CLEVELAND — Cleveland State University released its plan to resume in-person classes when the fall semester begins on August 24.
"We have a plan that we think is going to be successful," CSU President Harlan Sands told 3News. "We are investing more to make sure that our campus stays safe, and to make sure the right behaviors are practiced," he said.
The university is adopting a hybrid approach to learning, with more than 50% of classes to be taught in-person on campus, with the remainder taught remotely online.
"We've invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in technology to make sure that this works," Sands said. "We've given students laptops, we've gotten hot spot access to students who can't get access to the internet. We're doing everything in our power to make sure that this experience is meaningful."
To maintain safe physical distancing, on-campus class sizes will be limited to 30 students. Face coverings will be required at all times, enhanced cleaning and disinfecting will be practiced, and high-foot traffic flow will be controlled. Student residents at on-campus housing will all be assigned individual private bedrooms in Euclid Commons or Fenn Tower.
"Personally, I'm pretty nervous," Leah Marek, a Shaker Heights native who will return to the Ohio State University in the fall, said. "I don't really do all that well with remote learning, and I think that in the fall, that's when you'll see the start of large groups gathering."
OSU announced that all students and staff will be required to report their body temperature on the university's mobile app each day, before they arrive on campus. Class sizes will also be limited to 100 students.
Kent State University anticipates that at least 60% of classes in the fall be held remotely. Face masks will also be required on campus, and the fall Thanksgiving break will be eliminated, in order to cut down on students' travel, and the potential spread of the coronavirus.
Case Western Reserve University will require and provide face coverings for students and staff. Plexiglass dividers will be installed between some desks, and classroom capacity will be limited to maintain safe physical distancing. The university said that HVAC improvements are being made to improve indoor air flow, which health experts say is important to mitigate the lingering of airborne virus particles in enclosed classrooms.
CSU student Joseph Linser is looking forward to the start of the fall semester.
"If everyone's being smart and they're wearing masks, and doing everything that they're being told to do, I think things should be okay," he surmised.