Dear OSU faculty and staff,

I am writing to update you on the university’s plan to resume in-person teaching during the last few weeks of summer and the fall term.

Our plan prioritizes the health and wellness of everyone at OSU and in the communities in which we operate. We anticipate a gradual and phased resumption of on-site university activities, including undergraduate and graduate education, research, and Extension and outreach activities throughout Oregon. Our planning builds our capacity to adjust our local activities to changes in the status of COVID-19.

The precise timing of various phases in our plan will depend on the status of COVID-19 in our state and in the many communities in which OSU operates. Everything we do will be in alignment with Oregon Health Authority and local health authorities’ guidance.

Resuming on-site teaching, research and outreach activities gradually will require much work, collaboration and patience. However, if all of us follow the university’s framework and operational guidance, we will avoid confusion and duplication of effort.

Here is an overview of our planning:

Summer term:

  • All courses starting in June (sessions 1, 2, 3, and 6) will be conducted through remote instruction.
  • Conditions permitting, most courses starting in July and August (sessions 4 and 5) will be delivered on-site and in-person.
  • Employees who are able to effectively perform their duties remotely will remain at home. Those who cannot work remotely are able to work on-site, as determined by their supervisor.
  • Research lab and fieldwork will resume in late summer on-site with staggered schedules, physical distancing and other measures.

Fall term:

  • We are planning to provide on-site, in-person instruction. Many courses may involve a combination of in-person and remotely delivered components to maintain appropriate physical distancing and provide as much in-person instruction as possible.
  • We plan for our residence halls, dining centers and recreation facilities to be open with appropriate physical distancing measures.
  • Full on-site university programs, services and operations, and OSU Extension programming are planned to resume with public health modifications being observed.
  • Activities and events will use physical distancing.

The following are public health measures we will have in place:

  • We will use OSU’s innovative TRACE-COVID-19 project to monitor the prevalence in the university community of the virus that causes COVID-19.
  • We will enhance cleaning and sanitation of university facilities and we will emphasize regular hand-washing and other hygiene practices.
  • We will provide recommendations regarding the use of face coverings as part of our comprehensive public health strategy.
  • We will practice appropriate physical distancing.
  • We will provide virus testing in our Student Health Center for students in Corvallis and work with local health providers for testing in Bend.
  • We will support local health authorities by engaging in contact tracing related to any OSU student or employee infected by COVID-19 so that they may be isolated and monitored for illness.
  • We will provide support for students who become symptomatic and require self-isolation or quarantine space if they have been exposed.

For more details on OSU’s resumption plan, please visit the OSU COVID-19 website to view a PowerPoint presentation and video. We continue to refine the plan and I invite feedback from the university community on how we can best achieve our objective of keeping everyone healthy as we return to our campuses, labs, Extension offices and experiments stations around the state. There is link on the COVID-19 resumption website to submit comments, advice and questions.

This site also includes a link to information about the Beavers Care Initiative that is providingfaculty and staff assistance for those impacted negatively by the pandemic and to Beavers Care and federal CARES Act assistance for students in need of financial assistance during this difficult time.

Working together, we will find our way through this crisis while continuing to change the world for the better through our teaching, scholarship and service.

Stay well,

Edward Feser
Provost and Executive Vice President

Date: 
May 11, 2020