MILWAUKEE — The University of Wisconsin Milwaukee announced plans for the fall semester amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The campus looks empty these days, but by September students and faculty are expected to filter in for the new school year.
"I feel safe if everyone else is practicing safe practices as well, like if other people are wearing masks and stuff like that," said student Eva Bloom.
"I do feel safe going back but there is still a little bit of worry in the back of my mind," said student Michael Jung.
Classes where students cannot social distance, and that require more than 50 students in a room at the same time, will move online. Many classes will use a hybrid of in-person and virtual learning.
"For example, if we had a class of 50 students half of the students might attend on Monday and the other half attend on Wednesday and then supplement with the online experience or our virtual experience on the opposite day. That allows us to really maximize our class space while getting as many students engaged in person as possible," said Kay Eilers, Director of the Student Success Center.
Eilers added online classes that were already scheduled before the pandemic will go on as planned.
"I think in-person classes would help because I know a lot of people struggled with online learning," said Bloom.
Residence halls will be open. Eilers says the suite-style layouts help since there are no communal bathrooms and showers. Students will still have the option of single or double-occupancy rooms.
Face masks will be required on campus, but not inside of dorm rooms. Buildings will be modified with plexiglass barriers and social distancing signage. There will be no contact dining services and COVID-19 tests for students showing symptoms.
As schools work toward reopening, during a state briefing on Wednesday health officials warned the coronavirus is still circulating.
“There’s always going to be a risk. We need to be prepared to respond and investigate clusters and try to contain outbreaks if and when they happen," said Dr. Ryan Westergaard, Chief Medical Officer and State Epidemiologist for Communicable Diseases at the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
"If and when the situation changes, we hope it changes for the better...it might not, that we can quickly adapt so we can bring more people back to campus or push back a little bit if we need to to make sure folks are safe," said Eilers.
