Michigan reopening: MSU students will return to campus this fall despite coronavirus pandemic

EAST LANSING — Michigan State University will invite students to return to campus this fall despite COVID-19 concerns though the university will also offer remote learning options and will end the in-person portion of courses by Thanksgiving.

Students will be back on campus on Sept. 2, according to a letter MSU President Samuel Stanley Jr. sent to students, faculty and staff Wednesday, but it won’t be business as usual.

An MSU reopening taskforce is still considering options and recommendations to keep students safe, but a number of precautions have already been adopted, including ending all in-person instruction by Thanksgiving and having students finish the last three weeks of the semester remotely, limiting large gatherings and wearing facemasks.

“The fall 2020 semester will look different from any previous semester at MSU,” Stanley wrote. “The driving factor behind our decisions will continue to be the health, safety and well-being of students, faculty and staff.” 

With the decision to reopen made, MSU officials will ramp up planning. Officials are still working out how to manage residence halls, how to approach contact tracing and testing and how to use and schedule classroom spaces, according to the letter.

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Stanley said MSU already has taken steps to make campus safe, including heightened cleaning, establishing a strong supply chain to assure MSU has access to enough personal protective equipment and working with local health care facilities to prepare for a potential outbreak.

Much of the planning still depends on the status of COVID-19 in August.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer extended her stay at home order to June 12. Exemptions were made that allow MSU facilities in northern Michigan to reopen. Stanley said MSU will avoid a “mass return to work” once the order lifts, with employees working from home until MSU allows them to return, according to the letter.

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Students will still have the option to take their classes remotely, Stanley wrote.

“We can and will do this in a responsible manner that works to mitigate risk to the entire university community while preserving the high quality of an MSU education, our extension mission, our world-class research and the social interactions that make MSU special,” Stanley wrote.  

Joe Madrid will be one of the students returning. He has a scholarship that pays for his on-campus housing.

The decision to bring students back elicited mixed emotions for Madrid. Many of his friends will be seniors and he doesn't want to lose out on time he could spend with them before they graduate. 

"Of course I want to be there, especially for the people I won’t be seeing when they graduate. But I’m worried," Madrid said. "I want to be precautious as best as I can. I don’t really feel like a bunch of people back on campus is the best idea."

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