This archive report was first published on 20 May 2020.
College Reopening Plans: Shortening Fall Semester to Avoid Second Wave ¶
With the COVID-19 pandemic still ongoing, colleges across the United States are making plans to bring students back to campus for the fall semester. However, some institutions are adopting a strategy of shortening the semester to avoid a second wave of infections.
According to a report by The New York Times, several universities, including the University of South Carolina, Notre Dame, Rice, and Creighton, have announced plans to shorten the fall semester. This decision is based on epidemiological assumptions that reducing travel will help students avoid contracting and spreading the virus.
At Rice University, President David W. Leebron said that the decision to shorten the semester was made after consulting with federal disease experts, pandemic modeling from other universities, and the school's infectious diseases faculty. The university has notified 7,000 students that the fall semester will end at Thanksgiving instead of around Christmas.
Other universities, such as the California State University system, have also announced plans to keep their campuses mostly closed and hold classes primarily online during the fall semester. The system's chancellor has urged community colleges to adopt a similar plan.
Private institutions, such as Rice and Notre Dame, rely primarily on tuition, which can be affected by the pandemic. However, administrators at these universities say that they are taking a cautious approach to ensure the health and safety of their students.
At Notre Dame, administrators sought advice from Mark Fox, the deputy health officer for St. Joseph County, Ind. Dr. Fox said that the risk of infection is different for universities with international student bodies.
While some universities have received a positive reception for their reopening plans, officials acknowledge that the situation is uncertain and that they will need to be prepared for the possibility of a resurgence of the virus in the winter.
