The University of Oregon is the latest higher learning institution to pivot to a mostly virtual fall school year due to COVID-19 precautions, the school announced on Wednesday.
Only a handful of lab and studio classes will be held in-person, with face masks and social distancing required per Oregon Gov. Kate Brown’s orders.
“When the pandemic first forced us to move to remote instruction during spring term, our faculty rose to the challenge in a very short time to meet the needs of our students,” University of Oregon Provost and Senior Vice President Patrick Phillips said. “This is a challenging time for the entire UO community, but I’m fully confident that our faculty and staff will again rise to the occasion and deliver the high-quality instruction our students expect and deserve.”
Most campus amenities including advising, libraries, and the student Recreation Center will be available to all students this fall, providing a mix of in-person and remote services.
University officials say their goal is to resume in-person classes by winter quarter of 2021.
According to school officials, all students living on campus will be tested for COVID-19 upon moving in. They will be tested again no more than a week later and throughout the term.
Isolation spaces are provided on campus for students testing positive for COVID-19 and contact tracing will be conducted through Lane County Public Health and the university’s student contact tracers.
The majority of Oregon colleges are pursuing a mix of in-person and online classes with plans for totally online class schedules if circumstances deem them necessary. The University of Portland will hold the fall school year online only.
The news follows a report from Willamette Week of an Aug. 21 notice from the University of Oregon that students had until Sept. 1 to commit to the terms of their room and board contracts for the rest of the school year. Their housing contract “will remain in effect regardless of the University’s mode of delivery of courses.”
Students at Portland State and Oregon State universities may opt out of living on campus during fall quarter and are given the chance to reevaluate during winter quarter.
Oregon State University students who cancel their housing contracts during fall term will not incur any cancellation fees, the university stated.
The current cost of room and board at the University of Oregon averages around $13,857 per year for residents and $39,309 for non-residents.
Kay Jarvis, University of Oregon Director of Public Affairs and Issues Management, said that if students opt to move out of housing, they would pay a cancellation fee but not the full contract, the same as in previous years.
Housing application fees and initial housing payments at the University of Oregon amount to $400 combined.
“Typically, the deadline to cancel the Residence Hall Contract and Community Expectations without cancellation fees is May 1,” Jarvis wrote in a statement. “This year, the deadline without cancellation fees was extended to July 31, and then extended a second time to September 1 in order to allow students to have the full picture of UO classes, programs and services.”
The University of Oregon already projected a loss of over $25 million for the spring term.
The school’s vice presidents, deans, and athletic director have since taken 10 percent pay cuts. University of Oregon President Michael Schill took a 12 percent pay cut.
COVID-19 outbreaks have been reported by universities across the country, including the University of Alabama, which confirmed more than 560 new cases of COVID-19 less than a week after classes began.
The University of Oregon will host a virtual town hall for students Sept. 3 and all university employees Sept. 9.
