Last week, Williams announced a plan for reopening in the fall. The announcement, which you can read here, detailed plans to move forward with an in-person semester with additional safety measures in place. College life will be different this year, and the letter mentions “significant adjustments to the way we live and learn.”
Seeing as we are halfway through summer, it’s fair that people are anxiously awaiting updates about college plans for reopening. While every school will eventually be releasing an individualized plan, we believe that we can look to Williams for details on what students and parents should be expecting about returning to campus this fall. Here are the biggest takeaways:
Hybrid courses, which are a mix of in-person and remote instruction, are becoming the norm.
Students will still have access to courses should they choose to study remotely for their entire fall semester.
“A significant percentage of courses will be entirely remote even for students on campus.” It is also entirely possible that a student who chooses to live on campus will take ALL remote courses.
Incoming first year students and incoming transfer students may opt to take a gap year.
Students will be brought back to campus in stages. Harvard announced that only 40% of undergraduates will be returning in the fall.
Not all staff members will return to campus.
On move-in day, only students are allowed into the dorm buildings.
Masks or face coverings are required.
Social distancing will be enforced.
There will be strict limits on the size of gatherings and events.
Take out meals only.
Covid-19 testing is required for all students, faculty, and staff. All testing will be free and self-administered, under the supervision of a medical professional.
When students arrive on campus, they will be tested immediately and asked to quarantine for 24-48 hours until their Covid-19 test results are available.
Fall sports teams will not travel or compete during the fall semester.
Williams announcement also mentions that should Covid-19 continue to get worse, it’s possible that the in-person semester will be cancelled and held entirely online.
As we mentioned earlier, not every school will be following this exact protocol. But as we saw in March, most schools shut down around the same time so it’s possible that many schools will have similar guidelines. We’re posting this not to alarm our blog readers, but to prepare them as we redefine the college experience as we continue to grapple with Covid-19.
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