As the science develops on antibody testing and public health recommendations are updated, the University may well look at antibody testing, but we aren’t yet at that point. Seems silly to keep retesting people that have already had it. “We want to have a plan in place that will give everyone enough time to do a careful and well-thought-out implementation.”. It is designed to expedite decision-making and allow us to put a plan for the fall in place fairly quickly, so we have time to implement that plan in a thoughtful manner. Moderators are staffed during regular business hours (EST) and can only accept comments written in English. “Boston University will be back in the fall,” Brown wrote, “and I look forward to welcoming … Some don’t. I am the father of a Spanish student expected to join BU for the the academic year 2020-21, starting fall 2020. The plan to keep Boston University students, faculty, and staff as safe as possible from COVID-19 while reopening in the fall includes mandatory precautions to prevent spread of the disease, an app for students and a web portal for faculty and staff to report symptoms, community testing, and medical intervention for confirmed virus cases. It may be ok for routine testing, but for returning students and staff its necessary to have express tests or prioritize facility testing so the result would be known the same day. He’s written more than 700 stories for the Boston Globe and has also written for the Boston Herald and the Greenfield Recorder. It states that students will be retested to verify a positive result. It only makes sense instead of canceling those who had summer class and continues the learning. It also accepts the possibility that international  students are likely to face unique burdens, such as travel restrictions and interruptions in the processing of visas, and it suggests that some popular master’s programs may have to be offered remotely. This fall, undergraduate students at Boston University (BU) can choose whether to attend classes in person or virtually under a new hybrid teaching format the university is calling “Learn from Anywhere” (LfA), reported BU Today.. This story has been edited since its original posting to clarify a line about a contingency plan in the event the fall semester’s start had to be delayed. is a staff writer at BU Today and Bostonia magazine. Coronavirus forced all spring classes to … But as a medical professional, I think it would be wise to provide a few options. Having everybody master the skills on how to protect themselves are the key …, Hello Mr. President of BU , The individuals have to administer the test on themselves? Boston University Plans Fall “Hybrid/Simultaneous” Teaching of 44 Graduate and Professional Programs BU’s new “hybrid/simultaneous” approach is designed to accommodate safety requirements that may be imposed by public health authorities to control the spread of COVID-19. For now, I am hoping the Univ will reopen as expected in the Fall. I would not be able to fulfill those requirements if given a diluted version through online courses. This letter states the students or individuals are expected to report to a testing station to receive a testing kit where they are observed administering the test. began his career at the Real Paper, a Boston area alternative weekly. I understand that the school has to look into all the aspects of the college when planning. Fast At-Home COVID-19 Tests Are Coming. If a student will not be using a cell phone how will the university handle it? Northeastern University announced on May 10 a … Therefore, I understand that the final decision must be communicated in sufficient time, to facilitate the necessary procedures in each case. I understand the social desire and financial need to reopen the campus. All rights reserved. This will allow students the flexibility to access the app either through their computer or their phone. The virus is not going to be gone by fall. In this Wednesday, May 20, 2020 photo a passer-by skates past an entrance to the Tsai Performance Center on the campus of Boston University, in Boston. As an upcoming senior, I personally feel (if it leads to this decision) that delaying the Fall semester to January 2021 and moving summer 2021 into the allotted Fall semester is the best case scenario for everyone. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. Please clarify……. Your email address will not be published. Remembering Former BU President Jon Westling, BU Takes Another Step to Advance Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, President Biden’s Inaugural Address Gave America Reassurance and Hope, Change Arrives in Washington: What It Could Mean for Higher Ed, POV: Creating a Healthier America—The Challenges and Opportunities for the Biden Administration, This Presidential Inauguration Will Be Unlike Any Other, but It Isn’t the Only Exceptional One, BU Community Writes Joe Biden’s Inaugural Address, Sujin Pak Appointed New Dean of BU’s School of Theology. Employees categorized as non-essential should continue to work from home until further notice. Your email address will not be published. I agree. No, our test is not authorized by the FDA for use with saliva. Even though there are time difference. I am a Professor and to my surprise on-line classes are remarkably effective as a teaching/learning environment. I agree with “I”. Honestly I would rather take classes online than waste half a year disconnected from academia (summer 2020- January 2021). This is an unprecedented time that no one truly has answers for; yet, the best thing our BU community can