NC colleges Fall 2020 Q&A: When are students back on campus? Will classes be online?
Colleges and universities across North Carolina are preparing to bring hundreds of thousands of students and faculty back to campus this fall, after shifting online last spring at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.
Schools are adjusting classroom seating, mandating face masks, changing the academic calendar and requiring appointments for students to move into dorms in an effort to help keep campus safe as COVID-19 continues to spread.
Here are answers to some of the big questions about the return to campus this semester.
If you have other questions about the reopening of universities, send them to kamurphy@newsobserver.com.
When do college classes begin?
Most North Carolina universities, including UNC Chapel Hill, N.C. State and Duke, have adjusted their academic calendars and are starting the fall semester early.
UNC-Chapel Hill will start Aug. 10.
N.C. State will start Aug. 10.
Duke will start Aug. 17.
N.C. Central will start Aug. 24.
How and when will college students start moving in on campus?
Most schools are requiring students to make appointments to move into their dorms, in an effort to limit the amount of people on campus at one time. It will be a socially distant move-in process and masks are required.
UNC-Chapel Hill move in: Students will move in during their scheduled time during the week of Aug. 3-9. Each student can have up to three helpers, and everyone must wear a mask.
N.C. State move-in: Students will sign up for a 3-hour time slot between July 31 and Aug. 9. They should only have two people at most to help and masks will be required for everyone.
Duke move-in: Students will sign up for their move-in day, which will be from Aug. 7 and Aug. 10 for first-year students and Aug. 10 and Aug. 15 for upperclass students. The process will be a bit more structured because every student will be tested when they arrive on campus and must sign up for a testing time slot as well. They will be allowed two helpers and everyone must wear face masks. No overnight visitors are allowed during move-in week
N.C. Central move-in: Students will register or be assigned times to move into residence halls between Aug. 4-14 for first-year students and early arrivals. Other students will move in Aug. 17-23. Students can have one helper, must complete a health screening and must wear face coverings at all times.
What will housing look like and will dorms open at full capacity?
UNC-Chapel Hill housing: UNC is expecting full occupancy in the residence halls this fall. There will be physical distancing and occupancy limits for all common areas and the university will recommend “ideal furniture organization for each room to allow for maximum physical distancing.” Dorms and restrooms will be cleaned and disinfected more frequently throughout each day. UNC said it could also restrict or prohibit guests from visiting dorms.
N.C. State housing: The majority of students living on campus will have a roommate and/or suitemates or apartment-mates for the fall semester. The university is putting hand sanitizer stations in entry areas and limiting the number of people in residential common areas including lounges and laundry rooms. Guests will be allowed within the occupancy limit of the living space, but students should get approval from roommates. Students who are immuno-compromised or have pre-existing conditions can request single rooms.
Duke housing: Duke is arranging housing so that more students, particularly first-years, can live in single rooms and limit bathroom-sharing. No overnight guests will be allowed in dorms during the fall semester.
N.C. Central: Students are asked to practice social distancing and wear face masks in shared spaces, including the lobby, elevators, hallways, laundry and kitchen areas. Visitors are prohibited from entering residence halls unless specifically authorized; and students can’t go into any residence halls they don’t live in, according to the university. NCCU is also providing hand sanitizer for all students and disinfectant in all common areas and shared bathrooms.
Will dining halls be open?
- UNC-Chapel Hill dining: Yes, but only students living on campus can purchase meal plans; Lenoir and Chase dining halls will serve only those students. UNC will spread out tables and removing extra seats so that only one student can eat at a table at a time. Face masks must be worn by students, faculty, staff, and visitors in dining areas, except when eating or drinking. UNC is providing take-out meals for students with a meal plan and will install mobile food ordering.
