BUFFALO, N.Y. — As local school districts continue to plan for the start of the fall semester, so are colleges and universities, in ways unlike ever before.
Early Sunday morning, Buffalo State College began its staggered move-in plan by welcoming 27 students from hot spot states around the country.
Per Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, for the next two weeks, these students will be quarantined on campus in a residence hall used specifically for medical isolation. There, they will take online classes, get meals delivered, and be monitored daily by the medical staff.
Once cleared, these students will then move into their permanent halls and join the rest of the student body.
As for the other resident students, scheduled move-ins will take place from August 19 to August 22. Buffalo State requires these students to self-quarantine on campus for one week, as an additional precautionary measure.
What happens after move-in?
The answer: students begin navigating their new virtual reality.
Whether in-person, hybrid or remote learning, most if not all campus-wide activities will take place virtually.
From bingo, to movie nights, to club meetings, perhaps even homecoming -- Zoom, House party, virtual classrooms -- there's no avoiding them.
Dr. Timothy Gordon, Vice President of Student Affairs at Buffalo State, tells 2 On Your Side this planning process has been a big collaborative effort.
"Our student leaders have done some great things this summer by creating some online student organization fairs for students to come back to," he said.
As learning changes, expect other campus-wide changes as well: more socially distanced dining halls, libraries, and residence halls, to name a few.
Jennie Mauk, Student Body President, says despite these changes, there are still ways for students to stay connected and involved.
"USG funds a campus link called bengalconnect.com. You can log in with your campus login and that will bring you to pages of all our organizations. You can find all of the contact information."
Buffalo State has also partnered with a streaming service to make it possible for students to stream more services.
But let's not forget the other SUNY school.
University at Buffalo is using social media, from Instagram to Twitter to Facebook, to inform, educate, and share the measures they are taking to ensure the student body stays healthy and safe.
Download any app and quickly learn all about their policies on: quarantine, social distancing, mask wearing,class instruction, student life and more.
Despite the fact that much is unknown during these unprecedented times, higher education is not cutting corners when it comes to listening to federal, state and local guidelines. Creating as much normalcy as possible is something campuses will continue to work on every day.