Students Return to Delaware State University, Wesley College for Fall Classes

A student at Wesley College walks on the school's campus while wearing a face covering.

DOVER, Del.- It may have been the first day of classes, but there were only a few people walking the main drag of Delaware State University's campus on Monday afternoon. 

Niajah Lewis, a sophomore at DSU wasn't surprised, because of the school's shift toward remote learning because of COVID-19.

"Pretty much all of it is online," she said, noting that her courses were not likely to be taught with in-person instruction.

DSU officials said classes will primarily be taught remotely for the time being via electronic devices like laptops. The school is also requiring weekly testing for people who regularly spend time or visit the campus, like students and staff.

Carlos Holmes, a spokesman for DSU, said the aggressive testing plan has revealed "a few" positive cases for coronavirus but steps have been taken to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

"It's still only about one percent, so that's we feel like that's a figure we can live with. You catch it early, you do the contact tracing and we believe to operate under these circumstances," he said.

In-person instruction or research may be required for some students involved in programs that involve laboratory work, nursing, or aviation.

Wesley College, located closer to Dover's downtown area, has also welcomed students back. Officials at the liberal arts college say classes will be primarily taught in person, with proper safety measures like face coverings on campus and social distancing in classrooms.

Laura Mayse, the school's director of development and alumni relations, said the COVID-19 testing is recommended but not required for students, though on-campus testing options may be opened at some point. The school is requiring that students, faculty, and staff complete a five section survey each day to determine if they are cleared to come to campus.

"If you answer 'no' to every question...you're cleared to come to campus. If you answer 'yes' to any of the five questions, then you receive an email with the next steps," she said.

The change on campus was noticeable to many students, including seniors Regan Healey and Emily Waldridge. The pair said things were definitely different on campus but felt pretty safe at Wesley.

"There's buckets in every room with sani-wipes you have to wipe the tables with before you sit down. It's definitely a change," Waldridge said.

Healey said it's up to students to make sure safety precautions like face-covering requirements are being observed and accountability would be important.

"A lot of the athletic coaches, they're on everybody---their players and regular students are walking around to make sure they're wearing their masks," she said. "I know the softball coach is hunting people down who aren't wearing them."

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