- N.C. State dining: Yes, dining halls are open, but will be at 50% capacity with 6 feet between tables. The university also added six large tents for additional seating across campus near Fountain Dining Hall, Case Dining Hall, Hill Library, Robertson Hall, Hunt Library/Wolf Ridge and Brooks/Kamphoefner. The tents will have wi-fi, lighting and fans. First-year students are still required to have a meal plan. Face coverings are required except when eating. Take-out options will be available.
- Duke dining: Details on which dining halls will be open, and when, have not been announced. The spaces will be changed to allow for social distancing. Students are strongly encouraged to order food using a mobile app. Duke Dining also offers contactless pick-up locations across West Campus. All students living on campus at Duke will still be required to have a meal plan.
- N.C. Central dining: Dining halls are open, but NCCU will be limiting capacity in dining spaces. All students living on campus are required to have a meal plan.
Will classes be online or in-person?
All UNC System schools and many private universities in North Carolina are offering a mix of in-person and online classes for students.
- UNC-Chapel Hill: UNC will offer about 57% of classes in-person this fall. Faculty worked with department heads to make adjustments to courses and could request to teach online. UNC also set up a Carolina Away academic program for students that is a fully online option, which many international students are using.
- N.C. State: Students should be able to choose from a variety of course delivery options, including in-person, online and hybrid. As of mid-July, about 60% of undergraduate courses will be taught online. Faculty worked with department heads to make adjustments to courses and could request to teach online.
- Duke: Duke will offer four course types, including in-person on campus, online, asynchronous online and a hybrid model of online and on-campus. Any student can choose to take all of their classes online and faculty could choose whether to teach online or in-person.
- N.C. Central: NCCU plans to have online instruction in at least 50% of all courses and course sections. Other courses will be offered in a hybrid format.
How will classrooms be set up?
All UNC System universities and many private universities are adjusting classroom spaces, reducing class sizes and changing class schedules to allow for social distancing on campus.
UNC-Chapel Hill classrooms: At UNC, there will be 6 feet between faculty and students and at least 3 feet between student desks. Face masks, hand sanitizer and disinfectant will be available in classrooms for everyone to use.
N.C. State classrooms: At NCSU, there will be 4 feet of space between students and at least 4 feet of space between faculty and students. The university has also installed Plexiglas shields in some classrooms and lecture halls for the instructor to stand behind. For rooms with fixed seating, like an auditorium, students will sit in every other chair in a row and skip every other row.
Duke classrooms: At Duke, classrooms have been reconfigured to follow social distancing guidelines.
N.C. Central classrooms: At NCCU, all in-person courses should be configured so that students are able to remain at least 3 feet apart. Student seating will be assigned and students and faculty are asked to clean desks, podiums and chairs before and after each use with provided disinfectant.
Do students and faculty have to wear face masks?
- UNC-Chapel Hill: Yes.
- N.C. State: Yes.
- Duke: Yes.
- N.C. Central: Yes.
Students and faculty are required to wear face masks in all classrooms and around campus across North Carolina in accordance with campus rules and Gov. Roy Cooper’s state mandate. Universities are also providing face masks for students, faculty and staff.
Will all students and faculty be tested for COVID-19?
- Duke: Yes. All undergraduate students, including those living off campus, will be tested at an assigned time. Students’ DukeCard will be activated once they are tested by Student Health, according to the university. After moving in, students are expected to stay in their rooms and limit going around campus until they get their test results, which should take about 48 hours.
UNC System schools are not doing mass testing, but have the capacity to test students and faculty throughout the semester, if necessary.
What happens if a student for faculty member tests positive for COVID-19?
- UNC-Chapel Hill testing and tracing: If a UNC student, faculty or staff member tests positive for COVID-19, they are expected to notify Campus Health or the Employee Occupational Health Clinic. The local health department will also be notified. They will be expected to isolate. Craige North and Parker residence halls will be used for isolation and quarantine for residential students. The university will also begin contact tracing to identify and communicate directly with people who had “close contact” with that person. If the case is off-campus or in the community, the local health department will lead the contact tracing. The university will notify the public if there is a cluster, as it did with the athletic department and football team.
