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

Dear ���سԹ� students, faculty and staff,

I am writing to you today with an important message about the fall 2020 semester. Like many of you, I did not anticipate that we would be in the situation in which we find ourselves now with regard to the COVID-19 pandemic when the “Stay Home, Stay Safe” protocol ramped up in March. The infection rates in many states, including Washington, are increasing and they are especially high in Benton and Franklin counties.

After much discussion with a wide range of constituents and in an attempt to ensure the safety of our faculty, staff, and students, ���سԹ� has made the difficult decision to start fall semester courses in a mostly virtual format. We are not alone in this decision. All campuses in the WSU system are moving to distance delivery and we are in the company of other institutions of higher education across the nation who are doing the same.

I understand that this decision may be disappointing for some of you and a relief for others. I am certain that many of you did not imagine that your college education would be disrupted this way and are concerned about your experience and education. Rest assured that while we focus on safety, we are fully committed to providing the excellent education and the student services you have come to expect from ���سԹ�.

We have been preparing all summer for any eventuality as we navigate this time of uncertainty. Faculty and staff are being trained on the latest technology for class delivery, including a specialized platform called Learning Glass. Because we had planned for HyFlex course delivery, we are prepared to begin opening campus whenever conditions change. Student services and campus-wide events will be in a virtual format to be sure we remain connected to your colleagues and campus community.

I encourage you to attend the ���سԹ� Town Hall meeting this Tuesday, July 28, at 4 p.m. at  for more answers to your questions. 

We will also host an information session for Spanish-speaking students and their families next week on Thursday, July 30, at 5 p.m. via Zoom.

View more details about the fall

We will be sending further information out to campus community members, soon, with more specifics, including a link to a web page entirely dedicated to plans for fall and what to expect.

I cannot thank you enough for your input, patience, and care for each other as we navigate this ongoing and uncertain time. We are here for you. Together, we will weather this storm and be stronger on the other side.

Sincerely,

Sandra Haynes, Ph.D.
Chancellor of ���سԹ�

Dear ���سԹ� students, faculty and staff,

As indicated in an , WSU has outlined a plan that provides an overview for a return to campus instruction in the fall and the protocols that will be in place to ensure the safety of our campus members.

Safety is our top concern. As such, options will be available for those students, faculty and staff who are unable to return to campus and those who need flexibility. We will also follow the safety and health protocols and parameters as outlined by state and federal requirements and agencies. We are working closely with the governor’s office in every aspect of our planning.

More details are to follow, but we wanted to provide you with a glimpse of what to expect for ���سԹ� from information shared by President Schulz.

���سԹ�-specific notes on information shared from President Schulz this week:

Safety measures

Social distancing must be maintained on campus in all areas. Room occupancy limits, foot‑traffic flow, and related considerations will be clearly indicated by signage and will be required in all campus spaces, as posted.

Facilities will conduct regular sanitization and cleaning of campus spaces. Sanitizing materials will be provided to wipe down surfaces between each use in all classrooms, common areas and service-based centers.

All bathrooms feature signs for best practices for hand washing, and hand sanitizer stations will be posted in all high-traffic areas around campus. We are currently ordering additional hand sanitizer stations that will be installed around campus prior to fall.

Face coverings are currently required by all individuals who access campus and will continue to be required into the fall 2020 semester.

Exceptions to wearing face coverings include: when working alone in an office, vehicle, or at a job site; if the individual is deaf or hard of hearing, or is communicating with someone who relies on language cues such as facial markers and expression and mouth movements as a part of communication; if the individual has a medical condition or disability that makes wearing a facial covering inappropriate; or when the job has no in-person interaction.

Contact tracing

Contact tracing is extremely important in an effort to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and to keep our campus safe and healthy. To assist in this effort, attendance must be taken for all classes, all in-person meetings must record attendees, and departments must maintain visitor logs.

WSU will also introduce a phone app for contact tracing as part of our return to in‑person operations. We have not yet chosen the specific app, but we expect to share more details around August 1.

“WSU COVID-19 Safe Return to Work” training for employees

HRS has developed a “WSU COVID-19 Safe Return to Work” �����Ի��� for all WSU employees, which must be completed by all WSU employees before returning to any in-person operations.

Academics and instruction

Instruction will include a Hyflex model – a model that combines in‑person and distance education delivery. Implementation will be determined by class size, a faculty members’ ability to be in the classroom, unique requirements of certain courses and the availability of technology, among other considerations.

Specifics:

• WSU system-wide, class sizes over 50 students will be virtual. At ���سԹ�, we have additional flexibility with this, as most of our courses have a seating capacity of lower than 50 students. Additionally, regular classroom capacity will be reduced to allow for social distancing.
• With the Hyflex model, courses may blend a mix of in-person and virtual experiences or be offered completely virtually, due to seating capacity and requirements for social distancing. We may have multiple in-person sections of a course where students will alternate days they attend their course in-person and online. For example, a student could attend a course in-person every other day, or once a week, and the rest would be offered virtually.
• Faculty who are high-risk or aren’t able to hold classes in-person will offer their courses virtually
• Students who are high-risk or aren’t able to attend classes in-person would still be able to access all classes virtually
• All courses planned for face-to-face delivery will have a backup plan for virtual delivery in the event that conditions require such a move.

We are also considering changes to the 2020-21 academic calendar to minimize breaks and to reduce travel, especially after Thanksgiving. This may help to reduce the spread of COVID-19, coinciding with the cold and flu season. If that decision is made, it will be announced at a later date, but prior to the start of the fall semester.

Student life

While ���سԹ� does not have residence halls, we are in close communication with The Brelsford Vineyards apartments located on the ���سԹ� campus. As a privately-owned business, the apartments are responsible for upholding their own safety protocols; however, we shall be sharing information regarding our campus protocols and procedures and coordinating with them as much as possible.

Student life events will also be hosted both in-person (when appropriate, safe to do so and while strictly enforcing social distancing), as well as virtually. This is an important part of the student experience and our Student Affairs team is working on a plan and schedule of events for fall.

Research

Research and related activities will begin ramping up in June in accordance with .

I continue to thank students, faculty and staff for your patience and can-do attitude during this uncertain time. Know that we are committed to your success and want to provide as welcoming and engaging of an environment as possible.

Continue to check your WSU email for updates regarding plans for fall, as more information will continue to be shared throughout the summer. Be sure to also check  for updates about plans for fall and beyond amid COVID-19.

Sincerely,

Sandra Haynes, Ph.D.
Chancellor of ���سԹ