do is provide the invaluable experience of in-person teaching whether that be delayed or not. When residential students are being isolated after tested positive, will they get medical treatment? They’re setting up contingency plans for every imaginable situation. “Next it is time to turn our attention to the return of the residential research university,” Brown says. Couple of wish and suggestion from parents and student: 1) Open on Campus for some Lab based Science Major, put liberty art major for online course to reduce the campus density. Everybody knew that wish Corvid-19 vaccine released at Jan 2020, is not real, plus no symptom patient is 25-30% in statistics. Students will need to display a compliance badge on their phone, but the badge is part of the web application. At UMass Boston, where administrators unveiled a draft plan for the fall 2020 semester earlier this month, classes will be held remotely, with the … Students' safety and health should be the absolute priority…. There are many underprivileged communities whom are experiencing very harsh financial & health conditions that might take time to ameliorate. Thanks for reaching out with this concern. If it is not fake, why was it not informed to students first? Student Health Services would still provide support to this student by checking in daily. BU’s current focus is RT-PCR testing to detect people who are asymptomatic. Not denying nor accepting the article does not make sense! 24 hours is too long. Classes are honestly helping me get through this quarantine period. Fast At-Home COVID-19 Tests Are Coming. The plan for reopening is not clear. When are we going to get an answer about re-opening school in September? I agree. www.bu.edu. Insisting on opening the campus is a pure selfish move!!! However, I believe that there should be a better plan or manage of the remote learning experiences. ... Boston University’s students are invited back to … Home › The University › 25-Year Campus Master Plan. I am an incoming international student looking to join in fall 2020..But looking at the porous times we are in it may be too risky for an opening.. Also considering that some countries may take a longer time to kick start activities after this pandemic goes away hence some international students may have difficulties in traveling out of their countries to meet deadlines for resumption as the case maybe…. She spent 10 years shooting for newspapers, first in upstate New York, then Palm Beach County, Fla., before moving back to her home city of Boston and joining BU Photography. I had the same question. Students in isolation will receive regular medical monitoring from Student Health Services. Regarding, visa restrictions under U.S. immigration laws reforms. The Recovery Committee’s work will be limited to determining what needs to be done to return residential teaching and research to the University. Since the University began tracking the virus in late January, it has taken several actions that would have been unimaginable in the old normal. 25-Year Campus Master Plan. They aren’t required in any case. Brown unveiled a plan to refocus COVID-19 discussions on the future, specifically on ways that BU can return to in-person, on-campus operations later this year. Brown says the University will restart research and clinical operations as soon as that is practical, with the necessary rules and restrictions to prevent the spread of COVID-19. But How Good Are They? The Undergraduate Programs Working Group, chaired by Sue Kennedy, associate provost ad interim for undergraduate affairs. Classroom courses and mentoring could continue on-line for the Fall 2020 term. The university created a website called “Back 2 Bu,” where the reopening plan for each area of the school is detailed. Thanks for this question, Daniel. Check us out at: http://www.bu.edu/card. BU leadership is indecisive again. Your email address will not be published. has been a professional photographer since graduating from the Ohio University VisCom program in 1998. If it’s safe to reopen in the fall on a large scale (remember it will never be 100% safe), school can test each student, faculty, and staff or ask them to provide medical test stating that they either have developed antibodies already or have never been exposed to the virus. The University will be using a web application for this program and not requiring anything to be installed on a student’s phone. Boston University moderates comments to facilitate an informed, substantive, civil conversation. The latter appears silly to me, under the circumstances, although I bow to officialdom. The testing stick needs to be inserted into the nasal cavity, is it possible for an individual to do that to themselves. The University does plan to offer remote learning courses this summer and to continue providing the minimal housing and dining services that are currently available. Biden’s Top Four Priorities, Explained by Leading BU Experts, History Made as BU Gives First COVID-19 Vaccines, Honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. (GRS’55, Hon.’59) amid Tumult in America, BU’s Jessica Stern on Why January 6 Attack on Capitol Was an Act of Terrorism, BU to Begin Giving COVID-19 Vaccines Friday, Patriot League Announces Plans for a Spring Unlike Any Other, CAS Alum Creates a Different Species of Podcast. People need to be able to make plans with advance notice for air travel, and students, parents, and university employees who work in the dorms need to be confident that their health is not being jeopardized. This is the approach recommended by public health