COVID PLANNING FOR THE FALL
Iowa State prepares for students to return to campus amid the continuing COVID-19 outbreak
Who’s involved in planning for the fall semester? (Spoiler alert: It’s everyone) When Iowa State transitioned classes to online learning back in March, it was an abrupt, necessary decision with little time to plan. By late April, the writing was already on the wall that returning to campus, even four months later, would be complex. On April 28, ISU President Wendy Wintersteen (L)(PhD ’88) announced the formation of an Executive Committee for Fall Planning. She assigned John Lawrence (L)(’84 animal sci, MS ’86 ag econ), vice president for extension and outreach, to be the group’s chair. The group has met daily since the first of May, Lawrence said, with the health and safety of bringing students, faculty, and staff back to campus as its primary goal. Work groups coming out of the main committee were tasked with academic continuity, public information, worker health and safety, research continuity, and more. In all, literally hundreds of administrators and staff have worked on fall planning, and faculty – though many were not on campus during the summer – also worked hard to prepare for the fall. “The faculty are really kind of doing double time,” Lawrence said in late July. “They’re preparing for a normal class, but they might be teaching a hybrid class, so they have to have an online option [ready]. Some of their students will end up in quarantine, so they have to capture their lectures if students have to watch it at a later date. It’s a tremendous load we’re putting on our faculty. It’s a lot of extra effort, and I’ve been very proud
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of the way faculty and staff have stepped up.” Lawrence said the comprehensive plan for the fall return to campus had three parts: 1. Identify and isolate quickly, with follow-up monitoring. ISU is conducting its own COVID-19 testing, its own test John Lawrence analysis at the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, and expecting results in 24 hours. 2. Reduce the footprint. About half of ISU classes are expected to be online, and for the classes being held in person, there will be lower density in the classroom, required face coverings, and fewer people on sidewalks and in CyRide. 3. Ingrain healthy habits (wear a face covering, stay home if you’re sick, wash your hands, and physically distance). “It’s important to our success that we get people to buy in and do what they need to do to protect the entire community if we want to be back in the fall,” Lawrence said. “That continues to be one of our challenges. We know that if we don’t wear the face coverings and stay home if you’re sick, whether it’s here on campus or across the street in Campustown, we could still have the spread of the disease that would threaten our fall.”
F A L L 2 0 2 0 W W W . I S U A LUM . ORG V I S I O N S
