The planning for a fall return to campus for students, faculty and staff continues to take shape. In May, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Harold Hewitt established fourteen separate task forces to begin preparation for the “CU Safely Back” initiative. Faculty, staff and administrators from across campus have been tapped to contribute to or actively participate in a task force to begin the monumental challenge of evaluating every aspect of campus life and putting measures in place to bring the Chapman Family safely back together.

As stated in the charge to the task force leaders, campus will open—following the prevailing guidance from State and County health authorities—as scheduled, with instruction beginning August 31. With many unknowns, planning continues preparing for possible contingencies such as blending in-person and remote instruction to accommodate social distancing and group size caps, and even the less likely scenario of remote learning for the first part
of the semester.

The overarching goal across all task force work is to assess the risk and establish a phased re-opening plan that takes into account five established mitigation strategies:

  • Physical Distancing
  • Symptom Monitoring and Surveillance
  • Public Health Interventions
  • Face Coverings
  • Sanitation Protocol

These task forces will work with experts in their respective fields both inside and outside of Chapman, including an infectious disease epidemiologist.

As it is available, more information will be released.