Dear Spalding Community,

We are about a month away from the start of fall classes at Spalding on Aug. 24, and we couldn’t be more excited for the safe reopening of our campus. This year, in particular, after all our country has gone through, we are energized and inspired by our incoming first-year and returning students, and we can’t wait for your arrival.

As we prepare for our reopening while the COVID-19 pandemic persists, you can be assured that Spalding will continue to make the safety of our students, faculty and staff our top priority.

Led by Chief of Staff and Dean of Operations Chris Hart, our Return to Campus Committee has been meeting regularly and devising a comprehensive plan that will be shared by the first week of August.

Additionally, we’ll soon share a Spalding Promise pledge that all members of the university community who plan to be on campus must sign. This is an important social contract that shows we are all on the same page and working together compassionately to protect ourselves, each other and our larger community as it relates to mask-wearing, social distancing and disclosing when we are experiencing symptoms.

Here are some of the key measures we are taking to ensure the safe reopening of campus:

For each academic session, classes will be offered in three primary formats – in-person, online and a hybrid of those two. Because most of our courses are offered in six-week sessions instead of full semesters, we have the flexibility to quickly adjust classes during a term or before the next term. Web cameras will stream every in-person class, meaning that any student who prefers to or needs to participate from home will be able to do so. If public health conditions make it necessary to move in-person classes fully online, we will do that.
Our academic and operational leaders have reviewed every classroom and learning space on campus and reconfigured rooms to ensure social distancing. Maximum room capacities have been lowered to meet guidelines for social distancing and crowd sizes.
Face coverings must be worn indoors at all times, except for when you’re alone in private offices and residential rooms. Masks are also strongly encouraged in outdoor settings in which you’re near others. A free Spalding-branded cloth mask will be provided to every employee and student while supplies last. Disposable cloth masks will also be available. Free plastic face shields will be available for those who must interact with others within six feet.
Every person coming to campus must complete and pass a daily online health self-assessment. This quick assessment will ask basic questions about your temperature, potential symptoms and potential exposure to COVID-19.
All students will be strongly encouraged to download a campus public health app that will be used for submitting the health self-assessments and assisting in contact tracing should a positive case occur on campus. This app will protect personal privacy and confidentiality.
Wayfinding and directional signage to promote social distancing are being installed in buildings across campus.
Sanitation of campus spaces will be a top priority of our housekeeping staff. Anti-viral cleaning solution and wipes will be available in classrooms across campus, and hand sanitizer dispensers are set up in every building.
All students living in the residence halls will have a room to themselves while only being charged the less expensive double-occupancy rate.
Campus dining will no longer include self-serve options, and students will have dedicated hours of access to dining facilities.
Nearly all staff members who are able to do so will continue to work from home in order to reduce the number of people in any given building.

Never hesitate to reach out to the Dean of Students, your academic advisor, a member of the faculty, your athletic coach or our financial aid staff with your questions about this fall. If you have not registered for fall classes, we encourage you to do so on WebAdvisor.

We will continue to follow health guidelines set by state and local government and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This is a fluid time for our country and our campus, and when it’s necessary to adjust, we will. Our success this year will require cooperation, flexibility and patience from everyone, and I know we will succeed. We are a compassionate university, and we will work together to have a great, safe year.

All the best,

Tori

Tori Murden McClure
Spalding University President

Aaron Roberts, Director of Residence Life, sent the following message to students on June 18, 2020, regarding on-campus housing this fall:

Dear Golden Eagles,

It has always been a priority of our Residence Life team to provide a home away from home where you feel safe, connected, and empowered. As we anticipate the course of COVID-19 for the fall, your health and safety are our priority. Per the guidance of Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, we will open on-campus housing in August at a lower density for the 2020-2021 academic year.

What will low-density, on-campus living look like?

Students will be assigned single room occupancy in either Morrison Hall or the Spalding Suites but will be charged the lower rate of a double room.

At single room occupancy, no more than 2-7 students will be living per suite in the Spalding Suites.
A number of private rooms will be set aside as isolation rooms for symptomatic students with access to single use restrooms and showers.

Please complete your Housing Preference Form by Friday, July 10. Students will receive a housing assignment on Wednesday, July 15. We will do our best to assign adjacent rooms to students who have requested a roommate. We will use the same guidelines from the governor and the CDC to inform our safe use of shared spaces. We will provide further details with the housing assignment.

At this time, we feel confident that every student who applies for housing will receive a housing offer. However, the number of students we will be able to house this year will be limited based on these guidelines. If housing applications exceed our capacity, priority will be given to students who live more than 30 miles from campus. You can stay up to date with our Return to Campus Plan at https://spalding.edu/covid/

We thank you for your patience and for doing your part to keep our campus community safe. Reach out to me anytime with questions at [email protected] or contact our Residence Life Operations Coordinator Deanna Kirby at [email protected]. Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @reslife_su.

My team and I look forward seeing you this fall!

Aaron Roberts
Director of Residence Life

Dear Spalding Community,

Thanks to the diligent work of many, I am pleased to announce that Spalding University will welcome students back to campus this fall.

Led by Chief of Staff and Dean of Operations Chris Hart, the Coordinating Committee for the Return to Campus has been meeting regularly to plan for the safe reopening of campus for in-class instruction, housing, athletics and other campus activities. The Return to Campus committee will issue a report in the coming weeks with guidelines for the Spalding Community.

All aspects of how the University operates will be in the context of ensuring the health and wellness of our students, faculty, staff and visitors, following guidance from state and local officials. This will include considerations for personal protective equipment and the safe configuring of classrooms, labs, residence halls, athletic facilities and other campus spaces.

Some initial updates:

Fall classes will include courses that are face-to-face, hybrid and online.
Web cameras will be in seated classes so that students who do not feel comfortable attending class in person will have the option to participate from home.
Leaders from Athletics and Residence Life have been working on protocols for safely welcoming student-athletes and residential students back to campus.
For several weeks, Spalding University’s Comprehensive Outpatient Rehabilitation Facility (CORF) has been operating and seeing clients in a safe manner, and its successful reopening will serve as a model for other clinical and lab settings around campus.

We look forward to sharing additional updates from the planning committee.

We encourage our current and incoming students to move forward with registering for fall courses in anticipation of our return. We can’t wait to see our students again this fall.

May you, and all those you love, be well.

All the best,
Tori

Tori Murden McClure
Spalding University President