(WWJ) As the country and the state are still in the grips of a pandemic -- with hundreds of new cases daily -- what will the education experience be like for students at Wayne State University?
A negative COVID-19 test during move-in week will be a significant step in the plan for any student wishing to return to campus.
Wayne State University (WSU) released a summary of its plan to have on-campus instruction for the fall semester in an email Wednesday.
M. Roy Wilson, M.D., M.S. President of WSUm outlined the plan and expressed his excitement to get students back.
The statement began, "Dear Warrior community, with the fall semester quickly approaching, we know you have many questions about returning to campus. In particular, our current and prospective students are wondering what this fall will be like."
In an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19, some of the new guidelines include a mix of remote and in-person learning to accommodate social distancing. The university included a condition on the plans, noting that they are subject to change considering the rapidly evolving landscape of the pandemic.
Academic settings will be broken into the following formats.
- Traditional: Course instruction will take place on campus.
- Remote (Synchronous): Students must log in online at a specific time along with their professor and classmates.
- Online (Asynchronous): All instruction is online only, with no specific meeting dates or times.
- Hybrid: Students are occasionally expected to be on campus for face-to-face instruction, but they will also complete work online through distance education.
- Individually Arranged: These include dissertations, theses, individual research credits, and special projects.
The mix is estimated to be 20% traditional, 46% remote and online, 2% hybrid and 32% individually arranged.
The note underscored that on June 5, the WSU Board of Governors approved a 0% tuition increase.
The university will implement new cleaning processes and social distancing guidelines.
Here are some highlights. View the
full plan here.
- All residents will be tested for COVID-19 during move-in week and periodically retested during the year.
- Masks will be required in public spaces including dining halls, but can be removed once you are seated at a table. Masks are not required in students rooms, but 6 feet of physical distancing is expected wherever possible.
- To-go meals will be made more available with a new location in the Student Center Building.
- Guests will not be allowed to visit students in residence halls.
- A plan for athletics is still being worked on with the NCAA, but temperature checks for athletes to enter athletic buildings will be implemented.
- Libraries and computer labs will be open with social distancing and beefed up cleaning protocols.
WSU is asking all students to watch for symptoms of COVID-19 including new cough, fever, shortness of breath, sore throat, muscle aches, chills, loss of taste or smell.
There will be a virtual town hall on Thursday, July 16, 3-4 p.m. where questions and comments can be submitted. Members of the restart committee and university president Wilson will attend.
