Oakwood Campus Reopening For Fall 2020

The decision to safely reopen for the Fall Semester, 2020–The University is currently planning to fully reopen our campus on August 1. As you recall, during the spring semester, Oakwood University suspended all face-to-face instruction and most face-to-face operations. Our summer instruction, as has been the case for the past several years, remains online. However, over the past several months, we have been planning with intentionality how to protect our campus community when the institution fully reopens in August. 

As an institution, we have already taken many important measures that are in line with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the State of Alabama statewide health orders. Some of these measures include: enhanced and increased cleaning and sanitization protocols; plexiglass shield installation; social distancing and the wearing of face masks; temperature checks; reduced class sizes; facility reconfiguration and space management; large group size gatherings and limitations; carryout meals; academic calendar modifications; contact tracing and testing options; and the de-densifying of residence halls, as well as other living and learning spaces. We have also contracted with a third-party provider of hygienic products, personal protective equipment, and sanitization stations that will be strategically placed and maintained across our campus. Our plans to reopen continue to be dependent on the condition of the pandemic in the State of Alabama, the region, and our nation. 

The Fall 2020 semester will be clearly different from our previous Fall semesters. The safety of our campus community will be the determining factor for our decisions. The ‘new normal’ will affect everything from how we conduct intramurals to how we stagger dining hall entry. While we could not place everything in one letter, you should know that the University will continue to identify medically-appropriate measures for the protection of the most vulnerable and those at greater risk within our campus community.