3 minute read
Back Together
5 Minutes with the President: MTSU campus life returns to normal in the fall
A brief conversation on recent events with MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee
Update the MTSU community on your plans for campus operations amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the future you envision for the fall. All around I see signs of hope and renewal. I am awed by the amazing and enormous efforts by students, faculty, and staff to protect our community during this pandemic and stay on course with progress in our academics, research, and service. This hard work and commitment have made possible the full return of in-person campus classes and activities for the Fall 2021 semester.
We intend to fully reopen the campus for classes and events we enjoyed before the onset of the pandemic. We are encouraged by the tremendous progress made in vaccination efforts in the state and the nation—including those on our campus by our School of Nursing students and faculty and Student Health Services staff.
Our course offerings will be back to normal —primarily in person but with selected online options. We will use the lessons we learned from teaching during the pandemic and the technology we installed to help us enhance our academic offerings.
Our residence halls will reopen as before, with both single- and double-occupancy options. The faculty, administrators, and coaches in academics, athletics, and student affairs are all planning a robust return to the activities, events, and games that enrich the student experience on our campus.
In a way, MTSU came "back together" for the May 2021 Commencement ceremonies. Talk about that event.
In consultation with local and state health officials, we took the proper steps to return to Murphy Center for this spring’s Commencement ceremonies. I authorized the University to schedule 10 small in-person Commencement ceremonies at Murphy Center. Each participant was allotted a limited number of guest tickets. Masks and social distancing were required and strictly enforced.
Throughout the spring, our campus mandates for the wearing of masks, social distancing, and observing posted safety capacities in our facilities remained in place. We felt this was necessary until we could fully understand potential impacts that variants of the virus might pose. However, we felt confident enough in our containment efforts to hold the ceremonies, as well as allow groups to reserve spaces in campus buildings for activities, including end-of-the-year events, late in the Spring 2021 semester.
Exceptions include a mask requirement on public transportation, such as Raider Xpress, and for symptomatic patients in our Student Health Services facility.
MTSU also became the first Tennessee university to sign on to the White House COVID-19 College Vaccine Challenge to help raise the vaccination rate in the U.S. to 70% by July 4.
Student Stijn Slump receives his COVID-19 vaccine from nurse practitioner Destiny Locke at an on-campus clinic.
During the summer, we welcomed more than 4,000 combined freshmen and transfer students to campus for in-person CUSTOMS orientation sessions.
In addition to our array of on-campus True Blue Preview days as well as special opportunities for Rutherford County students, the tour will include eight stops in Tennessee (Nashville, Williamson County, Clarksville, Knoxville, Johnson City, Chattanooga, Jackson, and Memphis); two in Alabama (Huntsville and Birmingham); two in Kentucky (Louisville and Lexington); and one in Georgia (Atlanta).
So, yes, we did get a glimpse of a return to normal this spring and summer. But not like what we will see this fall.
Final thoughts?
Of course, it is important to note that the University’s actions for the Fall 2021 semester will ultimately be guided by the advice and recommendations of federal and state health officials, just as they have been since the beginning of this pandemic. While there’s light at the end of the tunnel, we must maintain our efforts to contain and control COVID-19.
I also want to thank the entire MTSU community for continued diligence in our fight against this coronavirus.
