NC State tells students to prepare for reopened dorms and in-person classes in spring
N.C. State University students can plan to take in-person classes and live in dorms for the spring semester, the university said Wednesday.
In an email message sent to students Wednesday, N.C. State announced the spring semester calendar and plans to offer at least some in-person classes and reopen residence halls with reduced capacity, as first reported by the Technician student newspaper.
N.C. State said it is taking the lessons it learned about the spread of the coronavirus at parties and in dorms this fall to make plans for students to safely return this spring.
The school reported more than 30 clusters of COVID-19 since classes began in August, with students contracting COVID-19 in residence halls, fraternity and sorority houses and in off-campus apartments.
Kiran Soma, a freshman at N.C. State, said he’s glad to hear that he can be back on campus next semester, but is questioning whether students will be able to stay given what happened this fall.
“I’m also wondering if the plans might be overly ambitious or optimistic,” Soma said. “I think it’s difficult to predict student behavior and to say that everyone will follow campus rules and regulations.”
He said he wants to live in a campus dorm again, but worries about other students who might be living down the hall. Some of his friends are talking about getting an apartment in Raleigh, which makes it easier to stay in a “family unit” of three or four people, he said.
“The apartment option is really appealing because you get some of the same freedoms that you would as an on-campus college student,” Soma said, “but it’s easier to follow COVID-19 guidelines and recommendations.”
COVID spread at social gatherings
Student activity and behavior off campus came under fire as hundreds of cases were reported in the first few weeks of the fall semester. That early spike in cases forced the university to switch to online learning and close its dorms.
“What we have seen, clearly, is that COVID-19 is easily and quickly spread through social gatherings, such as parties (large and small), as well as communal living spaces where students are in double occupancy bedrooms,” the email said.
There’s been no community spread of COVID-19 in classrooms, office spaces, libraries, student centers or shared bathrooms, according to the university. N.C. State has very low rates of infection in staff members, including those working in housing and dining facilities. There is no evidence COVID-19 was transmitted in the workplace, the university said, and they expect more employees will return to campus in the spring.
These findings came from the contact tracing and analysis done by NCSU Medical Director Dr. Julie Casani, Student Health Services staff and county and state health officials.
Spring plans at NC. State campus
The spring semester will begin as scheduled, with classes starting Jan. 11 and ending April 29. Spring break will be from March 15-19, and final exams will take place May 3-7.
There will be a mix of in-person, hybrid and online classes for undergraduate and graduate students. The university is working to make sure students can take courses remotely, if they would prefer.
Freshman Amber Silver said she thought she would jump at the chance to return to campus and move back into the dorms this spring. But now, she’s established a routine at home with online classes and she questions whether it’s worth it to move in for one semester.
“My return to campus will depend solely on whether or not I have in-person classes,” Silver said.
N.C. State will provide the option for on-campus housing, and all rooms will be single occupancy. The university said it is preparing to keep campus housing open through the semester. Students who lived on campus in the fall will be able to choose their preferences for the spring.
As campus cases spiked when students returned this fall, the residence halls set aside for on-campus quarantine and isolation filled up quickly.
The university has an “enhanced quarantine and isolation plan” with more rooms reserved for those circumstances, according to the email. And students living in dorms with private rooms and bathrooms will be able to isolate or quarantine in that space instead of moving out temporarily. The university said it’s also learned how to improve support processes to better serve those students.
The university plans to better enforce its community standards, including mandatory face masks, limited social gatherings and physical distancing.
“This semester, the vast majority of our campus enthusiastically complied and did their part to protect the Pack,” the email said. “Moving forward, NC State will more aggressively enforce violations of our community standards and state mandates on and off campus, by students and employees, in order to keep our community safe and well.”
While there is no current plan for testing every student before they come to campus, the university’s medical team is working to improve testing and contact tracing capabilities. They are also working on vaccination plans for students if a COVID-19 vaccine becomes available.
The university said it will continue to share plans for the spring semester with the campus community over the next few weeks.
This story was originally published September 23, 2020 at 5:03 PM.
