Tiffin University announces plan to welcome back students for spring semester

Tiffin, Ohio — Tiffin University will welcome students back to campus January 17, 2021, for their spring semester.

Students will begin on-campus remote learning for the first two weeks then transition into hybrid learning for the remainder of the semester. Before moving in, students must be tested for COVID-19.

“While many of us had hoped that the upcoming spring semester might offer a return to more familiar routines, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to pose a serious threat to the state of Ohio,” said Tiffin University President Dr. Lillian Schumacher. “Our revised Dragon Plan includes updated guidelines to ensure the health and safety of all TU students and employees when they return for the spring semester.”

The University will continue to practice sanitation procedures, physical distancing, universal mask-wearing and adapt to any other recommendations made by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and state and local municipalities. Returning to campus during the pandemic necessitates the following new requirements and guidelines.

Classroom Instruction

Classes will begin on January 17, with on-campus remote learning for the first two weeks of the semester. Seated split-session hybrid classes will resume February 1. This hybrid model will mix online and in-person classes.

Athletics

Knowing how important athletics is in many students’ lives, TU plans to provide opportunities for team engagement in a safe environment. The athletics department will continue to follow guidelines from the NCAA, G-MAC, federal, state and local agencies.

Health and Safety

In welcoming students back to campus for the spring semester, TU anticipates that most guidelines from last fall will remain in place. This includes wearing a face covering, maintaining social distance, limiting in-person gatherings and complying with the daily health-check assessment and contact tracing on the TU mobile app.

New this semester, students must get tested for COVID-19 and upload their results into the TU mobile app within five days of arriving on campus. If a student has a positive test result, Tiffin University encourages them to isolate at home. Once their isolation period is over, they may come to campus with a negative COVID-19 test result. If a student comes to campus with no test results, or test results that are older than five days old, they may be quarantined for 14 days.

Classrooms, dining halls, residence halls, offices and other areas will be routinely disinfected.

If a student or employee of Tiffin University tests positive for COVID-19, the campus community will be notified. Students that test positive for COVID-19 will be placed in isolation housing or can go home to quarantine. Employees that test positive will be sent home to telework for 10 days. Contaminated offices and residence halls will be thoroughly cleaned after 24 hours.

Tiffin University will continue to work with the CDC and regional and local health care partners to comply with directives and guidelines to safeguard their students, faculty, staff and visitors and reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19 on campus.

“I am proud of the TU community for their hard work and dedication as we continue to navigate through the COVID-19 pandemic,” said President Schumacher. “They have shown incredible respect and care for each other by complying with pandemic protocols set in place. I am confident that all Dragons will continue to adhere to these guidelines, and together we will move through the spring semester.”

For a complete list of updates on Tiffin University’s spring semester, please visit tiffin.edu/dragon-plan-spring-2021.