University of Nevada, Reno, officials are reporting that lower COVID-19 positivity rates, and dropping hospitalizations are giving them renewed optimism for a return to more in-person learning and other activities on the campus in the fall.
UNR President Brian Sandoval today announced the goal of returning to primarily in-person instruction and student services for the Fall 2021 semester.
“We’ve been heartened by the public health gains Nevada has seen with the advent of vaccines,” he said in a letter that was sent out to students, administrators and faculty. “Because of these positive trends, I want you to know that we’re actively planning and preparing on being back for the fall semester — with more in-person academics and events, while remaining vigilant in all critical prevention efforts and continuing to prioritize the health and well-being of the University community.”
UNR administrators have said they’ve heard from many students who say they want to be back on campus and able to participate in university life, including campus traditions and extracurricular activities that mark every fall semester return.
“Our students have told us time and time again how important it is for them to be on campus,” Shannon Ellis, university vice president for Student Services, said in a statement. “We want them to know that we want them here, that they belong here and that we are working now to ensure they have the services they need when they return. ”
Some of those services include financial aid, scholarships, and expanded academic forgiveness and support for those who didn’t fare as well with remote learning. Last November, the Nevada System of Higher Education announced that students at its institutions would have the option to be graded on a pass-fail basis for the 2020-2021 school year.
Several UNR students told This Is Reno in November that they felt they were struggling with learning remotely after the university made the decision to switch to entirely remote classes for the remainder of last fall’s semester. Many, however, were already in fully remote classes even prior to this decision. Positive COVID-19 cases spiked on the campus after the return to classes in August 2020 and again in December of last year. They’ve since been declining.
University officials made it clear that reopening plans are based on fundamental assumptions that conditions will continue to improve and that everyday life will continue to open up. Specific plans for resumption of fall classes, including additional safety measures and starting dates, will be announced at a later date and will follow local and state health guidelines.
Some of the areas of emphasis the university is prioritizing for a return to campus include more in-person instruction in classrooms and laboratories, more students living in residence halls and eating in the dining hall, a return to its traditional Welcome Week events, a reopening of its fitness center, and expanded opportunities for in-person academic and financial aid services.
The university is also hoping it will be able to allow public attendance for athletics events and live performances in its performance halls.
“It is with sincere hope and optimism that we are going to make every effort to provide our Wolf Pack Family with the energy and excitement of campus life and to feel the supportive force that our entire University represents,” Sandoval said. “There is real reason for optimism, something more than the cautious optimism we’ve experienced before.”
