Published
2 years agoon
Fresno Pacific University on Thursday released more details about how the southeast Fresno university is preparing for the fall semester amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The university cautioned that its plans are subject to change depending on the severity of the coronavirus outbreak in the Fresno area.
Fresno Pacific had previously announced it will have in-person classes, although everyone in public spaces on campus will need to wear face masks or coverings and maintain social distancing. Special masks have been ordered for faculty who teach students with impaired hearing.
To enable students and faculty to maintain their distance, classrooms will be at 65% capacity and sanitized between sessions by fogging devices that can do the job in two minutes.
For those students who prefer distance learning, classes will be live-streamed from rooms equipped with cameras, microphones, and recording capability.
Face-to-face classes will end Nov. 25, the day before Thanksgiving, and all teaching for the final two weeks of the semester will be done remotely.
Plexiglass shields will be installed in classrooms, service areas, dining room tables, and restrooms. Signs and stickers will mark 6-foot distances.
Students who live on campus may have only two family members or friends help them move in, and they may not have visitors to campus during the semester. Dorm rooms will be single occupancy.
Resident and commuter students, as well as faculty and staff, will need to conduct daily health checks before entering the campus.
Five percent of the campus bed spaces will be set aside for students who need to isolate, and meals will be brought to them. Health services employees will conduct daily checks.
Although classes will be in-person, chapel will be online.
Sunbird athletics will depend on guidance from the Pacific West Conference and the NCAA.
Nancy Price is a multimedia journalist for GV Wire. A longtime reporter and editor who has worked for newspapers in California, Florida, Alaska, Illinois and Kansas, Nancy joined GV Wire in July 2019. She previously worked as an assistant metro editor for 13 years at The Fresno Bee. Nancy earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. Her hobbies include singing with the Fresno Master Chorale and volunteering with Fresno Filmworks. You can reach Nancy at 559-492-4087 or Send an Email
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