Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Seattle Pacific University’s Autumn Reopening Plan Task Force has been working to create a model and guidelines for the fall quarter, according to an email sent out by President Daniel Martin to students and faculty Monday, June 29.

These guidelines follow Governor Jay Inslee’s Proclamation surrounding higher education.

SPU will continue to enforce social distancing, sanitation and face coverings on campus in fall quarter classes. The campus will also be providing COVID-19 testing as needed as well as reserving a space for isolation in the case that a student living on campus needs it.

SPU had announced previously that the quarter would start on Monday, Sep. 14 and end on Nov. 24, and be conducted in a hybrid format. A new development to Fall quarter’s class instruction is SPU will be shifting class times around in order for more time between classes to limit the movement of people in classrooms for social distancing, as well as moving classes to bigger rooms.

“We are working toward a goal of having our revised time schedule available by August 1,” wrote Martin. “Students who are already registered will not need to re-register, but in some cases students may want or need to adjust classes once the new time schedule is published.”

With the quarter starting earlier, students living on campus will be able to move into their residence spaces starting on Thursday, Sep. 10. Housing assignments will be released in mid-July. However, due to frequent updates and changes made to safety guidelines, the plans can change.

Dining Services is still in the process of making plans with Sodexo to see what dining options will be available in the fall.

“Sodexo will provide more information on precautions in place across our dining and retail locations on campus as well as the range of options available to enjoy,” wrote Martin in the email.

SPU’s athletic department is working with the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the Great Northwest Athletic Conference to plan for athletes’ abilities to practice and compete. However, they are still currently planning for athletes to arrive early to campus.

Martin wrote that he understood that there have been many changes made to how the quarter will look due to the pandemic but will continue to keep the students, faculty and staff updated with any changes.

“As I conclude this update, I know that because of the COVID-19 pandemic, some things will look different this autumn,” wrote Martin. “We are committed to the health and safety of our community, as well as to our students’ educational, social, and spiritual needs.”