Western New England University shares fall reopening plan

Aug. 25, 2020 | Payton North
payton@thereminder.com

SPRINGFIELD – Western New England University (WNEU) shared their campus reopening plan on Aug. 20. The plan, titled “Staying Safe. Staying Golden. Our Shared Responsibility for a Successful Semester. The WNE Plan to Reopen Campus,” explains that in order for the campus to “open safely” and for “most classes to remain on-ground,” students and faculty must take “face covering and physical distancing requirements, health and safety protocols, and state hot spot quarantine and travel guidelines to heart.”

The comprehensive, 14-page plan explains that the “highly personal interactions synonymous with Western New England University have always been a hallmark of the unique experience we offer our students.” With that goal in mind, the plan’s introduction states, the University created the plan to adapt their learning and living environments to “mitigate the potential for spread of COVID-19 within our community.” With that said, the plan does, however, explain that all plans must be flexible as the University monitors updates for state and federal regulations.

The reopening plan highlights many aspects to Western New England University life, including the following: new health and safety protocols, face covering requirement policy, testing of campus community members, drop off and move in student arrivals, course instruction, changes to the academic calendar, student support programs and services, textbook ordering and pickup, resident life policy changes, COVID-19 large gathering (including party) restrictions, dining services, undergraduate student life and career programming, athletics, faculty and staff workplaces, and finally, campus visits for prospective students.

Under the “plan highlights” section of the plan, it explains that the campus will be open for the Fall 2020 semester, and undergraduate, graduate and professional program students will be able to live on campus.

The majority of WNEU’s classes will take place in person and on campus, according to the plan, with the remainder taking place online and in a hybrid model.

Though the campus will be open to students for the fall semester, after Thanksgiving, all classes will be delivered exclusively online. The plan notes that “fall breaks will be eliminated to reduce the potential for virus transmission from students returning from travel.” In addition to this change to the semester, the University has truncated the fall semester by one week, with the last day of class landing on Dec. 4 instead of the original date, Dec. 11.

 Health and Safety Protocols

Upon arrival on campus, all faculty, staff and students will be provided with reusable cloth masks, according to the plan. All WNEU community members are “expected to wear masks, both inside and outside.” The exemption to this rule includes students not being required to wear masks when inside their own room in the residence halls, as well as student-athletes in “certain situations that are in accordance with guidance from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the NCAA.”

The face covering requirement policy explains that all students, faculty, staff and visitors are required to wear a mask both indoor and outdoors, and that “face coverings are required and are not a substitute for physical distancing of at least six feet. Faculty and staff are required to wear a face covering even if they are behind a plexiglass barrier.”

“Face coverings are optional and not required in a private office or work area (anywhere work is being performed with only one person present.) Students are not required to wear a face covering while in their individual residential rooms. However, when others enter a private office, work area, or individual residential room, all present are required to wear a face covering. Students are required to wear a face covering for any in-person class.”

Those who do not abide by the policy, whether a staff member, student or visitor, will be asked to remove themselves from the location and may face disciplinary action.

In addition to mask requirements, all WNEU community members will be tested for COVID-19 upon arrival to campus, as well as randomly, and when close exposure with a known positive case has occurred. This is a requirement for all students, faculty and staff. The test will be free of charge for all who take it, and will be a nasal test, not a nasal/throat test.

The plan advises students to minimize off-campus travel, both daily and on the weekends, to reduce the potential for transmission.

Classrooms, activities and interactions “will be arranged to abide by physical distancing guidelines.” In addition to this, plexiglass barriers were installed throughout the campus and fitted into classrooms in order to further reduce the virus transmission. According to the plan, most buildings would be made “one-directional” and “equipped with one-directional signage to minimize hallway contact.”

Also in regard to building changes, the plan states that “all air circulation units on campus will be evaluated and adjusted as needed,” and that the university’s water filtration will also be evaluated and adjusted as needed to maximize safety.

Hand sanitizing stations “will be installed throughout campus,” the plan explains, and “cleaning protocols will be expanded and buildings will be cleaned more frequently.” With that said, students are expected to practice “strong personal hygiene.”

Both on and off campus, large gatherings are restricted.

Though the plan goes into much more thorough detail to explain schedules and care for those who test positive for COVID-19, there has been a residential space designated for use by students who test positive for COVID-19 in order to provide a safe, private or semi private space “to promote return to wellness and to decrease the spread.” This space is available for resident and commuter students at no charge. The plan explains, “Students in this space will be assessed daily as needed by our health care providers. Students in this space will be delivered three meals per day and will be well taken care of both mentally and physically.”

Athletics

When it comes to athletics, WNEU chose to be consistent with the decision by the Commonwealth Coast Conference. All fall university athletics competitions were suspended until spring, however the Department of Athletics at WNEU is offering “highly-engaging student-athlete programming in the fall.”

This programming will consist of all varsity athletes engaging in organized athletic activities with their teams and under the direction of their head coach. “These activities will be sport specific and will include but are not limited to training, skill development, and strength and conditioning. Allowable activities will be based on the framework set out by the NCAA’s Core Principles of Resocialization of Collegiate Sport and guidelines established by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and state and local governments,” the plan explains.

In closing, WNEU’s reopening plan notes that “success will require flexibility and understanding.”

“We can and will be prepared for multiple scenarios, but things can change quickly. Plans will likely be altered, and we will be ready to adapt as a community. There is no perfect plan at any college or university,” the reopening plan reads. “We can resolve issues that arise with civility and respect. This is the Golden Bear Way.”

For those interested in reviewing the reopening plan, it can be viewed at https://www1.wne.edu/coronavirus/doc/Fall-Opening-Plan.pdf.

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