Boise State University opened the academic year with the goal of reducing the risk of COVID-19 spread and giving students options when it comes to breaks and staying on campus or returning home. Our services and operations remain open every hour of every day for the entire academic year. Our custodial and maintenance staff work to keep our buildings operating safely, our live-in professional staff members keep watch over the buildings, staff and students, and our student staff continue to reach out and support students and build community, both virtually and in person.
Our commitment to providing students with options as well as the commitment to support and serve our students on campus and when they are at home means that we must fund our operational and student support staff. That is why we are not offering prorated refunds to students who decide to go home and not return to campus until spring.
We are gearing up for and planning a robust testing program for all students living on campus during spring semester. This will continue to help us reduce the risk of virus spread among our campus community. We will require all students to be tested prior to moving back into their rooms for the start of the spring semester. Detailed information will be shared in the coming weeks.
In addition, you and your student have choices for spring break. They can move out early, go home and stay home for the rest of the semester; go home (travel during spring break) and come back to campus, or stay on campus during spring break and through the end of the semester. Classes will be delivered online only after spring break.
Operating during COVID-19 has increased our costs. The creation of isolation spaces, the hiring of a nursing staff, contact tracers, meal delivery program, case managers supporting students, and public health officers makes it possible to help our students continue their academic pursuits when they have to isolate or quarantine. This effort requires additional financial and human investment, and even if your student has not needed this service so far, we must sustain it for your student should they need it in the future. Our recent closure of Topaz and Jasper halls is an effort to expand this service and deliver it with increased quality.
We appreciate the hard work of students and our staff to follow COVID-19 protocols and keep our campus operating. So far we have been able to do just that and we want to continue that for the spring semester. Your engagement, along with your students, helps us provide a face-to-face on-campus experience.
Thank you.