By Anthony Covino
Sports Editor
The Equinox Roundtable discussion series follows issues relevant to FDU, especially the effects of COVID-19 on university life. Episode two discussed possible changes to health and safety precautions at our university.
Disinfection is essential in FDU reopening in the fall. With the right cleaning and disinfecting protocols, FDU can contain the potential spread of COVID-19 on campus. In a roundtable with President Christopher Capuano on July 15 he said disinfection will happen daily on campus and students are responsible for disinfecting their space when entering a classroom, wipes will be provided.
Other universities announced their plans for disinfection early on.The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill decided to start face-to-face instruction for the fall semester with no online classes. The fall semester will begin early on August 10th with finals ending just before Thanksgiving, similar to FDU.
UNC says classes will happen in the athletic facilities, dorms, and classrooms, while FDU has only announced online classes.
“We will have protocols for testing, contract tracing, and isolation if necessary. Residence life and campus activities will be guided by public health requirements, such as physical distancing and reduced density if warranted. We will modify campus environments like dining halls as needed.
Entering July, students still await the announcement of procedures for the fall semester which will include many things such as dorming, classes, procedures for disinfection, and many other procedures relevant to COVID-19 hygiene.
“While it is too early to know the particular details for many of those operations, we will update everyone as we learn more information and tailor our programs and environments to these requirements accordingly,” President Capuano said.
Two Ivy League schools have announced fall plans with Princeton University announcing that students may return to campus for one semester starting in the fall with freshmans and juniors returning in the fall and sophomores and seniors returning in the spring. Also, Harvard University announced that 40% of students will be returning for the fall including first year students. Both Pirnceton and Harvard have strategically planned for the fall with a different plan then most colleges.
With FDU recently announcing the guidelines to return to the semester with social distancing, masks, and daily screenings, students now know a little more about what is in store for the fall semester. Yet, it is still early to tell what the exact plan will be for in-person courses in September.
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Art by Elizabeth Scalzo.
Disinfection plans briefly spoken about by President Capuano.
