Castleton University has abandoned plans for an in-person fall, and now says all of its academic programming will be delivered online.
The public liberal arts school initially said last month that it would bring students back for face-to-face instruction. But in a statement released Wednesday, officials said a spike in cases nationwide caused the school to pivot.
“A month ago roughly, we said that was our intention, and it was,” said Casleton spokesperson James Lambert. “Fast forward a month, and that’s not the case. There’s a record number of cases nationally every day, and it just became more clear to us this was a better option should there be another ‘stay home’ order.”
Castleton appears to be the first college in the state to change its plans after announcing that it would bring students back for in-person instruction. Most traditional residential colleges in the state – including the University of Vermont, Middlebury, and St. Michael’s College – have said they would bring students back to campus for a mix of in-person and online learning.
Two schools – Vermont Law School and Goddard College – have already announced fully remote fall semesters, but their business models rely less on room and board fees.
Castleton students will be given the option to come back to campus to live in dorms if they want to, although they’ll still have to take classes online. Those who stay away will be allowed to remotely access the school’s academic support center, wellness center, and career services.
Room and board fees are set at $15,867 for next year, tuition is $11,832 for Vermont residents and $28,800 for non-residents. The school has about 2,400 full- and part-time students, and capacity for about 1,000 to live on campus.
Lambert said the university has neither a target number nor a guess for how many students will opt to live on campus in the fall.
“It’s really uncharted territory,” Lambert said. “Usually our predictions for that kind of thing would be based on some sort of history, but we don’t have any reference point for this.”
Similarly, he said it’s still unclear what the financial impact will be.
“We’ll certainly lose some housing revenue,” Lambert said. “But with online courses, we’ll also have the opportunity to pick up some students, and no longer be bound by the geographic limits of a commuter, so we may be able to add some revenue there.”
Elsewhere in the Vermont State Colleges System, Northern Vermont University officials have said they are planning a blend of in-person and online learning, but that all students will be given single-occupancy dorms.
Vermont Technical College officials on Wednesday said that all lectures would be delivered online, with in-person instruction reserved for labs. Only out-of-state students, those with special housing needs, and those with poor internet access at home will be given the option to live in the residence halls throughout the semester.
Like most colleges, Castleton has also altered its schedule to minimize travel to and from the school. Classes will begin Aug. 18 and end on Nov. 24, with students staying home after Thanksgiving break. Students who do come to campus will be asked to sign a pledge promising to adhere to new health and safety protocols.
Lambert said there is no plan thus far to put students in single-occupancy dorm rooms. He said until they know how many students will be coming back to campus, they plan to keep students’ original housing assignments. He said once that number is finalized, they might shuffle the students around to allow for greater social distancing.
