The Board of Regents has new information about the fall semester for the state’s six public universities. Students will start classes a few days earlier and finish in-person classes by Thanksgiving.
Janelle Toman is the communications director for the Regents. She says students will take their final exams remotely after the Thanksgiving holiday. It’s up to individual universities and programs to determine any other adjustments to their fall calendar.
“As long as they maintain their accredited status with various accrediting bodies that review these kind of programs, the board of regents lets the campuses make some of those unique and specific adjustments based on their programs.”
The condensed semester is intended to limit how often students travel to and from campus. Labor Day, Native American Day and Veterans Day are all now class days to accommodate the new schedule. After Thanksgiving, the campuses will close for a deep cleaning.
Toman says the Board of Regents will not make any system-wide requirements related to masks or other mitigation efforts. She says that is up to individual universities.