OSU President F. King Alexander and OSU Provost and Executive Vice President Edward Feser sent a letter to all OSU students on August 11, stating that based on careful monitoring of the status of COVID-19, the Corvallis campus will deliver approximately 90% of courses remotely in the fall. 

Oregon State University announced Tuesday students will be able to take a large majority of fall term courses remotely. The university has also returned to the usual regulations around S/U grades, and reminds students face coverings will be required in common indoor spaces.

“To the greatest extent practicable, we are providing you with the ability to decide the location that works best for you to pursue your studies,” said the email. “If you feel safest living at home and taking OSU courses remotely and online, almost all of our instruction will support that choice. If you choose to live on campus while you pursue your studies (mostly remotely or online), you are welcome at OSU.”

According to the email, residence halls will be open for students who decide living on campus is their best and safest option. The university will offer only single and double occupancy rooms and create space for use in isolating and quarantining, if needed. 

The university has adjusted their First Year Experience Live-on policy so all first-year students have the choice to remain at home. If first-year students choose to stay at home and attend Oregon State University remotely, students will have to send a request to the Office of the Dean of Students website. Students with a current University Housing & Dining Services contract who decide to stay home must cancel their contract by emailing [email protected].

On August 3, Dan Larson, vice provost for Student Affairs at Oregon State University sent an email to the OSU students in Corvallis, writing that as fall approaches the university wants to ensure the students have up-to-date information about fall term. 

”With that in mind, we have set up a Safety & Success at OSU Instagram account. Follow this account to stay connected to Beaver Nation and for helpful tips and the latest updates related to campus operations,” Larson wrote in his email. “We have updated our COVID-19 Safety & Success website where you will find in-depth information and ways we will support your success. This includes a dedicated Students website FULL of helpful information to support you academically. Additional social media pages you might want to follow are below. We will be using all of these channels to help you prep for a successful fall term!”

According to Oregon State University’s COVID-19 Safety & Success website, classes and resources will be offered through a combination of in-person, remote and online formats to ensure flexibility and broad access for all students, and the classrooms will have some changes as an effort to reduce the risk of COVID-19.

Changes to the classroom, according to COVID-19 Safety & Success website:

• OSU will offer in-person, remote learning, blended and Ecampus classes this fall. We anticipate that most fall term courses in Corvallis and 50 to 60% of courses at OSU-Cascades will occur remotely.

• A limited number of courses will be offered in person. Courses offered on-site will primarily be those that have a heavy experiential learning component, such as labs and field courses.

• The limited in-person classes that take place will have no more than 50 students and generally will have far fewer than 50. All in-person classes will be taught in large rooms or broken into smaller sections to ensure students and instructors have space for physical distancing.

• Some courses will be offered with a blended delivery of in-person and remote instruction. Blended learning is a combination of in-person and remote learning.

• All in-person instruction on the Corvallis campus will end at Thanksgiving Break, and fall term final exams will be conducted remotely.

Additionally, a face covering will be required in common indoor spaces and areas outside where social distancing isn’t possible.

In an email, Alix Gitelman, vice provost of the Office of Undergraduate Education said the university has asked faculty to be as flexible as possible in their support of students. 

“At this time, we plan to return to the usual regulations around S/U grades–these are covered in Academic Regulation 17. Students will be able to select the S/U grading option up through week seven of fall term,” Gitelman said via email.