To: OSU Corvallis faculty and staff
From: F. King Alexander, President
Edward Feser, Provost and Executive Vice President
October 5, 2020
Dear OSU Corvallis faculty and staff,
We write to announce decisions regarding instruction for winter term for the Corvallis campus.
Based on continued careful monitoring of the status of the COVID-19 pandemic locally, throughout Oregon and nationally, we have decided that OSU’s Corvallis campus will continue providing instruction primarily through remote modalities for winter term 2021. Winter term plans for the OSU-Cascades campus will be announced by Oct. 15.
We will continue to use remote delivery to contribute to student wellness and educational success, limit the density of activity on-campus and in the Corvallis community, and help minimize the possible spread of COVID-19. As with fall term, courses offered on-site will be primarily those that have a heavy experiential learning component, such as labs, field courses and some graduate courses.
By the time registration opens in mid-November, the OSU Schedule of Classes will list the instructional modality for each course, as determined in consultation with academic units. Our aim is to limit the need for students to change where they live based on how winter term courses are offered.
We plan to have the following buildings open on the Corvallis campus during winter term: those with classrooms and teaching laboratories used for in-person instruction and applied learning, UHDS residence halls and dining centers, the Memorial Union, Dixon Recreation Center, and Valley Library, as well as other buildings that provide child care, Student Health Services, food services, emergency assistance and study spaces (such as the LInC). OSU updates the Corvallis open/closed buildings list regularly. Student advising will continue to be provided mostly remotely. We anticipate that all OSU-Cascades campus buildings will remain open during winter term.
As we plan for spring term, we will closely monitor COVID-19 conditions and, if possible, provide increased in-person instruction and additional on-site extra-curricular and experiential learning opportunities for students. We will communicate more details on spring term as winter term is underway.
Winter term tuition and fees will be the same as fall term. Student fees for the academic year will be based upon recommendations from student leaders in Corvallis and at OSU-Cascades.
Thank you in advance for your work delivering our research, teaching and engagement missions under these challenging conditions, and for remaining flexible as we continue to prioritize the health of our students, faculty, staff and communities.
Sincerely,
F. King Alexander
President
Edward Feser
Provost and Executive Vice President