Ohio Ag Connection - Ohio State Announces Plans for Autumn Semester

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Ohio State Announces Plans for Autumn Semester
Ohio Ag Connection - 06/04/2020

The Ohio State University Wednesday announced that it plans to resume in-person classes for the autumn semester.

The announcement was made by President Michael V. Drake at a meeting of the Board of Trustees and in a message to the university community.

Specific guidelines will be announced in the coming weeks based on guidance from state and local health authorities and recommendations of the Safe Campus and Scientific Advisory Subgroup of the university's COVID-19 Transition Task Force.

The resumption of full operations on Ohio State campuses will include a combination of the use of appropriate face coverings, physical distancing, hand hygiene, limited density in indoor spaces, control of the flow of traffic into and around buildings, continued employee teleworking when possible, testing, symptoms tracking and contact tracing.

A teaching and learning approach that combines in-person and distance methods is also being developed.

"We are dedicated to continuing our core mission, including providing the best possible college experience for our students while operating under a set of circumstances that no one has experienced before," President Michael V. Drake said.

"The response of our university community to the pandemic has been exemplary, and we will continue to rely on students, faculty and staff to remain flexible and embrace the changes necessary to keep one another safe. We are counting on Buckeye Nation to be at its best."

The academic calendar will be adjusted as part of the return plan. The first day of classes will be Tuesday, Aug. 25, and the last day will be Friday, Dec. 4 -- with the last day of in-person, on-campus instruction taking place Wednesday, Nov. 25. Instruction in the last week of the semester, Nov. 30 to Dec. 4, and final exams from Dec. 7 to 11, will be accomplished through distance methods. The autumn commencement date and format will be announced at a later date.

Under this schedule, some student vacation days -- fall break Oct. 15-16 and Nov. 25, the day before Thanksgiving -- are eliminated, and classes will be in session on those dates. Veterans Day (Nov. 11) and Labor Day (Sept. 7) will still be observed.

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