CALDWELL, Idaho — The College of Idaho has announced a detailed re-opening plan for the upcoming Fall 2020 semester.
College of Idaho created six task forces that focused solely on educational and operational functions of the campus, including academics, campus life, on-campus employment and upcoming campus events.
The task forces will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation and reserve the right to change the re-opening plan as deems fit.
Any student, faculty or staff member displaying symptoms of COVID-19 will be asked to transfer to a remote system of learning and course delivery.
Academic Calendar
Residence halls will be open for the fall semester. More specific information regarding on-campus housing will be released as the first day of the semester approaches.
As it stands, new students planning to reside on campus will move in between August 13-14. Returning and transfer students will move in between August 16-17.
The first day of classes will be Wednesday, July 19. This is one week earlier than originally intended, but will allow students to complete the curriculum before the Thanksgiving holiday, which has colder temperatures and an increase in disease transmission.
Course Delivery
The College of Idaho is planning to deliver the majority of courses in person. Safety precautions will be implemented depending on the course material, such as labs and computer classes.
Classroom capacity is also being reduced in order to allow students and faculty to follow social distancing guidelines. The college is also preparing for the possibility of having to transition back to online-only instruction.
The college ensures that students will have at least one in-person class session per week.
Health and Safety
All members of the campus community will be required to adhere to community health guidelines, including wearing a face covering, physical distancing and reporting health symptoms to the school health board.
Students will be required to self-isolate for 14 days before entering the campus and after returning from an out-of-state location.
Face coverings are required to be worn at all times, except when eating alone, when exercising or when outside where physical distancing guidelines can be met.
Athletics
Fall sport practice is set to begin on August 15, with competition beginning in September. However, The Cascade Collegiate Conference and The Frontier Conference have discussed moving fall sporting events to the Spring.
No decisions have been made regarding a seasonal transition at this time.
Athletes are being closely monitored for COVID-19 symptoms. If sporting events are moved to the spring, there will still be some form of practice during the fall.
Seating availability is also being evaluated to adhere to social distancing guidelines at home games.
For student-specific information, such as travel, dining and visitors, you can read the whole re-opening plan here.
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