ATHENS, Ohio — The COVID-19 pandemic has forced universities nationwide to assess how students can return to campus safely.
At Ohio University, students are taking a phased return approach.
In phase one, a limited number of students were allowed to return to the Athens campus.
These students are in programs requiring in-person experiences or access to essential on-campus equipment.
All other students began class remotely on August 24.
Phase two begins on September 28 and is expected to continue through the fall semester.
As part of phase two, according to the university’s website, at least 7,200 students, which is about 31% of the undergraduate students on campus Athens and 100% of the Athens-based graduate enrollment, will be invited back to campus.
Larissa Strong said her first-year mechanical engineering courses don't require her to be on campus.
“I think it's nice to have a little more time with my family, and my brothers, they just started high school so it's nice to be here for that part of their lives but I was definitely excited to start off my college experience, which obviously, this is not at all what I was expecting it would look like,” Strong said.
Strong is making the most of her remote learning college experience but she does have some advice for other students stuck at home.
“I’ve been getting through it by making sure that I plan fun time...time with people I love,” Strong said. “So just make sure that you’re not just staying in one space and not leaving that space because that is not healthy for a person.”
In Athens, students returning to campus are expected to observe a 14-day period of social distancing at their permanent residence before arriving, according to Ohio University’s website.
Once on campus, students are required to complete daily COVID-19 symptom assessments and follow all health and safety protocols, such as wearing facial coverings and maintaining physical distance.
Moving forward, OU’s website makes one thing clear: How many students returning for spring semester will largely depend on the success of phase two this semester.
Read more about Ohio University’s phased return approach here.
Undergraduates at Miami of Ohio were given the option to return to campus, stick with a fully remote schedule or, for some, the option to postpone their enrollment for a semester or for a year.
Wittenberg University resumed classes a week early this year, announcing there would be no fall break and that on-campus instruction for the fall semester will end two days before Thanksgiving.
At the University of Dayton, all undergraduate classes scheduled to have an in-person component this year are good to go starting today because of the lowered COVID-19 campus status.