- N.C. State: If an N.C. State student, faculty or staff member tests positive for COVID-19, they are asked to notify the university by filling out a voluntary and confidential self-reporting form. NC State Student Health Services will conduct contact tracing and will notify individuals who potentially have come in close contact with that person who tested positive. NCSU defines a close contact as “closer than 6 feet for longer than 10 minutes with or without a face covering.” The university will track and be able to report total known campus cases without identifying individuals. In situations where close contacts cannot be readily identified, larger notifications to a residence hall, office or class will be sent out, according to the university. And NCSU will send out campus notifications if there’s a larger public health threat or a cluster.
- Duke: Duke students living on campus who test positive for COVID-19 and those who are being monitored for COVID-19 will be temporarily reassigned to quarantine space on East Campus, but will be kept separate. More information on testing and procedures for students, faculty and staff who test positive will be released at a later date, according to Duke.
- N.C. Central: If a student living on campus contracts or is exposed to COVID-19 and requires isolation or quarantine, the university will provide housing for them at the Martha Street Apartments, but they are encouraged to go home. Students living off-campus will quarantine and isolate in their own homes. The university will do contact tracing and students identified as being in close contact with a person known or suspected of testing positive for COVID-19 will be quarantined for 14 days or until the person who had COVID-19 tests negative. Students will be tested by an outside vendor and the results will be forwarded to NCCU Student Health.
According to the CDC, a close contact is any individual who was within 6 feet of an infected person for at least 15 minutes starting from two days before they were sick (or, for asymptomatic patients, two days prior to the test) until the time the patient is isolated.
Those close contacts could includes classmates, roommates, members of study groups, office colleagues and people they interacted with socially. However, individuals who are at least 6 feet apart in a classroom while wearing a mask or who live in the same dorm, but in different rooms typically won’t be considered a close contact.
When will the semester and final exams end?
Most UNC System schools and many private universities in North Carolina, including Duke, will end the fall semester at the Thanksgiving holiday around Nov. 24 and exams will be taken before then. Most have also canceled fall break.
At N.C. State, the classes will end on Nov. 13 and final exams will be shortened and taken between Nov. 16-20.
Will tuition and fees be the same this fall?
At UNC System schools, students will pay the same tuition and mandatory fees whether they are taking classes in-person, online or a combination of both. There will also be no tuition refunds if UNC System universities are forced to switch to online this fall.
- UNC-Chapel Hill: Yes.
- N.C. State: Yes.
- Duke: Yes. Duke announced it will freeze undergraduate tuition and rescind the planned 3.9% tuition increase scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
- N.C. Central: Yes.
Will there be refunds if campus shuts down and classes move online?
- UNC-Chapel Hill: Tuition and fees will not be refunded if classes’ instructional format changes during the 2020-21 academic year. UNC plans to offer pro-rated housing and dining refunds, similar to what was done in the spring.
- N.C. State: Tuition and fees will not be refunded if classes’ instructional format changes during the 2020-21 academic year. NCSU has not announced plans for potential housing and dining refunds, but did offer pro-rated refunds for the spring semester.
- Duke: Duke has not made an announcement about refunding tuition and fees or housing and dining. Duke did offer housing and dining refunds in the spring when campus closed.
- N.C. Central: Tuition and fees will not be refunded if classes’ instructional format changes during the 2020-21 academic year. NCCU has not announced plans for potential housing and dining refunds, but did offer pro-rated refunds for the spring semester.
The North Carolina state legislature also passed a bill that provides immunity for colleges and universities for legal claims related to COVID-19 closures for the 2020 spring semester. The bill was signed into law in July and protects the several universities from complaints demanding tuition and fees refunds as institutions switched to remote classes and shut down dorms, dining halls and other campus facilities.
This story will be updated.
This story was originally published July 20, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