recommendations, including the Massachusetts Higher Education Consortium on Testing. This is telling you that they don’t know yet, but have a solid plan to get to answers. BU can provide online teaching for them. Thanks, Because of some inaccurate reporting by other media, we have posted this note on top of the story: https://www.bu.edu/articles/2020/covid-19-recovery-plan/. The Graduate Professional Programs Working Group, chaired by Daniel Kleinman, associate provost for graduate affairs. With regard to any contact tracing, it will be done through conversations, not by tracking location through phones. What safety measures are being taken besides testing. Find more information on BUA’s fall 2020 reentry plans here. “They represent the academic and research portfolio of the University. Finally, what will the social distancing protocol be for tight quarters dorms (Warren towers, kilichand) if one student gets sick will their roommate(s) be quarantines as well? Boston University will give its more than 18,000 undergraduate students the choice of in-person and online classes when it reopens the campus this … BU Details Campuswide COVID-19 Testing Plan for Fall, Joel Brown Having been decisive about the summer – when other institutions are still playing “wait and see” – enables BU to have time to make a good plan for the fall. Im happy about this. 3) Performance CORVID-19 test and antibody test for any necessary conditions. Abusive, profane, self-promotional, misleading, incoherent or off-topic comments will be rejected. I also don’t understand how summer 2021 comes into the narrative. The Ivy League university is considering plans for how to handle classes later this year as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to … The current mathematics class I am taking right now does not even provide a Zoom lecture. I really hope that the summer 2020 course continues in place of the fall semester. What is the alternative to using the app on phone? In summary, We will reopen for on-site classes using the planned 2020-2021 university-wide academic calendar. That is something that needs to be considered as well. It has since postponed Commencement and canceled all in-person summer classes. Will on campus students living in single studios have to be tested as much? Two days after the University announced that all in-person summer activities on the Charles River Campus had been canceled, President Robert A. That really needs to improve when reopening. We feel more confident waiting until fall 2021 if given the option. The recent article published in Forbes.com on April 13th has caused lot of confusion in parents and students! We are developing a dashboard to publicly share de-identified community testing information. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. Students can find additional information in the Undergraduate Student Guide and Graduate & Professional Student Guide. But How Good Are They? What about antibody testing? 1. “Our goal is for these working groups to work very quickly,” says Morrison. Phase one provides resources and information to help ensure a safe return to on-campus work for select faculty and staff. The fall term will follow the planned  academic calendar, with classes starting on Sept. 9 and ending Dec. 9. Maybe more time should be given to see how things stabilizes around the world before decisions are made…, What changes will be done regarding the dental school. BOSTON (CBS) — Boston University says students may not be allowed back on campus until January 2021. Students will need to display a compliance badge on their phone, but the badge is part of the web application. I am wondering when it is appropriate to secure housing for spring. Is the article true or fake news? Students who test positive will be moved to on-campus isolation housing. Could you please clarify? Boston University: BU undergraduate students will … Boston University’s Marsh Plaza. With the University’s spring coursework moved to remote teaching and learning and the decision made that summer activity will also be remote, the president and provost are focused on understanding how the COVID-19 crisis, with its widespread impact on health and economic conditions, will affect BU’s learning and research communities and shape its plan to bring the University back to a residential and in-person operation come fall. May 19, 2020 8:38 pm by Shannon Damiano. What is the policy for releasing information to all of us so that students and faculty can make informed decisions about when to stay on campus and when to leave if there are outbreaks? Ultimately, the plan seeks answers to such questions as what classes might look like if gatherings are restricted to a limited number of people and how Dining Services could operate without risk of transmitting the coronavirus. The plan’s overriding goal, he says, is to define what a residential research university will look like in the early days of the post-pandemic world. Please explain. We may be able to accept saliva samples in the Spring after we validate this sample with our test, but this is not guaranteed. My son is enthusiastically looking forward to his college life in BU this fall. Break Up Twitter? Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *, Pioneering Research from Boston University. It may be effective for now until in-person classes in 2021. I also do not live in Boston. It sounds like faculty and staff will be retested to verify a positive result, something that will not be done for students. Starting that planning now is the right thing to do, and it is a necessity.”.