LOS ANGELES (AP) - The University of Southern California will begin in-person classes for the upcoming academic year on Aug. 17, a week earlier than originally scheduled, and final exams will be completed by Thanksgiving to help minimize spread of the coronavirus.
USC President Carol L. Folt announced the plan Tuesday night in a letter that acknowledged the appearance of bad timing amid the “horror over the senseless killing of George Floyd” but said the information would allow the university community to plan for the fall.
Folt said almost every undergraduate in-person class will also be offered online and she described a wide range of modification of classrooms, offices and campus spaces to accommodate physical distancing.
Residence halls and on-campus dining facilities will be modified to reduce density and contact, and take-out dining options will be expanded.
Face masks will be mandatory for everyone, and failure to follow that and other requirements could result in disciplinary actions.
Folt said the plans are subject to change and there is further planning underway on what to do if learning is disrupted by a surge in the pandemic.
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