ATHENS, Ohio — Ohio University is planning to reopen its campus for the fall semester as long as a safe plan is in place.
President M. Duane Nellis said in a release, “With the health and safety of our University community at the top of our minds, we are planning for our new normal. It is our hope and intention that we will return to in-person instruction in the fall if it is safe for us to do so.”
The university said it is talking through several scenarios to safely reopen campus.
Among the working groups working on a reopening plan are a public health group looking at testing and quarantine needs, a group focused on personal protective equipment, a group looking at making sure employees are brought back safety, an academic scenario planning group, a student experiences group, an academic policy group, and a group looking at on research and lab spaces.
Each group will give its plans to a council which will make recommendations for reopening to the university president by the end of June.
Executive Vice President and Provost Elizabeth Sayrs said in a release, “Should it be necessary or required to start the fall semester remotely, we will be prepared with a full array of courses using innovative modalities. Our outstanding faculty are already working with the Office of Instructional Innovation and University Libraries to draw on the University’s longstanding strength in distance education.”
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