YSU Intends Full Reopening for Fall Semester
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Youngstown State University announced plans this morning for the incremental safe return of employees to campus through the summer in anticipation of students starting the fall semester in August.
“After meeting the challenges of a spring semester interrupted by the coronavirus, we are now ready to move into a new phase of our pandemic response,” President Jim Tressel said. “While this phase still includes many uncertainties, it also presents numerous opportunities. One of those opportunities is returning our employees to campus.”
The university said it developing plans to fully open campus for fall semester as scheduled Aug. 17, acknowledging that those plans are dependent on the future course of the pandemic.
Yesterday YSU announced that it is cutting 22 coaching and administrative jobs and its labor unions have approved furloughs and layoffs. These actions will save $4.8 million, YSU said.
Most YSU employees have been working off campus since mid-March, when the university moved all classes to remote instruction, which continues during summer semester.
Today, the university released a “Returning to Work on Campus” plan that outlines a gradual resumption of on-campus work leading up to the first day of fall classes.
“As we gradually move forward to re-engaging on campus, our primary goal is to ensure everyone’s well-being while continuing to offer high-quality educational services,” the plan states.
The plan outlines facility preparations, health and safety protocols, symptom monitoring, social distancing and health hygiene actions, and also includes answers to frequently asked questions about returning to campus. The university emphasizes that the plan will be updated as appropriate should more information become available.
The document was developed by the Take Charge of Our Future Focus Group on Calendar Scenarios for a Safe YSU, the YSU Office of Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety, and the YSU Office of Human Resources, and it is fully aligned with guidance from the governor, the Ohio Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
SOURCE: YSU News
Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
