions the fall will be highlighted by “blended” learning, which mixes face-to-face learning with online learning. Some classes not previously designated as “online” will feature blended learning.
“The next semester will be unique,” Maloney said. “While we may learn some things from a blended learning approach, we will never lose sight of this hallmark of a Worcester State education: our dedicated and outstanding faculty, whose passion is teaching and who advise and get to know their students.”
The university anticipates the on-campus population measuring about half of its usual capacity, where most staff are working from home. The university also plans to “de-densify” the number of students on campus at any given time.
The letter said the university anticipates the spring semester “would bring us far closer to our traditional format” when a coronavirus vaccine is likely to be widely available.
Still, the fall semester, the letter said, will include as much in-class instruction as the university can safely provide.
Students living on campus will be housed in single or double-occupancy rooms. Restrictions will be placed on common areas with alterations to high foot traffic areas. Dining areas will also be reconfigured.
A portion of the school’s housing capacity will be reserved for quarantining needs, the letter said.
The school is also developing ways to access the library that limit contact and promote social distancing.
“We aim to complete next semester as we begin it, and we do not intend to alter next semester’s academic calendar,” Maloney said in the letter. “We recognize, however, that a resurgence of COVID-19 could require us to pivot to distance learning instruction modalities at some point in the semester, in accordance with public health guidance.”
Signs encouraging safe practices such as hand washing will be posted across campus.
A symptom-checker app will be available for students and employees aimed at helping them know whether they should come to campus each day. The university is also prepared to test individuals who may be symptomatic.
The university has implemented new cleaning protocols across campus and ventilation improvements in buildings are underway. Hand sanitizer will be available in each building and high-traffic areas.
In labs and similar spaces, plexiglass partitions have been installed.Faculty can use hover cams in classroom instruction or wear face shields while teaching. Instruction will also be recorded.
The school has yet to release plans for athletic programs, but expects an announcement from the MASCAC conference and the NCAA in early July.
More details plans regarding budget, communications, external relations, federal stimulus, recruitment, retention and student support services will be released in the coming days and weeks, Maloney said.
Specific questions rewarding the reopening can be asked at a Zoom meeting held by the university on Thursday at 2 p.m.
The Safe Return Plan was developed over six weeks with more than 145 campus administrators, faculty and staff.
“Even as we release our plans, I acknowledge that we continue to face uncertainties and shifting guidance from officials,” Maloney said. “We will make adjustments to them as circumstances warrant.”
MassForward is MassLive's series examining the journey of Massachusetts' small businesses through and beyond the coronavirus pandemic.
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