UW Oshkosh Police Chief and Recovery Task Force Implementation Team Leader Kurt Leibold released an email today outlining and emphasizing the group’s newest rules and enforcements for coming back to campus in fall.

One of the largest updates, a reversal from the initial plan released in early June, stated that all courses would no longer move online after Thanksgiving break.

“After hearing from faculty, UWO leadership decided that we would continue to offer in-person classes after Thanksgiving, unless conditions created by COVID-19 force us to move all instruction to online,” Leibold said in the email.

The email additionally stated that the RTF team is finalizing processes if somebody on campus were to contract the coronavirus.

Flowcharts for campus processes and contact methods are put in place for others who have come in contact with a person who contracted the virus.

Students will be asked to take a health assessment every day before arriving on campus, and will receive a “Titans Return” backpack in early September to help enforce safety protocol.

Hand sanitizer will be readily available at gathering spaces such as Reeve Memorial Union and Blackhawk Commons. Seating arrangements will be altered and spaced out to enforce social distancing.

In-person meetings during the fall semester are to be done only if proper sanitation and safety protocols are going to be followed, according to Leibold’s email. Meetings and gatherings are highly encouraged to be held virtually.

“This includes physical distancing, wearing masks, abiding by room capacity limits and following proper disinfection procedures,” Leibold stated in the email on safety protocol.

For parents and students, forums will be held on Aug. 11 and 12 to answer questions and concerns regarding the return in fall.

The Oshkosh Emergency Operations Center will also be holding “tabletop exercises” in August to evaluate preparedness of handling coronavirus cases in fall.

Additionally, the RTF team is working on final details of “alert levels” to determine what will trigger campus alerts and how they will reach the three campuses.

Leibold thanked the campus community for their continued support and understanding.

“Thank you for your patience as we work to prepare our campuses for a safe semester,” he said.

Other information on the return plan can be found at the Titans Return website.