U Of M Releases Plan For Students Returning To Rochester, Duluth And Twin Cities Campuses
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The University of Minnesota released a plan Monday for how students at the Twin Cities, Duluth and Rochester locations will return to campus.
The university said it delayed move-in at these locations to see how other institutions grappled with the problem of students returning to college during the COVID-19 pandemic.
For the Twin Cities campus, move-in will be on Sept. 9. For Duluth, it'll be Sept. 15, and for Rochester it'll be Sept. 18.
For the first two weeks, all classes will be held via distance learning. This will coincide with the first part of the university's "Maroon and Gold Sunrise Plan," which officials released Monday.
This first phase will have students living and learning almost exclusively in their residence halls for the 10 days. Students will have access to food and health facilities, but little else.
When outside of their rooms, students will be asked to wear masks.
Step Two will give students more access to campus buildings and the surrounding community, but they must be back home in their rooms by 9 p.m. This phase is set to last for two weeks.
After that, Step Three begins, with students having full access to the campus and the greater area and a "back home" time of midnight. This is also expected to last two weeks.
With Step Four, the "back home" time goes away. However, officials say they still will want students to wear masks and practice social distancing.
Per developments in the pandemic, the university's plan will be subject to change.
As for the university's other campuses in Crookston and Morris, move-in has already occurred. Those campuses will continue with their original plans.
