Meredith COVID-19 Updates for June 17, 2020

This news roundup will be a regular feature in Campus Connections throughout the summer. Items are either of interest to faculty/staff or on topics about which students may ask questions.

Fall 2020 Planning: The Office of the Provost is working with academic deans, department heads and faculty to coordinate a well thought out mix of online asynchronous, synchronous, hybrid, and face-to-face classes for Fall 2020. Students will have the ability to take a full schedule of classes remotely if they wish to do so. The goal is to maintain a high quality academic experience while offering maximum flexibility for the faculty and students. Deans and departments are working as quickly as they can to publish the mode of instruction for each class in WebAdvisor so students may change their schedules if they wish.

Academic Calendar Changes: As announced in a June 15 message to faculty, staff, and students, Meredith’s academic calendar for Fall 2020 has been modified.

• Fall classes will begin on Monday, August 17, which is two days earlier than originally planned.
• Monday, September 7 (Labor Day), will also be an instructional day instead of a holiday.
• Fall Break is being moved to Tuesday, October 6, as a single day event.
• On-campus classroom activities will end no later than noon on Wednesday, November 25, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.
• Virtual academic activities will be scheduled from Monday, November 30 – Tuesday, December 9, 2020.

Holiday Calendar: Changes to the Academic Calendar affect the staff holiday calendar for Labor Day, Monday, September 7, with some offices needing to remain open with limited coverage. Staff should check with their supervisors about the requirements for individual offices and departments. Any staff who are required to work on Labor Day will receive an additional personal day to take prior to December 31, 2020.

Safety Updates:  Meredith is taking a number of precautions to ensure the safest possible teaching, learning and working environment this year. Out of consideration for everyone in our community, all students and employees are required to wear masks or face coverings in classrooms, common areas, going to and from the dining room, and wherever social distancing is not possible. Exceptions are made for individuals with health reasons, for faculty while teaching, or for pedagogical considerations. Individuals with health issues that prevent masks from being worn, should coordinate in advance with Human Resources if you are an employee or with Health Services if you are a student.

Read the full update, which was sent via emp_all and to student email lists

As Meredith continues to navigate through the changing circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, updated guidance will be shared with our community via emp_all. For the most current information, refer to meredith.edu/coronavirus, which includes key points, links to the Fall Planning site, regularly updated FAQs, an archive of community messages, and more.