Coronavirus: Winthrop University changes fall semester schedule. What to know.
The fall semester at Winthrop University in Rock Hill will be different.
Winthrop leaders have made several changes to the fall 2020 academic schedule due to COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.
Interim President George Hynd announced the changes in a statement earlier this week. They are:
- No fall break in October
- The university will complete in-person instruction before the Thanksgiving break
- Remote instruction will begin following break for the rest of the fall semester
The new schedule is as follows:
- Aug. 24: Classes begin
- Sept. 7: Labor Day; classes will be held
- Oct. 16-19: Fall break is canceled; classes will be held
- Nov. 3: General Election Day; classes will be held
- Nov. 24: Face-to-face instruction will end
- Nov. 25-29: Thanksgiving break; no classes
- Nov. 30-Dec. 7: Remote class days
- Dec. 8: Study day
- Dec. 9-15: Final exam period
“These schedule changes will hopefully help mitigate a possible spike in COVID-19 when traditionally thousands of students, faculty and staff would be returning to campus after a few days away,” Hynd said in a prepared statement. “We weighed the public health risks of having our campus community return from these breaks, and the risks were significant as the country may be facing a second wave of COVID-19 at the same time that we typically experience an uptick in seasonal flu cases.”
“We feel that this move, which also has been introduced by some other South Carolina universities, will help keep our students and employees safe, all while continuing to focus on delivering the best learning experience for our students,” Hynd continued.
Students will report to campus for in-person classes in August. Professors will plan for social distancing and other safety measures, according to the university. Some courses may be moved online from the start.
Professors will plan for students to complete their final weeks remotely, according to Winthrop.
“This course planning will differ significantly from the spring since the hybrid content delivery will be planned from the start,” Adrienne McCormick, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, said in prepared statement. “The expectations for student work during that time after Thanksgiving will depend on the courses they are taking, but in general, the final week of content and all final exams will be delivered and completed via remote instruction.”
More information will be shared as Winthrop administration determine next steps.
This story was originally published May 29, 2020 at 7:59 AM.
