[lawrence-newsletter]In recent days, we have seen multiple University systems take different routes in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. As the clock ticks into the end of May, questions are swirling about college life in the fall, and of course how college athletics will be affected by the decisions regarding school next semester.
The routes that schools have taken so far vary tremendously. In California, Cal-State schools have announced that they are switching to online learning in the fall, where schools such as Notre Dame announced that a semester will take place in person although dates will be adjusted so as to avoid a Thanksgiving break where students leave and then return to campus just a few days later.
We did get some information regarding Wisconsin’s situation from a letter sent out by Chancellor Rebecca Blank yesterday. The University is strongly considering a hybrid option where some students are in-person and some are online. For more on that plan, here was our write-up on the letter from a couple days ago: https://badgerswire.usatoday.com/2020/05/18/an-update-from-the-university-of-wisconsin-students-being-able-to-attend-school-in-the-fall/
We also know that no definitive decisions will be made yet by UW. The target date for those decisions is the end of July according to Chancellor Blank.
“We have targeted a date no later than the end of July to make a final decision on how many in-person classes we can run, in consultation with UW System and state and local health officials. I want to acknowledge the frustration that this lack of certainty causes students and parents. We’re balancing everyone’s desire to plan for the fall with our need to provide a safe environment for our community. We’ll continue to provide updates with as much information as we are able throughout the summer months.
While we face some big challenges, so does every other college and university around the world. I believe that we are better positioned than many because we came into this on a sound financial footing, and because of the innovative and hard-working faculty and staff and the dedicated students and alumni we have at UW-Madison.
We will find a way through the many challenges presented by the COVID-19 crisis. We certainly will offer a full educational program for students next year. We will emerge from this with some new skills and knowledge that may make us a stronger institution in the long run.”
Hopefully the end of July brings good news in terms of worldwide safety, and the prospect of college football in the fall.