Chancellor Mark Mone announced UWM will be opening for the upcoming Fall 2020 semester with precautions and changes in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in an update sent out to UWM students, staff and faculty today
All of UWM’s campuses closed in mid-March of 2020 due to COVID-19, leaving students to finish the spring semester virtually and causing UWM offices to close for the remainder of the semester and into the summer.
Upon the reopening of campus, students, staff and faculty will be expected to wear face masks and maintain six feet of social distancing while on campus. Classrooms and ‘high-touch areas’ will be cleaned throughout the day, and hand sanitizer will be available in all offices and classrooms.
Areas on campus with high foot traffic will have designated traffic flow patterns, plexiglass in busy areas and floor markings that will indicate where to line up, enter and exit buildings and rooms to ensure proper social distancing.
The first day of classes has not changed. Classes will still begin on Sept. 2, and the academic calendar was not altered for the fall semester.
Classes will be held in person, for the most part, maintaining social distancing with few exceptions. According to the Fall 2020 Reopening website, these are the various formats of classes as of the most updated plan:
- Classes with up to 100 students will have a hybrid model of both face-to-face and online components to the class. No more than half of the students will meet at a time.
- Lab, studio and other hands-on classes will meet in person with social distancing.
- In-person classes will, in most cases, have fewer than 25 students.
- Efforts are being made to maximize in-person classes for freshmen so they can meet their professors face-to-face.
- There are hundreds of classes available fully online.
- Students with health concerns may request accommodations regarding completing coursework online.
The specifics for each individual class have not been announced yet, but there will be updates throughout the summer to see what individual class plans will look like for the Fall 2020 semester.
Students are not required to live on campus this year, including freshmen. However, UWM University Housing will be offering single and double rooms for students to live on-campus. The rooms are suite style, with no communal restrooms or showers. Students will still be able to request their roommates.
Dining will be available in some residence halls, as well as the UWM Student Union. Service will be contactless, and meals will be ordered and paid for via mobile device.
Norris Health Center will be open, providing both in-person services and “telehealth.” University recreation, as well as other services, will be open with limited capacities to all for social distancing. Student organizations will be able to meet on campus, with large gatherings discouraged.
For more information about how campus will look this fall for students, faculty and staff, visit the UWM Fall 2020 Reopening website. There are frequently asked questions, as well as a form to ask a specific question.