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June 8 - Coronavirus Task Force Update

The coronavirus task force is planning for an in-person fall semester in a manner that is safe for students, faculty and staff. To achieve this, here are some of the policies, procedures, practices and procurement being worked on to address a number of critical safety issues:

  • Teaching schedules and spaces are being reevaluated so that classrooms and labs can be used safely, with proper social distancing. All spaces on campus are being evaluated as possible classrooms to accommodate these needs, as are creative and flexible scheduling solutions. Technology is also being considered to extend in-person learning to online spaces as needed given physical constraints.
  • Student support services are being evaluated and rethought to accommodate safety and social distancing.
  • Residence halls will have some form of reduced density/occupancy. We are currently studying available housing inventory and options and are pursuing multiple approaches.
  • Face coverings will be required indoors of 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.).
  • Testing options are under consideration. We hope to be able to test all members of the community when we return to campus. We are currently evaluating potential partners to help us manage this initial testing process, as well as testing of symptomatic members of the Whitman community.
  • Symptom checking will be required daily, likely through self-reporting. We are working on multiple approaches to temperature checks.
  • Contact tracing will likely be managed in part through a smartphone app. We are working through technical, privacy, and security issues and plan to have a selection in the next week or so.
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