St. Vincent College preparing to bring students back to campus with COVID-19 changes

LATROBE, Pa. — Some higher education schools in the Pittsburgh area are preparing to bring students back to campus, and that includes St. Vincent College.

When students return to Latrobe in the fall, it will feel much different with the changes in place to help avoid a spread of COVID-19 cases among students, faculty and staff.

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Some of the changes include dorms at 75% capacity and classrooms following social distancing guidelines.

The school announced it is bringing all undergraduate and graduate students back for in-person instruction in August. They haven’t been on campus since mid-March.

“We asked every student in every class to comment on what went well and what they missed about the face-to-face instruction. And overwhelmingly, students and faculty reported the face-to-face interaction was critical to the learning process,” said John Smetanka, vice president for academic affairs and academic dean.

But in order to abide with CDC guidelines, students will have to wear face masks inside, and class instruction with feel a little different with classes only at half capacity.

Smetanka said some classes are being moved to larger spaces so they can happen at the same time. About 33% of them will be taught in a “team strategy,” where half the students will be online and the other half will be face-to-face.

Despite the pandemic, the school said admission numbers haven’t taken a hit. This year, students will return a little earlier to start, while Christmas break will last longer to reduce any potential virus threats when students return to campus for the spring.

“We’ve been seeing that students are sticking strong to their decision to come in the fall. I believe some of that is their experience in high school. They too missed the face-to-face interaction,” said Smetanka.

As far as athletics is concerned, it’s still on for most team sports at St. Vincent -- following health guidelines and only playing conference games. However, the school said it is still looking into possible changes in the near future.

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Cox Media Group