Olivet College president: Students can return in the fall

OLIVET — Olivet College will welcome its students back to campus in August with precautions in place to protect against COVID-19 exposure.

Olivet College announced plans to resume in-person classes next fall on Wednesday, despite the concerns and uncertainties surrounding the COVID-19 epidemic.

Several campus groups will develop a plan to ensure students are safe when they return, taking into consideration academic calendar adjustments, options for both in-person and remote classes and moving to fully remote courses if needed.

“People want to reengage,” said Olivet College President Steven Corey on Wednesday. “With three months roughly to go, we felt like now was the time.”

Fall courses are set to start on August 17.

A working group consisting of Barry Eaton District Health Department members, medical professionals, faculty, staff and representatives from other independent colleges will develop a plan.

Recommendations involving student activities, internships, service learning and travel abroad programs will also be reviewed.

Summer classes will be offered online. All on-campus summer events have been canceled.

COVID-19 likely will not be completely gone when classes resume in the fall, Corey said. It’s not about being coronavirus-free, he said. Rather, it’s about finding how to host students, faculty and staff while alleviating and living with the risks.

Bringing students back and mitigating those risks is the best chance the college has at carrying out its mission and emerging financially successful, he said.

Audrey Helfrich, who will be a junior Olivet College, hopes the coronavirus subsides and it becomes safer to return to campus for the fall semester. If not, she's confident Olivet officials will take the necessary steps to keep her and other students safe. 

"I have mixed emotions about returning in the fall," Helfrich said, in a Facebook message. "On the one hand I’m super excited to return to school, see all my friends and get back to living my life as a normal college student. But on the other hand I have people in my family who are at high risk if they get the virus, and I wouldn’t want to pass it on to them. If the right precautions are taken to ensure my safety I would feel positive about returning."

Not every student will come back to campus in the fall, Corey said. He expects some students and even faculty and staff will not feel safe returning, but remote options will be provided along with the in-person offerings.

“Will we return to the same campus environment that we left in March? No. Will we return to a family of faculty, staff and classmates that support, love, encourage and look out for one another? Absolutely,” Corey said, in a statement released by the college. “I’ll be back. I’m looking forward to having our students back, too.”

Contact Mark Johnson at 517-377-1026 or at majohnson2@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ByMarkJohnson.