College Releases Fall Plan
Freshman and sophomores are the two main cohorts of Swarthmore College students invited to campus this fall. Incoming transfer students and resident assistants will also be permitted on campus.
But even for those students, very little about college life will be normal.
President Valerie Smith spelled out the college’s plans for next year in a July 1 email to families, faculty, and staff. The plans were developed in consultation with at least seven working groups, as well as health experts, Smith said. They represent an attempt to balance educational and health priorities in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Some major features:
Most classes will be conducted remotely.
Most students will take only three classes, rather than the usual four.
Tuition will remain at 2019-20 levels, and financial aid requirements will be more flexible.
All on-campus students and employees will be tested for COVID-19 at the beginning of the semester and periodically throughout the fall.
On-campus students will live in single rooms.
All members of the college community will sign a pledge to wear face coverings and comply with other virus-fighting guidance.
Intercollegiate sports will be cancelled.
The academic calendar will be adjusted, too. Classes will begin Monday, September 7, a week later than originally scheduled, to allow more time for preparation. The last day of “on-campus experiences” will be Friday, November 20. After a week of Thanksgiving break, classes will resume remotely for one week — November 30 - December 4 — followed by a remote reading period and exams.
A new January term will be instituted.
The spring semester will begin on February 15. Smith hopes the college will be fully open by then. But if not, juniors and seniors will have priority for returning to campus.
Smith stressed that the plan is subject to change, should the course of the COVID-19 pandemic shift unexpectedly.
“This coming academic year will be unlike anything we have experienced,” Smith wrote. “The months ahead will require extreme flexibility and adaptability. I am confident this community is prepared for the challenge.”
