On July 1, The Safer Campus Task Force and academic working groups held a webinar for returning students to answer questions about the upcoming fall semester. The panel included Lua Hancock, Vice President for Campus Life and Student Success, Lynn Schoenberg, Dean of Students and co-chair of the Safer Campus Task Force, Noel Painter, Provost and EVP, Larry Correll-Hughes, Assistant Vice President for Campus Life & Student Success & Exec. Director of Residential Living and Learning, and Heidi Goldsworthy, Director of Financial Aid. 

Throughout the webinar, the panelists discussed how the return to campus will involve a tiered system to mitigate exposure to COVID-19 and risk for students, meaning that restrictions in place in August will lessen throughout the semester, assuming the number of cases decreases.

Academics 

• Academic working groups are currently finalizing class schedules to accommodate 30 minutes between classes for cleaning. 
• Students should be able to see their final schedules on my.stetson.edu in the middle of July. 
• Because of health risks for some professors, certain classes will be completely online. Students may be able to switch into a section of the course that is not online.
• Every faculty member who teaches a fully online class will have to submit a course plan for approval. 
• Most classes will be a hybrid version with students attending class in person once a week and watching a livestream or recording the other day they have class. 

Student Life 

• During the first 14 days of students returning to campus, group sizes will be limited to 10 or under.
• Office hours, tutoring, and appointments will start out online.
• Students will not be able to attend sporting events in person at the beginning of the semester. 
• Hours for student services will not be affected. 
• Student employment opportunities are still available, but work will most likely be done from a remote setting. 
• A combination of in person and online cultural credit opportunities will be available. 

Testing & Health-Related Policies 

• Facial coverings will be required in all public places. There will be a formal distancing policy in the code of community standards. 
• An app will allow students to go through a daily screening process and answer questions about symptoms. 
• A community-wide testing program will provide a test for every student at the beginning of the semester. There will be more details on testing coming soon.
• Stetson will not require every student to be tested, but it is strongly encouraged. 
• Students will not have to pay to get tested. 

Financial Aid 

• There is an appeals process for 2020 and 2021 for those who have experienced a loss in income or savings. The financial aid office will determine if they can provide extra assistance. Email [email protected] with any questions.
• Changes to the Fall 2020 academic calendar will have no effect on financial aid.

Housing

• There will be shared bedrooms and community bathrooms with enhanced and more frequent cleaning. 
• At the beginning of the semester, there will be a reduction in access to spaces like lounges and community kitchens. 
• Guest policies will be very restrictive. 
• Resident assistants are being given extra training to handle COVID-19 related issues, and the roommate agreement will be changed. 
• There will be refunds for housing if Stetson needs to go fully online at any point, but housing options will remain available for any student who needs it. 
• The only people who need to isolate or quarantine are those coming to Stetson from outside the country within the last 14 days.
• The sorority and fraternity houses will be cleaned at a specific time every day. 
• It is up to shared apartments and suites to be cleaned by residents. 
• Housing exemptions have been expanded and the commuter radius is now up to 60 miles. 

Dining

• There are plans to limit student interaction while eating including: the number of students allowed in the Commons, new table layouts, and more patio seating.
• There will be no self-serve options, all food will be served by staff.
• All staff will receive temperature checks, screening, and will wear masks and gloves. 
• Students will be able to order food online in advance through an app.
• There will be more options to pick up food to go. 
• If at any point Stetson needs to go fully online, refunds will be given for meal plans.

Check Stetson’s Coronavirus FAQ and the accommodations webpage for more information on these topics.