WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — Greg Cant, PhD. is only four weeks into his new job as president of Wilkes University. His first order of business is to come up with a plan to bring students back to campus for the fall semester.
"College is more than the academics, it's more than the athletics experience, it's a community, and it's all of those things together that we profoundly miss," said Cant.
Both Wilkes University and neighboring King's College plan to start in-person classes on August 24, about a week earlier than usual. There will be no fall break, and classes and finals will be completed before Thanksgiving break. The goal is to limit students' travel between campus and home, to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
But at both schools, there are plenty of students who live nearby, so enforcing this will depend on trust.
"We look at, in terms of a social contract, to be a part of our community. We want everyone to commit to those safe practices to keep everyone safe and healthy," said Fr. Thomas Looney, associate vice president for academic success at King's College.
There will be some restrictions. Students have to wear masks in class, and class sizes will be limited.
"Our facilities team has gone through every classroom here at King's to determine how many students can fit in this classroom at 6-foot distancing. We're also exploring extra classroom spaces. We're going to turn larger venues into classrooms that we never have had before," said Fr. Looney.
And what about dorms? More than one person will still live in a room together, at both schools.
"They'll be treated as familial groups. So just like in your family, you haven't worn masks and social distanced. Essentially, each group gets treated like that. That means if there is a challenge, they might have to go into isolation together," said Cant.
It certainly won't be the most typical college experience, but for the students, it's worth it just to be able to come back.
"They're very anxious to come back. We did a student survey at the end of the semester. Ninety percent of our students said that they can't wait to come back to campus, that they missed being here, they missed the interaction," said Fr. Looney.
What about the dreaded "second wave" we keep hearing might happen in the fall or winter?
Both schools are prepared to end the semester earlier than planned and transition onto online classes immediately if needed.