West Virginia University has extended the payment deadline for certain fall charges so students have more time to plan after announcing a phased Return to Campus in Morgantown.
The payment deadline for fall charges on July eBills is now September 1 instead of August 1.
The phased approach, announced this week, will result in fewer students on the Morgantown campus for in-person instruction with the hope of bringing more students back as the semester progresses.
After a significant spike in positivity and transmission rates in early July, the University was encouraged by a downward trend in those rates over the past week. This improvement in downward trends was a result of West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice mandating masks indoors and closing bars in Morgantown, in addition to other measures taken by the State, the Morgantown City Council and the Monongalia County Commission. However, there was heightened concern that returning all students to campus at one time could reignite an increased rate of cases and transmission.
“Our Governor has constantly reminded us to keep the health and safety of our students and community at the front of our minds in making our decisions. We appreciate the leadership of our Governor for making the hard decisions that were in the best interest of our campus and local communities,” said Rob Alsop, vice president for strategic initiatives. “We also have worked closely with our local and state public health officials to help mitigate spread in our community.
“This was not an easy decision,” continued Alsop. “We know that changing things at this date disrupted many plans, and we understand and empathize with those frustrations. But we also know the data makes a very strong case for us to take this direction. And, after consulting with Gov. Justice and our partners in public health, we believe this is the right thing to do.”
The plan calls for classes on the Morgantown campus to begin on Wednesday, Aug. 26, a week later than originally scheduled. Classes on the Beckley and Keyser campuses will begin on Wednesday, Aug. 19 as originally scheduled. Additional academic information is available at the Return to Campus website.
Move-in for residence halls is also delayed by one week – from Saturday, Aug. 15 to Saturday, Aug. 22. Additional housing information is available at the Return to Campus website.
COVID-19 testing will be required for those students who will be taking on-campus courses and/or using on-campus resources. Additional testing dates will be made available the week of Aug. 17. The test is free.
A virtual commencement ceremony will be held on Dec. 19 to honor WVU’s August and December graduates. In addition, information regarding an in-person commencement for both the May and December 2020 ceremonies will be posted at a future date.
Additional information, including details of two planned Campus Conversations on Thursday, July 30, is available at the Return to Campus website.
