About 60 percent of undergraduate students will be offered residential campus living at the University of Massachusetts Amherst for the spring semester, the university announced Friday.
"The plan prioritizes public health and safety, including expansion of the university’s successful COVID-19 testing program,'' a UMass statement said.
UMass is conducting the fall semester virtually all-remote, after an initial plan to partially reopen the campus was called off. Bolstered by a successful testing program and other measures, university officials are ready to try again.
“Our strategic focus is on advancing students' academic progress toward degree completion while providing a campus environment that meets federal and state health and safety protocols for mitigating COVID-19,” Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy said.
Under normal conditions, about 13,000 students live on the Amherst campus. If all eligible students choose residency, about 7,800 would return.
It’s unlikely the number will reach that level. Some eligible students might be gaining a comfort level with remote learning. Others may hesitate out of health concerns.
Subbaswamy said lessons learned throughout the pandemic have guided the spring strategy. The partial fall reopening at about 50 percent capacity was scrapped for several reasons: varying rates of COVID-19 cases across the state, unease among faculty and students, and concerns about the effect on Amherst and other nearby communities.
In rolling out the spring plan, Subbaswamy pledged collaboration with Amherst town leaders for a safe, coordinated reopening. Several organizations representing administration, faculty and students were involved in formulating the plan, he said.
The spring semester begins Monday, February 1, 2021.
In-person, face-to-face instruction for undergraduate and graduate students will be offered in certain classes, labs and studios identified as requiring in-person instruction this year. First-year students may also be provided with a face-to-face instructional opportunity, though the majority of teaching will remain fully remote.
In addition, specific undergraduate students, whose academic success is most closely associated with on-campus learning and living, will be given the residential option. These will include students enrolled in mandatory face-to-face classes, those dependent on the university for housing and dining (including international students). those requiring specific academic accommodations, and athletes.
First-year students and new transfers who enrolled for either the fall or spring are also eligible.
Students who decline the invitation would join all other students who will continue to engage in remote learning from their homes or their off-campus residences. The university is also exploring alternative residential options beyond the Amherst area, including increasing the housing capacity on the Mount Ida campus in Newton.
“While I am pleased that a larger percentage of our students will be afforded the opportunity to return to campus and take part in the immersive residential experience, my heart goes out to students to whom we are not able to extend this invitation,'' Subbaswamy said.
"Put simply, given the nature of the pandemic, the campus cannot operate at full capacity and adequately provide the virus testing, contact tracing, social distancing, and quarantine and isolation measures necessary. However, at 60 percent capacity, we are confident we can provide all of these vital services to our campus community, while fulfilling our educational mission.”
Subbaswamy said the university’s successful testing and contact tracing program has made the spring strategy possible. The testing center has conducted over 100,000 tests since in August, with a cumulative positivity rate of 0.15%, well below most peer institutions and the state rate of 0.8%.
"Remarkably, as of this writing, there has been only one positive case detected in our current residential population. That is a testament to our students' commitment to following public health protocols,” the chancellor said.
The partial reopening will be accompanied by twice-weekly asymptomatic virus testing, adaptive testing when warranted, daily self-monitoring and reporting, mandatory face coverings outside personal living spaces and strict social distancing.
There will also be formation of small social groupings or pods to limit student interaction, contact tracing, prohibition of guests in residence halls, dining commons, and other campus buildings, and limits on off-campus travel.
"Students are reminded that the Code of Student Conduct applies both on- and off-campus, and that compliance with campus directives, including public health protocols, is a requirement,” Subbaswamy said.