Central Penn College issued the following announcement.
Central Penn College announced that in-person classes would return in the fall term with enhanced safety protocols to protect students, faculty, staff and visitors. The college operates on a quarterly, year-round schedule, with the fall term beginning on Oct. 5.
“We are looking forward to having a full complement of students back on our Summerdale campus and Lancaster Center starting in the fall,” said Dr. Linda Fedrizzi-Williams, president of Central Penn College. The institution––based in Summerdale with an additional location in Lancaster––converted to an all-online format in mid-March, as per the orders of the Governor’s Office.
Offering online courses since 2004, the college was able to quickly transition to an all-virtual environment, said Fedrizzi-Williams. “Nearly 70 percent of our students take at least one online course a term. Both our faculty and students are very familiar with remote learning.” In 2019, Central Penn College was voted the #1 college or university in the region for online education by the readers of the Central Penn Business Journal.
The fall reopening plans are dependent on the capital region remaining in the Green Phase. Should Cumberland and/or Lancaster county return to the Yellow or Red Phase, the college has alternate plans in place.
Summer Term
The summer term, which began on July 6, is being conducted entirely online, with the exception of some health sciences courses which require in-person labs and clinical components. In addition, the college is in the process of gradually phasing in residential students. They will be housed in single-occupancy rooms for enhanced safety. The majority of students will have their own private bathrooms.
On July 5, some health sciences students moved back to campus, with other residential students expected to return on these dates:
- Aug. 2 – In-season student athletes (soccer) who live more than 60 miles away or have transportation concerns.
- Aug. 23 – Returning and new students who are full-time during the summer term.
- Oct. 3 – New full-time students who are starting in the fall.
During the fall term, Central Penn College will return to its regular offerings of face-to-face, online and hybrid classes. On Aug. 1, on-site health services will be available to students and employees through a new partnership with UPMC. Access to all buildings, classrooms and student-facing offices will require scanning a QR code via the Central Penn app to bolster contact tracing.
As the campus reopens, the college will follow the CDC and Pennsylvania Department of Health’s recommendations for social distancing, which include:
- Mask-wearing
- Class sizes limited to 15, with students spaced at least six feet apart
- Increased hand-sanitizer stations and increased cleanings throughout the college, especially of common areas
- Screening form – must be completed before returning to campus
- Personal contact logs – must be kept by all students and employees
Posted byJoseph CavistonJuly 21, 2020
Original source can be found here.
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