Brescia University employees will return to campus Monday, and the school will operate with 50 percent of its summer staff as part of the first phase of a gradual reopening.
“The people we’re bringing back on campus are the people that need to have access to the resources in their office,” said The Rev. Larry Hostetter, president of Brescia. “If somebody can effectively work from home, then they’re going to continue to do that.”
Returning workers include counselors and other administrative departments. Hostetter said employees will use a staggered schedule, which means everyone won’t be on campus all at once.
The school will follow the guidelines set forth by the state, which include temperature checks, having employees wear masks and social distancing.
“We’re putting all of those rules in place that the state has asked us to do,” he said. “We feel like we can do all of that.”
For the fall, Brescia is looking to the state for guidance on when the first day of school should be and what type of enrollment is safest, such as a mix of online and on-campus classes.
“We have a tentative plan in place for the fall but our main priority right now is to get operation for the summer back up and running,” Hostetter said. “It’s our expectation that we will be having face-to-face classes this Fall.”
The first day of the fall semester is tentatively scheduled on Aug. 17. Brescia’s online summer classes began this week and run through July 10.
The university is planning on having limited face-to-face registration in June that will last several days to reduce interaction.
Brescia officials don’t intend to rush the process or make promises that the university can’t keep later, Hostetter said.
The incoming freshmen class may experience a modified orientation on Aug. 15 depending on safety guidelines.
“There’s still a lot in the air for us,” Hostetter said.
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