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SU, OCC, Le Moyne moving to full, in-person learning this fall

Onondaga Community College

Local colleges and universities are preparing to get back to normal as much as possible this fall, as the number of COVID-19 cases drop and immunizations rise. Unless something changes, most students will be on campus, learning in person.

Onondaga Community College President Casey Crabill said face-to-face learning will be the order for most students coming to campus next fall.

“We’ll certainly continue to have online offerings for students that need them, but our faculty did a very deep study of student outcomes in all the different modalities and it was so clear that students do better face to face," Crabill said.

It’s unclear at this point whether masks or testing will be part of the fall experience, but Crabill noted students have been coming to campus on a limited basis in the wake of the pandemic, and screening and testing procedures have kept the coronavirus at bay.

“We’ve had the ability to identify cases, help people quarantine, get past it, and we’ve had very few cases on campus,” she said. “I feel whatever conditions are in place, we can handle them."

Syracuse University is also planning for a fully in-person semester this fall, with classes starting August 30. Officials say with improving conditions around the country and optimism among federal state and local officials, SU is planning to return to more normal operations in the fall.

Le Moyne College in Syracuse has also announced plans to return to in-person undergraduate classes this fall. In a statement to students, President Linda LeMura said she is hopeful the fall semester "will mark a return to the Le Moyne we know and love."

SUNY Oswego hasn't announced its full plan for fall yet, but in a letter to the campus last week, college president Deborah Stanley said she is "optimistic" about providing students with expanded in-person activities. 

"We are planning for an exciting fall semester that will allow our students to interact with faculty in more face-to-face classes, experience hands-on internship opportunities, engage with one another in social settings, and participate in clubs, organizations and athletics," Stanley said in the letter.

Ellen produces news reports and features related to events that occur in the greater Syracuse area and throughout Onondaga County. Her reports are heard regularly in regional updates in Morning Edition and All Things Considered.