MT PLEASANT, Michigan — We've been talking to presidents of different universities in the state of Michigan to see how they're preparing for fall semester during the pandemic.
Recently we talked to Central Michigan President in Mount Pleasant Robert Davies. He begins by telling us about their new 'hyflex' model for classes.
Here is a portion of our interview:
DAVIES: The classes are going to be live-streamed. So students who aren't there in-person, will be able to use the livestream and still participate.
NICK: Are they going to have to reserve space in these classes?
DAVIES: Some students will be assigned to the first day of the week. Some students will be assigned to the second day of the week. All of our classroom facilities will only use 30% of their capacity.
NICK: What do you say to a student who wants to be on campus, but doesn't want any roommates?
DAVIES: As with our classrooms, we are de-densifying the residential halls.
NICK: Will that policy extend to the library
DAVIES: Yes.
NICK: How will this impact sports.
DAVIES: We will follow guidance from the MAC, the NCAA, state and local governmental rules. As far as intramural sports, that's something we're going to have to look at.
NICK: What do you do when someone tests positive?
DAVIES: We have a contact-tracing team already in place. We have protocols to quarantine individuals if they live on campus. If we have to switch to remote, we have plans in place for that if we need to do that.
President Davies also points out that CMU was among the first universities to freeze tuition for the upcoming year. Several have decided to raise them.
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