VTDigger posts regular coronavirus updates on this page. You can also subscribe here for daily coronavirus news. Please send your Covid-19 questions to coronavirus@vtdigger.org
Burlington will once again be home to nearly 12,000 undergraduate and graduate students this fall as the University of Vermont plans to reopen for in-person operations.
Classes will start Aug. 31 and all in-person teaching will end Nov. 24.
According to a report issued June 15 by the UVM Strong Fall 2020 Advisory Committee, the group tasked with organizing a reopening, there will be a number of changes to campus life, but the resounding consensus was to reopen.
In a statement to the UVM community, President Suresh Garimella praised the reopening.
“I greatly appreciate the work of the committee and the more than 50 faculty, staff, and students who participated in the four working groups and contributed to the development of this framework and the associated strategies,” he said. “There is still much work to do — but I’m looking forward to our shared success as we rally together to reopen our beautiful campus.”
UVM has a total student population of nearly 12,000 students who commute, live on campus or in the surrounding area. The university shuttered its doors March 30 to help stop the spread of Covid-19.
“In the course of its work, the committee found there is nearly universal consensus that UVM should return to in-person instruction and operations in the fall,” the report stated.
To allow for physical distancing to prevent the spread of Covid-19, UVM will look for larger spaces to hold classes that are highly populated including large lecture halls and local hotel convention centers; it will also use online learning.
To further enhance online learning, UVM is also looking to create video streaming “pods” for faculty to stream lectures.
UVM is also looking to decrease the number of students in residence halls by looking for more off-campus housing locations, according to the report.
All employees and students will be required to wear face coverings when outside their residence halls or individual workspaces or when in the presence of others.
The university is also working on developing an app for students and staff to use to implement daily health screenings.
UVM’s in-house shuttle service will also be largely shut down during the day with campus transportation buses only running after 4 p.m. Additionally, all UVM buildings will close by 10 p.m.
All UVM students will be required to take a “pledge” called the Green and Gold Rule that is still under development, according to the reopening report.
“The rule is being developed by the UVMStrong Student Experience working group with input from the Student Government Association and Graduate Student Senate, as well as faculty and staff,” the report states. “Employees will also be encouraged to sign the pledge.”
On top of the pledge, UVM is also developing consequences for employees and students who don’t comply with university or state regulations.
UVM board of trustees Chair Ron Lumbra said in a statement it’s important that education continues.
“It’s vitally important that we continue to do the work of a premier research university like UVM—educating our students, conducting research for the betterment of society and contributing solutions to the challenges facing the state of Vermont,” Lumbra said. “But we must do so in a manner that keeps our students, faculty, staff and members of the surrounding community safe. I have every confidence that the framework developed by the university does just that.”
With UVM classes slated to resume Aug. 31, the university has not yet released an updated move-in plan for students living on campus.
