Kent State University has developed its strategy for the spring semester, including a plan to begin most in-person classes with remote instruction for the first few weeks. Manfred Van Dulmen, chair of the university’s Pandemic Leadership Committee, says this will give students the chance to quarantine before classes start.
“We are fortunate enough that we could keep all courses in person for as long as we had planned, but really feel that given the disease spread and travel around the holidays that we need to put this mitigation strategy in place for the first two weeks of the semester,” Van Dulmen said.
He also says this plan is a big improvement since the university’s shutdown in March, as they have learned which classes work remotely and which don’t.
Kent State will also enhance its testing protocols by requiring all students living on campus to be tested for COVID-19 during their move-in period, as well as continue testing students with in-person classes and staff who work in an environment where they cannot maintain a distance of 6 feet.
