University of Mississippi publishes its plan to return to campus

The University of Mississippi has published its plan to return to campus for the upcoming fall semester.

“In the face of the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Mississippi has undertaken extensive and exhaustive planning efforts in order to resume daily operations and return to instruction on campus for the fall 2020 semester,” the university wrote in its introduction to the plan.

Aspects of the “Campus Ready” plan will evolve as additional public health recommendations and direction from local, state and federal governing bodies is provided; however, the school’s response and planning is driven by the following guiding principles:

• Prevent the spread of the virus to safeguard our community by following guidance of public health officials and agencies,
• Resume an on-campus learning, residential and working environment that prioritizes the safety and well-being of the campus population,
• Fulfill our core mission of education, research and service, and
• Enable our students to maintain progress toward earning their degrees.

In a letter to the Ole Miss community, Chancellor Glenn F. Boyce emphasized the importance of following the recommendations of health officials.

“As demonstrated by the recent increase in confirmed cases in Mississippi and dozens of other states, one point cannot be overemphasized: Compliance with the parameters and protocols by all members of our university community will be essential to our success in the upcoming academic year,” Boyce wrote. “Wearing facemasks or appropriate cloth face coverings properly, maintaining 6 feet of physical distancing, and practicing proper hand hygiene will be required and vital to preventing virus spread. Many of these protocols are outlined on the university’s COVID-19 website, and additional protocols will be posted on the site as they are finalized in the coming weeks.

“If we cannot achieve full compliance with the protocols across our entire community and the university experiences prolific spread of the virus, we will have no choice but to scale back on-campus operations and take more drastic measures to prevent further spread.

To read the plan, visit the university website.