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Sep 3, 2020 | News

Return to Campus

Picture of introduction to business class enjoying class outside on the first day

Nearly five months after Baker University’s spring semester abruptly moved to remote learning and students moved off campus, activity has returned for the 2020-2021 school year. Although processes are different and conditions change constantly, one thing remains constant for the Wildcat community: a desire to be together.

From academics to community events, this year has brought a new set of challenges and learning experiences.

“The students want to be together but understand the need for safety. Our students are continuing to work to provide safe environments not only for themselves but the entire Wildcat community. Our students are creative as they find ways to connect with their peers,” said Randy Flowers, assistant dean of students and director of student life.

Although nearly every event and classroom experience has been altered to adhere to health and safety guidelines established by the university’s COVID-19 Recovery Taskforce, the university has worked hard to provide events and academics that sustain the campus experience while keeping the Baker community safe.

“While events are being offered, they happen either in a socially distanced setting, in a hybrid of social distance and virtual, or are fully virtual. For example, during Welcome Week, we held a Headphone Disco Dance Party, where students could listen to the live DJs via headphones. Students were socially distanced and had their area to dance within while wearing a mask. This program was still offered in a physical setting but evolved to meet new regulations,” Flowers said.

A short walk around campus reveals many new procedures. One is outdoor classrooms. Tents, whiteboards, and chairs have been set outside, allowing students to spread out, enjoy the weather, and gain the benefits of in-person learning. However, classes that depend on equipment and hands-on learning present a challenge because most cannot be taught outside or online.

Inge Balch, professor of art, has made adjustments to her classes. “I have made an outside classroom for visual language and hand-building classes, she said. “This allows me to spread the potter’s wheels out by using two [indoor] rooms. I have the best students, and they are all team players 6 feet apart.”

Some of the largest campus gatherings, weekly chapel services, have been adjusted as well. Services inside the packed Osborne Chapel with a complete worship band are no longer options. So services moved outside on the lawn in front of the chapel with limited music and a smaller crowd. Attendees are encouraged to dance and sway along with the music but have been asked to refrain from singing. Baker University Chapel Ambassadors, led by the Rev. Kevin Hopkins, are hard at work looking for new ways to reach students. Hopkins describes the energy students bring to campus as exciting, and he says most students are hopeful about the year to come.

Educating and nurturing through life-changing opportunities lie at the heart of Baker University’s mission, and in that regard, this year is no different. Although some of the specifics surrounding classes and activities have changed, the dedication of the Wildcat community has remained the same. New guidelines and regulations have sparked creativity and reaffirmed the commitment to being together on campus safely.

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