WKU talks Fall 2020 reopening plan

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) - This week begins Western Kentucky University’s “Top, Drop and Go” move-in initiative where students can move their belongings in early, before returning to their dorm at the start of the semester.

The Fall semester is still scheduled to start August 24 as planned, but will stop short at Thanksgiving break when classes, including final, will move online. Under the current housing plan, residence halls will remain open through Thanksgiving until the end of the year on December 12.

Media Relations Director Bob Skipper says the university is committed to making sure students receive the experience they expected coming to WKU.

“We’re committed to providing the in-person experience as much as possible. But students and faculty, staff, the community safety is first and foremost in our plans. So if we have to pivot, we have plans in place to do that,” Skipper explains.

Skipper reports the Barren River District Health Department will handle contact tracing during the year. If a student has significant contact with someone who is infected, the department’s contact tracers will notify the student.

The university also says it is prepared to isolate infected students in select dorms. Each would be assigned a staff member to make sure they receive basic necessities, like food.

In relation to classes, Skipper says quarantined students will not suffer academically, adding, “Assistance can come in multiple forms, from recordings of lectures to note-takers employed to share notes. Those arrangements will likely be made between the faculty member and the student.”

Most importantly, he says the university is committed to creating as safe an environment as possible so that students, faculty and staff can resume face-to-face interactions in the fall.

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