Lynn University Believes the Necessary Adjustments Have Been Made to Make Sure this Semester is a Success
Revamps to teaching and dorm living are among the biggest changes.
In March, educational institutions from small elementary schools to large universities had to transition from in-person instruction to fully online learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
It has been six months since the pandemic changed the way American students received their scholastic instruction and now most schools are ready to reopen for the traditional in-person educational experience.
Lynn University is one of those schools. The school, famous for its unique approach to teaching, is set to resume on-campus classes Aug. 24 with a renewed focus on improving the health and wellbeing of its students and faculty while offering increased flexibility and safety for everyone.
As with almost every other public area in Florida, state and local guidelines require that masks and social distancing be enforced while on-campus.
A hallmark of Lynn’s approach to education is their small class sizes. To maximize the safety of others Lynn is adopting a form of block scheduling.
In a statement provided by Lynn’s senior public relations manager, Jamie D’Aria:
“The semester will be scheduled as four separate, four-week undergraduate terms during which students take up to two courses… With fewer courses at a time, block scheduling will limit the number of people that students and faculty come in contact with during each session. It also allows the university to quickly switch to remote learning if necessary.”
Students also have the option to opt-out of on-campus courses and take their classes remotely.
The school’s health center is providing free COVID-19 screening to students and faculty who may have been exposed to the virus and according to the school’s website, “Lynn partnered with CVS Health to provide on-site rapid result COVID-19 testing services.”
Dorm life will be different as “there will be no more than two people assigned per bedroom,” according to the university’s website. Reducing the number of people assigned to a bedroom has eliminated the option for a three-person bedroom. Visitors will also be disallowed.
Most upperclassmen will be assigned to a nearby hotel with shuttle service that will take them to and from campus. As more space becomes available upperclassmen will slowly be moved back to campus if they wish.
Isolation rooms will also be provided to residents who test positive for coronavirus but due to limited availability residents who test positive for the virus should prepare themselves to make their own off-campus living arrangements.
Athletics has probably suffered the biggest changes as the Sunshine State Conference (SSC), which is the athletic conference that Lynn participates in, has decided to cancel its Fall 2020 athletic season.
This semester looks to be a memorable one for Lynn University filled with unique challenges.
Palm Beach County is, as of Aug. 11, currently at 36,944 total cases of coronavirus.
