On Wednesday, UCF President Alexander Cartwright will be sharing more about the university’s plans at a virtual forum — here is what the fall will look like according to the university’s draft document shared with the Faculty Senate.
Return to On-Campus Instruction
UCF will transition to remote instruction after Thanksgiving break, according to UCF’s Return to Campus draft plan.
Faculty at an elevated risk for severe illness from COVID-19 will instruct courses remotely, the document states.
The draft states as plans were created, college leaders were asked to incorporate four key considerations:
- Prioritize quality of educational offering.
- Identify courses which most need a face-to-face component to provide a high-quality experience for students.
- Identify courses in which a high-quality online course could be offered with fully trained faculty.
- Prioritize on-campus classes typically needed for first time in college (FTIC) students based on the importance of the on-campus experience for student retention and progression.
All classes with enrollment capacities over 100 individuals will be taught remotely, according to the document. Existing start and end times for classes will remain unchanged from the published course catalogue.
Return to On-Campus Housing & On-Campus Student Affairs
Fraternity and Sorority Life
The UCF Return to Campus Fall 2020 draft states the basic elements of the plan for Greek organizations as the following:
- Recruitment for fraternities and sororities will be done virtually for fall — except where individual chapters seek and receive approval for small group interactions — and chapters will not be permitted to register events that do not meet university, CDC or public health guidelines.
- The Return to Campus draft plans indicate chapters will have to submit plans for cleaning procedures consistent with university guidelines.
- Chapters with on-campus houses will be required to adhere to occupancy that meets university housing standards — the draft plans state one person to a room except where more than one occupant can do so in a safe environment.
- A hybrid strategy for fall events and activities will offer virtual participation options to students, limit frequency and size of face-to-face interactions, and leverage alternatives (e.g. outdoor spaces) to promote physical distancing.
- UCF leadership continues to partner with Greek organizations with both on-campus and off-campus housing to assist with development of plans that promote health and well-being.
Housing
Students will return to on-campus housing for the fall semester — the draft campus plan states single occupancy and limited double occupancy rooms will be provided, reducing total housing capacity by 6%.
Housing residents will be tested upon return to campus and strategies will be implemented to promote physical distancing, the document states.
Testing, Tracing and Surveillance
“A successful return to campus depends on robust testing, adroit contact tracing, and the timely isolation or quarantine of ill and exposed community members,” the document reads.
Data will be leveraged to estimate prevalence of COVID-19 and predict potential for outbreaks on campus. The surveillance data will be used to identify and respond to potential hotspots on campus.
Athletics
The document states UCF Athletics awaits guidance from state and local officials, the American Athletic Conference, and the National Collegiate Athletic Association regarding resumption of student participation in organized athletic activity and return of spectators to athletic competition.
Timeline
The full draft Return to Campus Plan can be read here.
