UF Announces Plan To Safely Reopen For Fall Semester

The University of Findlay has announced its plan to safely reopen campus for the fall semester on August 17th.

The Oiler Start Safe & Stay Safe plan was developed based on recommendations made by the CDC, Ohio Department of Health and Governor DeWine.

Anyone entering any campus building is required to wear an appropriate face covering.

Face coverings are also required in outdoor settings if safe physical distancing of six feet is not possible.

Details on the plan are in the following news release from the university.

University of Findlay has announced a plan for the safe return of students, faculty, staff, and guests to campus. The Oiler Start Safe & Stay Safe plan was developed by the Universitys Emergency Operations Committee and is based on recommendations made by the CDC, Ohio Department of Health, and Governor Mike DeWine. The fall semester begins August 17 at the University of Findlay.

The Oiler Start Safe & Stay Safe plan outlines the steps the University is taking to keep the community safe and includes general information everyone at UF can use to keep themselves and those around them healthy, including:

General prevention guidelines including proper hand washing, sanitizer usage, social distancing plans, and face covering requirements.

Reporting, monitoring, and identifying potential cases through daily self-health assessments, reporting illness and fever to the Cosiano Health Center, COVID-19 testing, and contact tracing.

Maintaining healthy environments through enhanced cleaning and disinfecting, installation of plexiglass barriers in high traffic areas, limiting room capacity, strategically placing COVID-19 safety signage, and converting drinking fountains to touchless bottle filling stations.

Along with the general health and safety of the campus community, the Oiler Start Safe & Stay Safe plan outlines how the University will continue to offer a high quality educational and campus experience, including:

Face-to-face classes for fall 2020 will prioritize learning experiences where such interactions are critical to effective learning. Class sizes will be limited to allow for safe physical distancing in the classroom and modified attendance patterns may be used.

Labs and practicums will be instructed via a face-to-face modality but will incorporate video recorded pre-laboratory discussions which students must view before attending the lab.

Hyflex/Hybrid and online course delivery is being planned and some courses typically held face-to-face will be delivered fully online in order to create overall flexibility in classroom usage necessary for safe distancing.

Fall semester will move to online classes after Thanksgiving break, making the last week of classes and final exams will be completed remotely. The semester will still end with finals week December 7-10, 2020.

Campus events and gatherings, including third-party visitors, will be required to follow UFs COVID-19 protocols.

While the effects of COVID-19 will certainly continue to affect the community for the foreseeable future, the University remains committed to maintaining the health and safety of our whole community. To read through the Universitys full plan, visit the Oiler Start Safe & Stay Safe webpage. The campus community is encouraged to email questions regarding the Oiler Start Safe & Stay safe plan to coronavirus@findlay.edu.