Cameron U. sets contingency plans for fall semester

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  • Cameron University
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NORMAN — Classes will be back in session this August at Cameron University.

The exact format they will take is still up in the air, though.

Addressing the University of Oklahoma Board of Regents via Zoom on May 8, Cameron University President John McArthur said his campus is preparing two sets of operation plans for the fall semester, depending on the status of the ongoing pandemic.

If conditions allow, the school will reopen for in person instruction for the fall semester, albeit with modifications.

For example, a lecture hall with 100 seats may be used for a section capped at 25 students to allow for social

distancing. That classroom’s use would be also be staggered to provide more time for cleaning after class.

Additionally, more online sections of classes will be offered wherever possible with lectures offered in real time via Zoom or other streaming platforms.

The changes will extend to residential life as well. Cameron students who live on campus will not have a roommate and access to the dormitories will be restrict- ed. Additionally, two apartment buildings will be kept empty in case the university needs space to quarantine any students.

The dormitories are currently closed and will remain shuttered all summer. The 19 students still on campus due to travel restrictions are being housed in apartments.

To date, there are no known COVID-19 cases within the Cameron community. However, if officials determine it is not safe to resume in person instruction, McAdams said they are preparing for a fall semester that would strongly resemble the last six weeks of the spring term.

As was the case for many colleges and universities across the country, Cameron University moved to distance learning after spring break due to COVID-19. Aside from limited, staggered sections for laboratory and art studio classes, all summer school offerings will be online as well.

The switch has cost the school an estimated $650,000 in out-of-pocket costs as of April 30, including $360,000 in refunds for meal plans, housing, and other student services it could not provide.

“That does not include costs associated with lost student enrollment or employee productivity,” McArthur said. “We are still tracking them in case there is a future reimbursement opportunity.”

Both the Lawton and Duncan campuses have been largely closed to visitors since late March. With most Cameron employees now working quarter or part-time in staggered shifts, McArthur said that would not change during the summer months. However, he did not rule out the possibility of the Lawton campus hosting day camps in July for area children.

“We are waiting on additional guidance from the Comanche County Health Department, among others,” he said.

Between an anticipated decrease in enrollment and all but guaranteed cuts to the school’s state aid allocation, Cameron officials are still crunching numbers on a budget proposal for the coming year that accommodates for up to 8.5 percent less funding.

The budget deal approved by the state legislature on May 5 calls for higher education as a whole to take a 4 percent reduction from 2019- 2020. As of May 8, it is still awaiting action by Gov. Kevin Stitt. Additionally, McArthur said the university expects enrollment to drop by at least 10 percent for the coming school year, thus bringing in even less operating revenue.

However, there are no plans at the moment to request an overall increase in tuition and fees for the 2020- 2021 school year. Instead, university officials are looking at converting some of the school’s mandatory fees to be part of its hourly tuition. A formal proposal will be presented to the board of regents in June.