Ohio University is planning to reopen for Fall Semester 2020. University officials are being vague over whether or not they are committing to in-person classes, no holds barred, but on June 5 the Board of Trustees did release guidelines for reopening. Athens saw a surge of COVID-19 cases in early July but those numbers seemed to be moderating by later in the month.
“With the health and safety of our University community at the top of our minds, we are planning for our new normal,” President M. Duane Nellis said in a June 1 news release. “It is our hope and intention that we will return to in-person instruction in the fall if it is safe for us to do so.
“As part of the state of Ohio’s phased reopening, we are preparing to welcome students back, while also recognizing that we are living in a new normal,” he added.
Prepare Your Athens Ohio Student Rental for Take Off!
Bottom line – yes, you should prepare to be in Athens and move into your Ohio University apartment come fall. First day of classes is set for Monday, Aug. 24.
Students should expect that things will be different. The reopening is being done under the guidelines of Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and public health officials. The Athens News reports:
“Nellis noted in the press release that in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19), faculty and staff will be teaching and students will be learning differently and interacting in new ways, particularly across co-curricular activities.
“Nellis added he worked with his leadership team to convene eight work groups that include students, faculty and staff focused on various planning aspects as the university looks toward the fall semester, the release stated.”
What Will Campus Look Like in This New Reality?
Larger classrooms that allow for greater social distancing can be expected.
“In order to meet expectations around social distancing, we will need to modify how and where we teach some of our courses,” Nellis wrote in a press release. “This may include assigning face-to-face courses to larger classrooms and reducing density in classrooms by rotating between online and in-person delivery.”
There will be new guidelines for research, scholarship and other activities to minimize person-to-person contact. Residence halls will support extra security precautions. You may even order dining hall food online and have carry-out.
“To our students: know that this fall semester will be unlike any other. We must take serious precautions as we return to campuses, including requiring the wearing of masks, reducing density in classrooms, and offering some courses in a remote or hybrid environment,” Nellis wrote in a letter addressed to the Ohio University community. “Within that reality, we are committed to continuing the opportunities for collaborative learning and the strong sense of community that you have come to expect at Ohio University.
Adopt Your Own Safety Precautions for Off Campus Living
In fact, students living in off campus rentals in Athens Ohio would be wise to adopt their own security protocol. Keep social parties to a minimum, perhaps on a porch if you have a housing rental that has a porch or yard available. Over the summer, as coronavirus cases began to serve in Athens County, many local residents expressed anger at OU students in town for the summer who were going bars or holding crowded porch parties. The fact that the vast majority of new cases were people in their 20s led to the conclusion that OU students were the main virus vectors. Even if that was a severe minority of students, OU students got much of the blame for the spike in cases.
Though the university has yet to make reopening absolutely official, the money they are putting toward it signals their commitment. OU will spend millions of dollars on COVID-19-related expenses for the upcoming Fall Semester across both the Athens and regional campuses. This includes more than $3 million on preventative measures such as disposable face masks for visitors; reusable masks for students and staff; face shields; plexiglass to promote social distancing; hands-free water fountains; and cleaning supplies, among others.
The university has applied for a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency that could offset much of the cost of the personal protective equipment. Up to $10 million in potential COVID-related expenditures may be recovered through insurance, Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration Deb Shafer announced at a recent Board of Trustees meeting, according to the Athens News.
Tentative: University Keeping an Open Mind
Nothing is set in stone, but it looks like your apartment rental in Athens will be waiting for your in-person classes this year at Ohio University.
“We are working diligently to meet our community’s needs as we balance risk while advancing our academic mission, Nellis wrote in a press release. “We have benefited greatly from innovative and creative learning experiences that were necessary in the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic, and these will continue to be part of the solution for the foreseeable future as we ease back into in-person educational experiences.”
OU stressed the tentative nature of the situation in a press release:
“As information about the virus continues to evolve, OHIO will adjust as necessary. The University recognizes the need to be prepared to respond to changes in the trajectory of the virus and decisions made by the state to protect the health and safety of our campus communities.”
Remote classrooms remain a possibility, even if that means taking classes in your PJs in a Court Street apartment.
“Should it be necessary or required to start the fall semester remotely, we will be prepared with a full array of courses using innovative modalities,” said Executive Vice President and Provost Elizabeth Sayrs. “Our outstanding faculty are already working with the Office of Instructional Innovation and University Libraries to draw on the University’s longstanding strength in distance education.”