Look inside Augustana University as students return for semester designed with safety, flexibility in mind
Aug. 24, 2020
This paid piece is sponsored by Augustana University.
From the moment students arrive on campus at Augustana University, it becomes clear that college life will include some adjustments this semester.
Leaders here have spent 13 weeks – ever since the pandemic hit in March – preparing for this week, when 1,800 students will return to learn.
Known as the Viking Flex Plan, it has been an intense, complex process that president Stephanie Herseth Sandlin now has to simplify for students.
She starts with the three W’s.
“Wear the mask, watch your distance, wash your hands.”
There are signs throughout the campus reinforcing the message.
And then there are the three C’s to be avoided:
“Close, confined, crowded spaces,” Herseth Sandlin said.
“Especially if it’s indoors and people aren’t wearing masks and it’s loud and everyone’s talking. So everyone knows what I’m talking about there – to try and make some sacrifices, to avoid those types of gatherings, so that we can ensure that we have a successful fall semester without having to do any hard pivots and go fully online and ask students to leave campus.”
Students will discover hand-sanitizing stations outside every classroom and spray bottles of disinfectant inside them.
Classes are scheduled further apart to allow for time to kill germs that could be on surfaces or in the air.
Around campus, there are visible reminders for keeping distance and wearing masks.
“It’s about getting people comfortable with these new protocols,” Herseth Sandlin said.
Students also will discover a new setup in nearly every learning space. There’s plexiglass in front of the professor, desks for one student that used to accommodate two and technology that allows for a hybrid in-person and virtual learning experience.
It’s an acknowledgement that some learning or even teaching likely will be done from home at various times if quarantine is needed.
“Our faculty have done course-design fellowships over the summer to figure out what more they can do to add levels of flexibility in their teaching to serve their students but also to prepare for scenarios that might affect them or their families,” Herseth Sandlin said.
In the residence halls, lounge space is limited to avoid congregating, and cleaning will be increased.
“So that we can do whatever we can do to reduce transmission,” Herseth Sandlin said, adding “it’s the individual’s responsibility of wiping down and spraying your area and you and your roommate kind of making a pact to keep each other safe.”
Student dining has received considerable adjustments. There will be an online and mobile ordering option, so students can plan ahead and pick up their meals.
The dining area has been adjusted for better student flow and less time spent congregating, with more spacing when diners are seated.
There’s also a new grab-and-go area at the Froiland Science Complex designed to take some pressure off the Morrison Commons.
But even with those precautions, there are protocols in place for positive COVID-19 tests that have already been used this summer.
Once someone on campus tests positive, contact tracing goes to work. If it’s an athlete, Augustana knows which students trained with that person. The university will reach out to roommates and others who had contact with the affected student.
“We had two positive cases that then led to more people who had elevated exposures and more tests. We got on top of it very quickly, and everyone was good about quarantining, getting tests where appropriate and self-isolating to recover if need be,” Herseth Sandlin said.
“And then, it allowed us to debrief and refine as necessary. These have been early tests for us to assess risk, if it’s elevated, communicate and make sure we have the spaces and support for the students and for our colleagues.”
While some students, especially those from other countries, haven’t been able to return, most are eager to get back on campus. Herseth Sandlin said the goal is that all band together so they can all stay here.
“Our core values are really going to be put to the test,” she said. “But I am so heartened by what I’ve seen from our students … that I just really feel that we won’t be without some rough waters and we have to scenario plan for some tougher case scenarios, which we have, but I feel like if anyone can do it, Augustana can do it, and it will then inform how we approach 2021.”
Augustana also is looking ahead to its winter J-term, or January term, and spring semester, building out various scenarios based on what it learns in the fall.
