HOLLAND (WHTC-AM/FM) — New students are set to move into their Hope College quarters this week.
Classes are set to start Monday, Aug. 17, and end Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2020 — just before Thanksgiving.
School officials announced in June the fall semester would start and end earlier than usual to help limit COVID-19’s effect on the campus community. The mid-semester break is being revised to reduce travel during the term.
The traditional move-in process happened in a single day. This year, it’s spread over thee days, starting Wedneday, Aug. 12, with student arrivals scheduled at staggered times to encourage social distancing.
Orientation activities are also being adapted to minimize COVID-19 transmission, stretching from Wednesday, Aug. 12, through Sunday, Aug. 16.
More than 400 returning students are already on campus for a variety of roles; the rest are slated to arrive later this week.
College officials anticipate an overall enrollment of about 3,000 students, including approximately 800 new students.
Hope is among the several colleges and universities in West Michigan with on-campus, in-person classes that include physical distancing, a variety of class formats (a mix of in-person, hybrid and online), and in some cases, revised academic schedules. The Institute of International Education in July, reported that 87 percent of colleges and universities nationwide intend to open this fall with a hybrid model featuring in-person and remote instruction.
Other strategies at home include reduced occupancy in classrooms, laboratories, studios, dining facilities, and select residence halls.
The dining-hall hours are being extended — and will emphasize to-go options and alernate meal-pick-up locations.
Hope College messages to those on campus will include requiring people to wear face coverings in public spaces or when a minimum six-foot distance can’t be maintained; emphasis on hygiene; cleaning; and monitoring symptoms and testing.
How other college events and activities such as oncerts, plays and other presentations, will be handled during the semester will be handled on a case-by-case basis. Fall athletic competition is postponed. The Hope-Holland Community Day picnic originally set for Sept. 12 has been canceled, as has the fall Great Performance Series and Knickerbocker film series.
The One Big Weekend (Homecoming and Family Weekend) set for Oct. 16-18 is now an online event.
Planning is ongoing for events such as the multiple corganized by academic departments, and information will be announced as available; possibilities range from musical performances and guest lectures that will be online instead of hosting in-person audiences, to theatrical productions held outside to facilitate physical distancing.
College officials indicated decisions regarding the spring semester will be based on late-fall-semester conditions. Spring-semester classes are currently set to begin Monday, Jan. 11, and end on Friday, April 30, with final exams running Monday-Friday, May 3-7, 2021.
Learn more about Hope College’s response to the global COVID-19 pandemic and related effects on college operations is available at hope.edu/coronavirus.
