College Announces Changes to Residential Policies for Fall 2020
(Photo Allyson Frantz/The Gettysburgian)
By Nicole DeJacimo, Katie Oglesby, and Jane Fitzpatrick
Administrators have provided the Gettysburg College community with more information surrounding the residential return in fall 2020. Details about class schedules, new updates to the academic calendar, and the state of fall athletics were all highlighted in a campus-wide email sent out on Tuesday evening.
Residence and Move-In
Vice President for College Life and Dean of Students Julie Ramsey and Provost Chris Zappe announced that the College will install an arrival testing plan to better protect the campus and surrounding community. Gettysburg students will be informed of their move-in dates by July 27, and will also find out if their housing has been reassigned. Measures are being taken to reduce the density of people in residential halls during the move-in process.
Population density within the dormitories — Rice, Paul, Stine, Huber, Hanson, Patrick, and Musselman — will be lowered due to the additional housing of students in the Gettysburg Hotel. Some returning students will be assigned to these spaces, which include double rooms with private bathrooms. Students with changes in their housing plans will be contacted individually by the Office of Residential and First-Year Programs.
The move-in process will occur in two phases at the beginning of August. Students are given the option to partake in “drop-and-go” appointments of three-hour time slots. During these slots, they can drop off their belongings and then officially move-in at later dates in order to reduce density on campus.
Students who do not wish to reside on campus in the fall are given options to have a gap semester, commute if they live within 60 miles, or study remotely.
In addition, the email noted that there will be no early move-ins for training or pre-orientation unless students are serving in residential-life positions or have health and safety responsibilities.
Academics
The academic calendar has been edited to account for the spring semester of 2021 being in-person and beginning on January 11. Spring Break has been eliminated, with classes scheduled to end on April 16. Final exams in the spring semester will be held in-person from April 18-24.
To account for physical distancing, some courses may be moved to different time-slots. Those affected will be contacted by the Office of the Registrar and students will be given an opportunity to revise their courses on Student Center.
Orientation for first-years will be held between the move-in days and the beginning of classes and will consist of some in-person activities in small groups.
Dining
According to the latest update, physically distanced dining will be available as well as more grab-and-go options. Students will be asked to wear facial coverings while waiting for their food to be served, but facial coverings will not be required in the dining room seating areas. Sanitization of hands prior to entering any service areas will also be expected.
Reconfigurations of cashier systems and serving stations will ensure social distancing. Self service areas will no longer be available, and regular cleaning and sanitization will be implemented.
Dining staff will fill out a daily symptoms check and their temperatures will be taken prior to entering the service areas. Symptomatic employees will not be permitted to work.
Additional Changes
The email also mentioned that fall athletics are suspended, but that some fall sports may compete in the spring. Some training will still be permitted.
Commencement will now be held on May 1-2 for the Class of 2021 and May 7-8 for the Class of 2020.
The College also asks that students take precautions at least two weeks before arriving on campus to ensure the safety and health of others — including hand-washing, physical distancing, and avoiding large, indoor gatherings.
Drop-and-Go Appointments
- Tuesday, August 4
- Wednesday, August 5
- Thursday, August 6
Student Move-In Dates
- Tuesday, August 11
- Wednesday, August 12
- Thursday, August 13
- Friday, August 14
July 7, 2020
This is admirable Herculean effort highly likely doomed.
Infected students will return, infection will spread; will have to close down before October.
Bad business arrangement for all concerned, assuming extraordinary college expense for consultants and services when students arrive, and increased tuition for students in a dangerous and stressful environment.
Why would parents spend $35,000 for a semester doomed to fail, and even if not, it will not be a “college experience “ worth that outrageous fee.
You all should cut the losses, now. Close campus, furlough all but faculty willing to teach online and maintenance personnel; meaning Administrators are to be furloughed or terminated(sorry, new normal) unless they are. directly involved in support of education.
Sorry Snowflakes, harsh times, no more
overload of. sideshows and personnel of
little cost-benefit return. Stay home kids, get permission for credits of courses in your area, and demand online courses from GBURG.!
July 8, 2020
Gettysburg College has become a cruise ship for snowflakes. Cruise ships have education classes, fine dining, athletics, entertainment, dorm rooms, libraries, and cramped socialization. The cruise industry shut completely down several months ago with no re-opening in sight. Prudent.
Harry is right. Shut the College down. Let the socialist professors go on unemployment compensation and pay the hard-working maintenance workers out of the endowment fund.
Anyone willing to pay or go in debt for this $74,500 mayhem experience may have decent SATs, but they obviously flunked the Wechsler test.