Wayne State College is planning for a regular Spring 2021 semester following the shortened fall and December semesters. 

Wayne State College has overcome a lot of difficulty in the first semester back on campus since student and faculty had to go online halfway through the spring semester. The first hurdle being WSC decided to condense the fall semester to help make the time spent close to others less threatening and safer so the students will not be at risk of getting either sick or exposed to COVID-19. The college has a plan for the upcoming spring semester to have a full 16-week semester like previous semesters. 

“We relied on the basic steps for our student and faculty health and safety which are hygiene, masks, social distancing and screening ourselves, along with aggressive contact testing and tracing protocol,” Jay Collier, Director of College Relations, said. 

They decided not to condense the semester because Wayne State College took a lot of precautions for the student’s safety, whether in the classroom, library or any other facilities. WSC plans to do the same for the next semester in terms of safety and precautions. 

Wayne State is cautiously optimistic for the spring semester because there has been news of progress with a COVID-19 vaccination. Wayne State College has been able to finish the full semester, which did come as a shock for some.  

“There needs to be credit given to the students for doing what you were asked to do along with a credit to the faculty and staff, and everyone else who has come together to help us as a whole and stayed conscious of what precautions we had to take to keep our semester going as smoothly as possible,” Collier said. 

WSC also has a backup plan incase students do get sick or exposed. They have reserved hotel rooms so that on campus student will have a place to be safe and isolated, in order to ensure they do not spread the virus around campus. All these precautions were put in place for the fall and December term and will continue for the spring semester. 

The spring semester begins on Jan. 11 and will end May 7. Due to the shortened fall semester, there weren’t many breaks for the students, faculty and staff. This made planning another condensed semester seem too hectic and was another reason as to why Wayne State College wanted to try to go back to a normal schedule. 

There have been a few questions regarding the breaks students are given, such as the weeklong midterm break from Mar. 8 to 12 and the spring break on Apr. 5, because it can be tricky to keep students from getting exposed to the coronavirus and coming back to campus. 

Collier also said that they were brain storming activities to hold over the breaks within the spring semester that will encourage students to stay on campus and give them a fun and safe alternative for the breaks to come. 

“We want to give the students a reason to stay, maybe to learn a new skill, or to learn something that would help build the resume or the chance to engage in a service or community service along with a lot of other options because we understand the temptation to travel,” Collier said. 

Wayne State College also hopes if students do choose to leave and travel that they quarantine at the safety of their homes. The college feels confident if everyone is on board with the precautions, along with understanding the seriousness of the rules, then everyone can make it through the spring semester. 

With a lot of planning and a lot of group effort from the students, faculty and staff, WSC can defy the odds and have a successful 16-week semester in 2021 with the hope of every student staying happy and healthy in the coming year.