Michigan State University will be welcoming students back on campus in January with more in-person classes and available dorms, but spring break is a thing of the past – at least for now.
For many students, this will be their first time returning to campus since March. In-person classes were cut short last spring and students were sent home as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. MSU was the first public university in the state to take such urgent action.
University officials, impressed by the efforts made by students and staff to wear PPE and protect others, have decided to offer 400 in-person senior-level courses, a jump from the 40 classes taught on campus in the fall. Approximately 2,500 additional single-occupancy residence hall spaces will be available to students who want or need to live on campus.
“The fall has shown us that our systems and protocols set up for on-campus housing have proven effective and successful, and we are confident we can return more students to our residence halls,” said MSU President Samuel Stanley, in a letter to students and staff. “I appreciate your diligent efforts to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus by wearing your masks and practicing physical distancing. Keep up the great work.”
The letter also states that the spring semester will end April 23, 2021, and finals week will be held one week earlier to accommodate a weeklong period for graduation ceremonies.
Students living on-campus or taking in-person classes during the spring semester are required to participate in the COVID-19 Early Detection Program. Participants enroll in the program by filling out a short questionnaire. They will then be contacted at various times throughout the semester to pick up a Spartan Spit Kit, follow several easy steps to provide a sample, then return the kit to one of several locations on campus, according to the College of Human Medicine. If the results of the kit call for clinical diagnostic testing, participants will be asked to self-isolate until their results can be confirmed.
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