FARIMONT, W.Va. – The spring 2021 semester at Fairmont State University begins Monday, January 11. Students must have proof of a negative COVID test prior to attending in-person instruction.
Students, faculty and staff will be broken into four groups for staggered testing, courses will be offered both face-to-face and synchronously until each group has completed testing. The staggered system is designed to minmize risk and contain the spread of COVID-19.
Courses will be offered both face-to-face and synchronously until all students have the opportunity to get tested.
“From the very start, this historic pandemic disrupted the way higher education operates,” Mirta M. Martin, president of Fairmont State University, said. “But disruption doesn’t have to mean derailment. Our goal has always been to safely and securely continue to provide Fairmont State’s trademark affordable, transformative education and keep our kids on track to graduate on time. And thanks to the best leadership team around, we’ve created innovative strategies like staggered arrival that enable us to do just that.”
So far, 25 positive results have been identified as of Friday morning.
Testing of off-campus, international and graduate students will take place next week, with sophomores, juniors, seniors and graduate students living in residence halls to follow. All testing is scheduled to be completed by Wednesday, January 20.
Earlier this week, the first round of COVID-19 vaccines were administered to a group of high-risk employees. A total of 80 doses were distributed with plans to vaccinate additional members of the campus community as more vaccines become available.
The spring semester will conclude with final exams the week of April 20 and will not include a Spring Break in order to limit travel to and from campus and allow students to return home earlier for summer.