SUNY Old Westbury announced its plans to hold instruction remotely for the fall 2020 semester after receiving approval from the State University of New York(SUNY).
According to an email sent out to the campus community from the president’s office, classes in the fall will be taught in three different distance learning methods that include NET courses: traditional online courses with asynchronous instruction, remote courses: Online courses offered with synchronous instruction scheduled in the same manner as a face-to-face course might be structured, and facilities-dependent courses with limited on-campus instruction, but which will also feature a significant amount of synchronous or asynchronous distance instruction with campus visitation geared towards critical laboratory experiences, studio sessions, proctored exams, and similar high-value, high-contact activities.“We know how powerful face to face instruction is and cherish the opportunity to teach and interact with students. Unfortunately, our classrooms cannot accommodate such instruction and also meet the social distancing protocols required of us,” said President Calvin O. Butts III.
The student learning assessments will be conducted suited for the remote, traditional online, and facilities-dependent courses according to the Fall 2020 restart plan. Proctoring options will be employed for examination periods which include online proctoring software service solutions, videoconferencing tools, and limited on-campus exam rooms.
SUNY Old Westbury as previously planned will begin classes on August 31st, with final examination week scheduled for December 16th. Schedules for facilities-dependent courses will be coordinated so that no on-campus instruction sessions occur in these courses after November 25th, resulting in no on-campus instruction after the Thanksgiving break.
The campus will not provide residential opportunities for the fall semester, reducing the approximate population from 1,100 students to zero. “Among chief factors are the health and safety of our students, faculty and staff and the presence on campus of an Alternate Care Facility that may need to be activated at a moment’s notice. The development of that facility and its current ‘on call’ status comes with an expectation from the Governor’s office that we keep available up to three residence halls should it be necessary that the facility be used. It simply is not feasible to risk bringing residents to campus,” said President Butts.
Clubs and extracurricular activities will be hosted virtually in which the college will work with the Student Government Association and the Division of Student Affairs to develop ways to resume club activities online and cultivate a sense of belonging for new students.
All students and employees who are instructed to return on campus are required to self monitor their health and symptoms by completing a daily COVID-19 screening on the College’s Connect OW portal. The screenings will be sent to the Human Resource department or the Student Health Center to evaluate whether or not students or employees will be allowed on campus. That same procedure also applies to invited guests or vendors where the administrative or academic departments will email them a health screening survey prior to their scheduled visitation.
Students, staff, faculty, and visitors are required to wear masks or other face coverings in all common areas including elevators, lobbies, hallways, restrooms, offices, etc. All members of the campus community must maintain social distancing of six feet apart.
Questions remain unknown on whether or not students will return to campus for the Spring 2021 semester. To learn more about the Fall 2020 restart plan, visit oldwestbury.edu/campus-guide for additional information.
