BU, Other MA Colleges Planning For Full Fall Reopening

Boston MA

13 March, 2021

3:11 PM

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BOSTON — Boston University became the latest Massachusetts college to indicate its intention of fully reopening the campus at the start of the fall semester. In a letter sent to school faculty and staff Friday, Boston University President Robert Brown said he will drop the majority of the school's remote classes in its "Learn from Anywhere" program. School officials said they will transition those classes back to campus, except for certain graduate level programs. "Our hope is that our operations next fall will look very different and will be a big step on the path back to normalcy," Brown said. "We are assuming that by the fall everyone who wishes to be vaccinated (students, staff, and faculty) either will have been before arriving on campus or can be soon after arrival. We also assume that widespread vaccinations will lead to diminished presence of the disease worldwide and allow for the resumption of international travel and the more routine issuance of student visas so that our international students may return." Several schools, including Northeastern University, Bentley University and Boston College have also put forth plans to get schools operating how they were prior to the coronavirus pandemic. Northeastern University University Provost David Madigan said scientific forecasts predict the COVID-19 pandemic being well under control by September. He said that although the virus will likely be around for years to come, widespread vaccinations likely make a full reopening safe this fall. "While it is likely that many precautious will still be in effect on our campuses — such as face coverings and some degree of viral testing — we want to be clear that we expect a 'normal' fall semester to commence on the first week in September," Madigan said in a letter to the Northeastern Community Tuesday. Bentley University Bentley University in Waltham also announced this week its reopening in the fall. But a day after the announcement, the school went into lockdown after a spike in coronavirus cases. Students are confined to their dorm rooms and will take classes online until "at least" March 18, Interim President Paul Condrin said in a letter to the school community Thursday morning. The strict measures come as the positive test rate rose to 4.7 times the average of all other Massachusetts colleges and universities. The school has had more positive coronavirus tests in the past month than it did in the entire fall semester. Boston College Boston College is also expected to fully reopen its Newton campus for the fall semester. School health officials lauded the school's testing program and said as of Friday, Boston College's coronavirus positivity rate stood below Newton's, at 0.26 percent, compared to 0.54 percent. School officials said there are 51 Boston College undergraduates in isolation with COVID-19. Thirty-eight of them are in the school's isolation housing, while the rest are recovering at home. Still, school health officials are remaining cautiously optimistic. "We continued to witness a decrease in positive cases this week," said school Health Director Doug Comeau. "While we are pleased with the results, we ask all members of the BC community need to remain vigilant to help continue this downward trend." Other MA Colleges UMASS Amherst Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy on Thursday said plans are still being developed, but he's optimistic for a fully reopened campus for the fall semester. UMASS Dartmouth Chancellor Mark Fuller has also signaled the university's intention of a full reopen in September. State schools like Worcester State University and Framingham State University have also signaled their intentions for a full reopening in the fall.