Temple University announced Tuesday a phased approach to reopen campus to hold a mix of in-person and online classes for the Fall 2020 semester.
The semester will begin on Aug. 24 as scheduled and end in-person operations on Nov. 20, with the last week of classes and finals taking place remotely. Classes that are “very large” will occur virtually and smaller classes will offer in-person instruction or a hybrid, according to the announcement.
Under this plan, Temple is prepared to shift to entirely virtual instruction if necessary, according to the announcement.
Temple will implement a five-phase approach to reopening Main Campus during the summer in preparation for the fall. As of now, Temple is in the first phase, which allows medical and safety staff, and construction and facilities workers on campus.
The second phase will begin later this month and will allow research and clinics to resume at select locations on campus. The third phase will begin on June 23, the start of the Summer II semester, and will allow a small number of classes to offer in-person instruction. The university will also pilot a number of procedures and protocols during phase three in preparation for the fall semester.
The fourth phase will begin on Aug. 1 when students begin moving into the neighborhood surrounding Main Campus. The fifth phase will allow for students to move into university residence halls as planned in mid-August before the semester begins.
The announcement also outlined four “public health pillars” to ensure the safety of the Temple community in reopening campus. Under these pillars, everyone must wear face coverings in campus facilities, frequently wash or sanitize their hands, practice social distancing in indoor campus spaces and monitor their own health on a daily basis.
COVID-19 testing sites will move from Student Health Services to Cecil B. Moore Avenue on the street level of Morgan Hall tower for Temple students and staff. Student Health Services will provide a contract tracing unit to notify city and state health officials when staff or student tests positive.
Temple Japan and Temple Rome will follow the same guidelines as Main Campus as restrictions in both Rome and Japan are being lifted. University international travel is suspended for faculty until June 30 and for students until August 15.
On the 15th of each month, the university will update any restrictions based on international, national, state and local guidelines.
The university’s official COVID-19 informational webpage will provide frequently updated content related to return planning, including university communication, potential return scenarios and information for students, parents, faculty and staff, according to the announcement.
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