What to expect for Fall 2020

Dear Maroons, 

I hope that you and your loved ones are doing well during this difficult chapter in our history. I am looking forward to your arrival on Roanoke College’s campus this fall and to being of assistance to you in any way possible. Our faculty and staff also look forward to your return and supporting you. We are working hard to finalize plans for the fall 2020 semester and have developed a comprehensive health and safety plan that will allow us to return to campus and hold classes at the College. This plan is designed to minimize the risk of COVID-19 exposure to our students, faculty and staff, while also providing a rich educational and on-campus experience for the community.

We are following the advice and best practices offered by the Virginia Department of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as the World Health Organization. Roanoke College’s senior leadership team and designated committees continue to guide the College through the pandemic response and develop plans for our return. Roanoke College’s Return to Roanoke Fall 2020 plan is also designed to be in compliance with local safety and health guidelines at the time of campus reopening. 

We will share the detailed action plan with you by mid-July, but wanted to give you an idea of what to expect in the meantime. 

First, YOU are critical to our success! You, one Maroon, can make a difference in the health and safety of our community this academic year. For Roanoke College’s semester to be successful, it will take each one of us doing our very best to keep everyone healthy. We all must honor and respect the measures required for us to have the ability to be together on campus.

Once the College releases the detailed plan for the fall semester, we will hold a Zoom meeting for all students and their families. There will be opportunities to ask questions about the specifics of our  plan. In the meantime, you will find an overview below. 

Health Pledge: Students will be expected to monitor their health daily for fever and symptoms of COVID-19 and to sign a pledge agreeing to adhere to the safety guidelines outlined by the College.

Face Coverings: Masks will be required inside all campus buildings and in outdoor areas where keeping six feet of physical distance is not possible. Students will not be required to wear a mask covering in their own residence hall room. 

One Roanoke College branded, cloth face covering will be provided for everyone and we encourage students to bring additional masks. Cloth face coverings need to be laundered regularly so students will need multiple masks. 

Social Distance: Maintaining a six foot physical distance is an important public health step for reducing the spread of COVID-19. The six foot physical distance requirement is in effect for the entire campus.

Quarantine Requirements: Anyone coming to campus from an international destination will be required to quarantine on campus for 14 days. 

Students in the U.S. who have traveled to or from a domestic COVID-19 hotspot are required to quarantine at home for 14 days before arriving on campus. 

All other students are asked to follow the “safer at home” model for 14 days prior to move-in on campus. 

Residence Halls - Move In: Move-in will be different for everyone this year. All students, even returning students, will be required to go through a check-in station where they will be screened for COVID-19 symptoms before being allowed to move into the residence halls. This is a quick and efficient process to protect everyone, but it is a new addition to the move-in process for returning students. Those moving in must be asymptomatic and free of fever. Masks and social distancing are required as there will be many people moving into 26 residence halls around the same time. Students moving in will be allowed to have two guests to assist them. Guests will also be screened in the same manner as students. No one else is allowed inside the residence halls.  

International students arrive between August 3 and 5. 

Student athletes playing fall sports (men’s and women’s cross country, field hockey, men’s soccer, women’s soccer and volleyball) will also be allowed to return early to begin practices and will move in on August 11. These athletes should hear from their coaches regarding the specifics of what they will need to do prior to move in. 

New students will move in on August 15 and returning students will move in on August 17. All students (both new and returning) will be assigned a specific time when they should arrive on their move in day. This information will come from the Office of Residence Life & Housing by email.  

It is important that you make your plans to arrive on the assigned date and time as students will not be allowed to move in on other dates.

Residence Life: Visitation policies within the residence halls have been modified. Residential students will only have cardkey access to their assigned residence hall. No outside visitors are allowed in the residence halls after move-in day. Residents may not entertain other residents of the same residence hall in their room; however, they can meet in the hall lounges or use outdoor meeting spaces.

COVID-19 Screening and Testing: The College will begin a COVID-19 screening and testing initiative for all students. You will learn more about that when the plan is released, but this effort will enable the College to screen all students daily and test those with symptoms.  

Dining: There will be changes to dining options. We are making every effort to provide for the delivery of Roanoke’s high quality food options in safe methods. Capacity will be reduced in the Commons dining area and the Cavern. New pick-up options and other safe serving measures will also be provided. Outdoor seating will be available. 

Classes: Returning to the classroom is one of the main reasons we all want to be back on campus this fall. To keep classrooms as safe as possible, masks will be required in class, as well as social distancing. Some classes are being moved to larger spaces to accommodate appropriate distance. You will read much more about the safety initiatives planned for our teaching spaces in the forthcoming plan. 

In addition, it is vital that students feeling ill or those having any COVID-19 symptoms do not come to the classroom. Faculty will help keep all symptomatic students current in their courses until they can be tested and cleared to return to class.

Physical Changes, Cleaning and HVAC: The College’s housekeeping staff has instituted enhanced cleaning and sanitizing protocols. High touch areas will be cleaned more frequently throughout the day. A new air purifying system has also been purchased for use in campus buildings. 

Plexiglass partitions have been installed in many spaces on campus. Our staff have also been cleaning and servicing all the air handling equipment. In addition, we’ve contracted with Trane to conduct an indoor air quality assessment of our buildings. As the assessment is conducted, the College will follow the recommendations they have for enhanced air quality and purifying.  

We know there are a lot of questions with regard to how we plan to mitigate COVID-19 associated risks within our campus community. The information that we will send later this month will provide greater detail about the planned educational and residential experience.

Please know that we monitor the status of the global pandemic on a daily basis and have been working for several months to make the upcoming academic year a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone. We heard loudly and clearly from students this past spring about their desire to return this fall to in-person classes and enjoy the residential living experience. Shared sacrifice will be required from all community members. We need you to embrace the importance of shared sacrifice and remain steadfast in your personal commitment to keeping our campus safe throughout the 2020-21 academic year.

Thank you for choosing to spend your undergraduate career at Roanoke College. Please stay safe and be well. We look forward to seeing you all very soon in person!

Sincerely, 

Dean Chisom