Elon University has announced that classes for the upcoming Winter Term and spring semester will be conducted in-person or hybrid and will require pre-semester COVID-19 testing before students, faculty and staff return to campus, according to an email to the Elon community from Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Aswani Volety.
Disability resources is granting remote learning accommodations to students who submit a request with documented health-related and disability concerns. Students who received approval for remote learning for the fall semester will have the opportunity to continue studying remotely. Volety said students who want to propose a new request for remote learning will have to get in touch with the office of disability resources by Dec. 18. Faculty who wish to pursue remote learning will have to contact the office of human resources and their academic dean by Dec. 15.
Students are encouraged to remain on campus during the four day Fake Break between the end of Winter Term and the start of the spring semester. Instead of a traditional spring break, there will be days off scattered throughout the semester.
Some students are hesitant about Elon’s plans for in-person classes in the spring. Incoming transfer student from North Carolina Central University and sophomore Demaya Starkes has concerns about the safety of the Elon community.
“Many students are uncomfortable with resuming in-person classes. I understand Elon wanting things to go back to normal but in a situation like this, administration has to wait until it is in the best interest of everyone to resume in person classes, and we’re not there yet,” Starkes said.
According to Volety, in-person instruction is the most effective learning environment for students and faculty.
Elon University will reportedly release more details on the Ready and Resilient website before Winter Term.
Volety also said Elon has yet to determine how Commencement will take place on May 21, 2020.