June 24 - Preparing for the fall semester (Coronavirus Update)

Dear members of the Whitman community,

Today Governor Jay Inslee released coronavirus safety guidelines for higher education institutions in the state of Washington. I am encouraged to see that much of the planning we’ve done for an in-person fall aligns with the governor’s guidance, and expect that we will be able to share more specific information now that we have this guidance available.

RETURN TO CAMPUS

As previously announced, fall classes will begin on Monday, August 24, one week earlier than normal. There will be no four-day break, and classes and exams will wrap up before the Thanksgiving holiday to minimize student travel. New students will arrive for move-in and orientation on August 20. Returning students living on campus should look for communication from residence life regarding move-in dates and times.

THE CLASSROOM EXPERIENCE

We are working to prepare the campus for a safe learning environment that allows for engaging, in-person learning. A team of faculty and staff have been studying spaces on campus to modify and create classroom, lab and studio spaces that will allow for appropriate social distancing and other necessary safety measures. Many classes will meet in different classrooms, and some will meet in different time slots to maximize use of available spaces. Also, some classes will meet in hybrid formats that take advantage of both online and in-person learning. For classes with an online learning component, we are spending time this summer to ensure a consistent and high-quality learning experience for students.

We are doing everything possible to preserve the schedules of students who have already registered, and we intend to have all times and locations for classes finalized early enough in July so that incoming students will have a smooth registration process. We are also planning to accommodate students who are unable to return to campus due to health concerns or travel restrictions with online learning options.

While our plan is for an in-person semester, we know that some learning for Fall 2020 may need to take place on-line, and want to be prepared for the small possibility of being fully online if necessary. We are devoting some of our planning towards optimizing that online experience for students. We are developing best practices based on what did (and didn’t!) work, as well as student surveys and analysis of other institutions. We are taking steps to make the online experience a more ‘universal’ one for students, with an eye towards accessibility.

THE RESIDENTIAL EXPERIENCE

Our residence halls will be open this fall, and students will be given the option to live in doubles or singles, based on their comfort level and preference. Students currently assigned to a double room should contact Residence Life to discuss the possibility of securing a single room if they have health or safety concerns.

We are planning a number of safety measures in the residence halls. We will use all available residence hall space in order to de-densify the most densely populated halls, and will have space set aside for isolation of COVID-positive individuals. Protocols for bathrooms and other shared spaces will be implemented to minimize possible disease spread. Roommates and others living in close proximity will be encouraged to act as family units for the purposes of limiting outside interactions. Students living off campus will be expected to follow similar guidelines.

LIFE ON CAMPUS FOR STUDENTS, FACULTY AND STAFF

There are a number of safety measures that will be imperative to securing the safety of the Whitman and Walla Walla communities this fall. While many of these policies and procedures are still being developed, we do have some information to share:

• By state mandate, face coverings must be worn indoors by all students, faculty and staff while they are in shared areas. They may be removed if an individual is in a private office/lab or well-isolated individual workspace, or in their dorm room in the case of students. Outdoors, masks will be required when in areas where social distancing is not fully possible (walkways, etc.). We will provide three cloth face masks for every faculty, staff and student upon returning to campus.
• We are exploring offering coronavirus testing in two ways. Initially, we plan to conduct asymptomatic testing of everyone on campus to obtain a baseline. We have also purchased and are awaiting delivery of a rapid results testing machine that will be operated by the Health Center to provide ongoing testing. Both approaches will be dependent on availability of testing kits.
• Symptom checking, including temperature checks, will be performed by staff, faculty and students and documented daily. Anyone displaying symptoms or who has come in contact with a known COVID carrier should report this, must not go to work or class, and should contact the Health Center or their local health care provider to arrange for a COVID-19 test.
• Contact tracing is required for everyone who comes onto campus and will be managed through a smartphone app. A vendor has been selected and the final details and procedures are currently being worked through. For those who do not own a compatible smartphone, we are looking into both manual logging alternatives as well as the possibility of providing a compatible device.

SUMMER PLANNING

As we work toward a safe, in-person fall semester, we have begun bringing employees back to work on campus. Staff and faculty will receive a schedule of building openings in the near future, as well as further instructions on how to safely return to work. All faculty and staff are asked to wait until individually invited back to campus by human resources before returning to in-person work. In the meantime, please have a healthy, safe and restorative summer.

Josh Jensen, Ph.D.
Chair, Coronavirus Task Force