From: Michael S. Roth
To: Faculty and staff
Subject: Reactivating Campus
Date: June 15, 2020
Dear friends,
What a spring it has been! The specter of bigotry has been viciously apparent in the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, and the energy of anti-racism has swept across the nation in demonstrations in large cities and small towns. At the same time, much uncertainty remains as the pandemic continues to increase in intensity in several states. Amidst all the pain, anger and anxiety, we have continued to plan, and I write now with an update on our thinking thus far. Given the current public health trajectory for Connecticut, we are hoping to welcome most students, faculty and staff back to Middletown in safe conditions in late August. One thing we are certain about: it will be good to be together again—safely—on campus.
Our abiding priority is the health and safety of every member of our community, especially the most vulnerable among us, and the realities of the current pandemic mean that this coming semester will be unlike those of the past. Wesleyan is developing protocols in accordance with the expert guidance that best suits our particular situation.
Our contingency planning workgroup is proposing for the 2020 fall semester classes to begin on campus August 31 (one week earlier than initially scheduled) with the possibility of finishing online after Thanksgiving (when there would be just one more week of classes). We will limit visitors to and excursions from campus, and we have more time together during the warmer months of the year. We are developing plans for science labs and art studios, and we expect to offer our athletes on-campus programs. Food services and residence halls will be organized with safety in mind, as will our classrooms and co-curricular activities. For those students unable to return to campus at all this fall, distance- and hybrid-learning options will be available.
We will release much more information about the fall term in early July, but here are some of the key elements in our plan for campus reactivation:
- Health and Safety—The planning workgroup is working out details for testing, monitoring and contact tracing in close adherence to CDC guidelines. We will implement thorough protocols to limit and document visitors to campus (including tours, lectures and events), as well as to notify the campus community of confirmed cases and community members who may have been in contact with someone who tests positive. Additionally, the University is meticulously following state and federal guidelines for personal protective equipment (including wearing masks in public places), indoor air quality and disinfection protocols.
- Return to Campus—The workgroup has created a phased approach for reactivating campus that prioritizes student-facing and faculty-support positions to meet the demands of the scheduled August 31 start of classes. This approach allows ample time between phases and employs proper social distancing protocols according to State of Connecticut guidelines. The University will explore telecommuting as an alternative to traditional work arrangements for appropriate positions, and we will make the greatest possible accommodations for staff in high-risk categories. Alternative work arrangements for faculty will include teaching in a variety of in-person, hybrid and distance pedagogies. We continue to work through all available options for critical services for our community—child, family and dependent care prominent among these—and we will provide updates as soon as we have them.
- Travel–Once students return to campus, we are asking that they not make excursions to any areas where the incidence of COVID is increasing. Our current expectation is that University-funded travel will remain suspended for the fall semester, and members of the campus community who have personal travel scheduled may be asked to take additional precautions before returning to campus.
- Budget—As we prepare campus for the fall, even under a model that is close to normal, we anticipate additional budgetary pressures given the significant costs involved in complying with guidelines around testing, personal protective equipment and cleaning. We also expect additional costs in the areas of utilities and technology investments, as well as the possibility of enrollment attrition. Along with recent market volatility and generally challenging economic conditions, we will need to continue to monitor and adjust our revenue expectations.
Wesleyan will take the necessary precautions and abide by available guidance from medical experts to keep our campus and the surrounding communities safe. But we cannot do it alone. Each of us must play a role and adhere to safety protocols, and we expect to issue specific guidelines to that end which all returning students, faculty and staff will be required to follow.
In closing, it’s important to note that all of these plans are contingent upon the public health context. We will continue to provide updates and additional information throughout the summer, and we encourage you to attend the Zoom forum tomorrow, June 16, for faculty and staff at 10 a.m., where I will be available to answer questions. As we continue to work through the details of reactivating campus, we will send another email update in July to address our plans with greater specificity.
Though we have proven time and again that Wesleyan is much more than buildings and classrooms, there is no denying that learning together in these spaces, in person, amplifies our mutual understanding and the impact of our work. I look forward to our return.
Sincerely,
Michael S. Roth
President