Oakland University Gets Back To On-Campus Learning After a Year Spent Virtually

Southfield (CW50) - Just like most schools around the country, Oakland University had to shift the way it educates the students who enroll at the college. Major challenges were faced during COVID-19, but this hasn't stopped OU from finding the best way to return to in-person learning after a year of virtual learning.

With a freshman class coming in last year that had to learn virtually with the rest of the students, a return to campus will mean that two freshman classes are essentially on the campus for the first time. And with a return to in-person learning, OU's faculty and staff have done everything they can to make sure that students and professors are as safe as they can be while on campus. Part of their ongoing push for safety, OU has been encouraging the campus community to get vaccinated and upload their info so they can reach an 80-90 percent vaccination rate into the fall semester.  

While the pandemic was at its peak and OU's campus was closed to students, the campus was used for several different community benefit programs to help others through the challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, OU was able to convert its student union center into a food distribution center for at risk people who needed food delivered to them during the early days of the pandemic with a several community partners. Also, the leadership team offered housing to health care workers in the dorms during the early days of the pandemic so they didn't take COVID-19 home to their families.

Glenn McIntosh, Senior Vice President of Student Affairs at Oakland University, joins Lisa Germani on Community Connect to talk about the health and safety protocols in place for the semester that begins just after Labor Day, and what the university has been doing over the last year while students remained in remote learning.

Learn more about Oakland Univeristy at Oakland.edu

Watch Community Connect, Sunday at 7am on CW50