In-person learning planned for fall
���سԹ� will offer fully in-person learning this fall! Scheduling will be adjusted for regular classroom capacities and laboratories will move back to their normal capacities.

Interested in applying to attend ���سԹ�? The application is open through the summer!
Apply:
Degree programs: tricities.wsu.edu/degree-offerings
Chat with admissions: tricities.wsu.edu/admissions/contact-connect

In line with updated state guidance, the WSU system has announced the implementation of relaxed protocols for accessing and returning to campus.

Face-to-face interaction with our students and each other is the foundation of our effectiveness as an educational institution. Working in community on the ���سԹ� campus provides the best means of supporting our students and each other in the important work we do.

We are, thus, very excited about what this new guidance means for our campus and we look forward to seeing many of you in-person very soon! It’s been a long-time coming, but we are starting to see light at the end of the tunnel, as evidenced by the new guidelines, below.

Fully in-person classes planned for fall
���سԹ� will offer fully in-person learning this fall. Scheduling will be adjusted for regular classroom capacities and laboratories will move back to their normal capacities.

Admissions applications accepted through summer months
���سԹ� will accept applications for admission for fall 2021 through the summer. Classes begin on Aug. 23. To apply to attend ���سԹ�, visit .

Vaccine requirements
All WSU locations require that individuals receive the COVID-19 vaccine to access a university location, however, exemptions will be granted for medical and non-medical reasons. More information will be shared on the exemption process for all employees and for non-WSU Pullman students prior to the start of the fall semester.

Mask requirements
WSU employees who declare themselves fully vaccinated via  are not required to wear masks and socially-distance at WSU locations. Those who are not fully vaccinated must continue to wear masks and socially-distance while on a campus or worksite. Providing falsified information regarding vaccination status is grounds for disciplinary action, up to and including termination from employment.

Students, contractors, vendors and visitors must be prepared to show proof of vaccination to a relevant unit or department lead when entering a WSU building. Employees who are not unit or department leads should let the unit or department lead know of their concern about someone’s vaccination status, rather than approaching the individual, themselves. Those unable or unwilling to provide proof of vaccination to the unit or department lead are required to wear a mask and socially-distance or leave university property.

Campus tours resume
The ���سԹ� Office of Admission is now scheduling on-campus tours for prospective students and their families. The tours will initially be held mostly outside before slowly transitioning to building interiors as campus facilities are prepared. To schedule a campus tour, visit tricities.wsu.edu/visit.

SOAR (Student Orientation, Advising and Registration) to offer in-person experiences
���سԹ� is planning for in-person experiences as part of SOAR that will take place in July. For more information, contact Ian Jamieson at ian.jamieson@wsu.edu.

Attestation no longer required
Students, employees and visitors who access a WSU location no longer have to attest to their current health status via the official WSU attestation process.

Campus check-in to be used for contact tracing
While attestation is no longer required, ���سԹ� will continue to utilize a campus check-in process for all employees and visitors at the Floyd and CIC entrance kiosks. However, this process will be moving to an online check-in process that departments and individuals can use when visitors come to campus. To meet the state requirements for contact tracing come fall, faculty will be asked and expected to take attendance in their classes. More details will be shared as they are finalized.

Return to in-person work dates
���سԹ� director-level supervisors and above are expected to start working from campus or their respective WSU location no later than July 12.

All other ���سԹ� employees (except faculty) are expected to work from campus or their respective WSU location no later than Aug. 2.

���سԹ� faculty should plan to start working from campus or their respective WSU location beginning on their contracted start date for fall.

Those who have a medical condition impacting their ability to report to in-person work should contact their supervisor and ��������HRS.disabilityservices@wsu.edu or 509-335-4521.

Employees should provide notice when planning to return to help alleviate stress on facilities and IT staff
Those who have not yet returned to work on campus should provide advanced notice to facilities and/or IT if they require help in setting up equipment in their work area. Those who are able to move their items back to their office, themselves, are encouraged to do so. This will help reduce demands on the facilities and IT teams as they try to manage the return to campus needs for all campus members as we get closer to fall.

Return to work plans for units/departments no longer required to be submitted
WSU units and departments are no longer required to submit official return to work plans to ���سԹ� Environmental Health and Safety. A ���سԹ� campus-wide return to campus plan will remain in effect. It is currently being updated by �����dzٳ����մdz������ with latest guidance and will be posted to the ���سԹ� COVID-19 website upon completion: .

Return to work training no longer required
Employees are no longer required to complete the HRS return to workplace training. Rather, they can visit the  for a complete account of current guidance.

Events
All on-campus events should be entered into 25Live for scheduling resources.

Where to find latest up-to-date information
���سԹ� will continue to maintain its COVID-19 web page at . WSU individuals can also access updated information on the WSU system COVID-19 website at .

By Maegan Murray, ���سԹ�

RICHLAND, Wash. – With safety being of utmost importance, Washington State University Tri-Cities plans to offer many more in-person courses for the fall 2021 semester.

All in-person classes, activities and support services will adhere to health department guidelines for wearing masks, social distancing and sanitizing protocols. For students who are unable to attend in-person because of COVID-19, virtual learning will remain an option for all courses.

“With the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine, and with strict safety protocols and measures, we feel we can safely offer in-person learning experiences for our students,” ���سԹ� Chancellor Sandra Haynes said. “���سԹ� is known for its exceptional hands-on and career-connected learning opportunities. We look forward to resuming many of these activities, while still maintaining virtual options for students that need them.”

Course plans

���سԹ� classes with 24 or fewer students enrolled will be scheduled as in-person or mostly in-person – meeting requirements for COVID-19 room capacity/social distancing.

Classes that have more than 24 students, but without currently planned lab/discussion sections, will feature some in-person and some online components. Faculty members will communicate with students registered in these courses for what the course components will look like – both in-person and online.

For courses with enrollment that exceeds 24, but is less than 40 and there is a room available, fully in-person delivery may be possible.

For classes with more than 40 students enrolled and with regularly-scheduled labs or recitation sections, the lecture component of the class will be taught remotely (virtually) and the lab/recitation sections will be scheduled in-person.

For all courses, the delivery method will be noted on the fall 2021 schedule beginning in early April. An announcement will be made once the fall schedule is updated and posted.

SAT and ACT scores no longer required for admission, scholarship application

���سԹ� will no longer require SAT and ACT standardized test scores as an admissions or scholarship requirement, per recent approval by the WSU Board of Regents.

As part of her presentation to the WSU Board of Regents, Provost Elizabeth Chilton shared data from the university showing that GPA is a better predictor of success at WSU than standardized test scores. Both six-year graduation and first-year retention rates are higher for students with a high school GPA above 3.5 than for a student that scores above 1,200 on the SAT.

To apply to ���سԹ�, visit .

 

Media contacts:

Maegan Murray, ���سԹ� director of marketing and communication, 619-403-3617 (cell), maegan_murray@wsu.edu