Lehigh University hosted a virtual meeting July 23 to discuss its reopening plans. The meeting proved to be highly popular, exceeding the capacity of the Zoom meeting.

Associate Vice President of Human Resources Chris Halladay gave an opening statement. He introduced Nathan Urban, the university’s new provost, who just started working for Lehigh July 1.

The most important announcement, of exact reopening plans, was to Aug. 3. Still, the meeting covered what students need to know for the fall semester, and how the university is preparing its facilities, faculty and scheduling in light of capacity restrictions and safety concerns related to COVID-19.

“Whatever we do in the fall has to be a uniquely Lehigh experience,” said Urban. He continued, explaining the University is committed to the health and safety of its students and community.

Some of the ways Lehigh will help provide a safe environment will be limiting the density of students in classrooms, requiring masks, and tracking symptoms.

Beth Dolan, Deputy Provost for Graduate Education, explained the university‘s goal for graduate students is that “they continue progress on their degrees.” Some of the challenges the graduate studies program faces are: All master’s and doctorate students conduct research, and that what research can be conducted is dependent on state mandates. Some research will be delayed, and funding will need to be extended, and programs may need to be modified. Another challenge is changing federal policy on international students, and the challenge of acquiring visas for those students, who comprise about 30 percent of all graduate students at the University.

Jennifer Jenson, deputy Provost for academic affairs, said their focus was “on undergraduate retention and student success.” While the university will try to offer “as much of a live experience as possible,” she emphasized that all students need to check their fall schedules. Times of classes may have been changed, and students need to check their schedules for conflicts. Students should communicate with their advisors to make any adjustments. Some classes may have also been moved to the spring semester.

Vice Provost for Library Services Greg Ryman described how training of faculty will provide a stronger learning experience over the past spring semester. Workshops including use of technology and engaging students have been provided to at least 70 percent of the faculty.

Assistant Provost for Academic Affairs Steven Wilson is the university’s registrar. Part of his work now is to ensure that students are aware of whether a class is on campus, hybrid in nature, or totally online.

Questions were submitted by meeting attendees. A question arose regarding expanded class sizes online. The response was class sizes will not be expanded, to ensure the online classes provide high quality education.

It was emphasized that students are able to take a gap year, but if they enroll in a full schedule of classes at another college or university, they will have officially transferred to that school. Also, students who drop from full time schedules to part time may lose financial aid.

Another question was if online classe would negatively affect a student’s transcript. The answer was no, online courses are regarded as the same as in-person courses.

Ryman spoke of the need for the university to ensure the academic integrity of online courses. “We know we need an ethical world beyond the pandemic.” He added that more tools for testing have been made available.

For students who reside on campus, more plans are being made, including quarantine areas for isolation of possible COVID-19 cases.

The university will continue to update its guidance throughout the summer. More information will be available on the university website.