Dear parents and families,
We hope all of our Ole Miss families have had a good summer so far and that this letter finds you healthy and well. On campus, we have had a busy summer with planning and preparations for the countdown to Fall 2020. I’m writing to share information about a message we sent to faculty, staff and students on June 30 to share the “Campus Ready” plan that outlines changes to campus operations for the Fall 2020 semester.
As parents and families, we know you have a great interest in the university’s planning and preparedness during these challenging times. Foremost, we want you to know that every aspect of the “Campus Ready” plan is focused on preventing the spread of the virus to safeguard our community. We have done this in alignment with government orders and public health recommendations from the Safe Return order of Gov. Tate Reeves’s reopening plan, the City of Oxford’s Serving Oxford Safely recovery plan, the IHL Safe Start Task Force, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH), and the American College Health Association (ACHA).
The “Campus Ready” plan will be updated as additional campus protocols are finalized, the pandemic unfolds and new information and updated public health recommendations are made available. In the plan, you will find extensive information on student responsibilities ranging from the expectation to wear a face mask or cloth face covering to how courses will be delivered. Below you will find links to topics most relevant to your student.
- Campus Ready Plan
- Campus Ready Highlight PDF
- Health and Safety Protocols
- University Health Services
- Infection Control
- Academic Calendar
- Academics
- Events
- Student Services, Activities and Programming
- Dining Services
- Campus Transportation
- FAQs
- News release about “Campus Ready”
One area in particular I’d like to highlight is how social distancing guidelines will impact the classroom experience. In order to comply with public health recommendations of maintaining six or more feet from others, we have to reduce the capacity of classrooms and other learning spaces. This means that courses will be offered in four different delivery modes — you can read detailed descriptions of these delivery modes here.
Regardless of the delivery method this fall, I want to emphasize that students will continue to learn from outstanding faculty and will participate in amazing academic programs. The University of Mississippi is one of the best values in higher education, and our faculty are working hard to ensure that courses this fall are valuable and provide the same student outcomes, whether they are offered in a remote format or a face-to-face format. And all of our programs will continue to meet the accreditation standards and prepare students for their next educational experience or a career in their chosen field.
As we work hard to maintain a healthy campus environment this fall, we are very appreciative of your support in understanding what is expected of our students as outlined in the “Campus Ready” plan and in emphasizing the importance of compliance. If we cannot achieve full compliance with the protocols across our entire community and the university experiences prolific spread of the virus, we will have no choice but to scale back on-campus operations and take more strict measures to prevent further spread. If all members of our community do their part to prevent the virus from spreading, our level of activity on campus can be greater.
We know it is a lot to take in, but we are here to answer your questions, and we will be here to support your student through all of it this fall.