REDDING, Calif. – Life at Simpson University looks a little different for the fall semester.
“It's a new normal,” said Norman Hall, president of the university. “Everyone has been very patient.”
That new normal at Simpson University includes face masks on campus, students disinfecting their desk after each use, and getting temperatures checks just before you drive-in.
“It's a little bit of an inconvenience but it’s what we have to do to stay open,” said senior Zack Caples.
The university also moved towards a HyFlex model of learning, which is just one of the other changes that the school made. A HyFlex Model allows for face-to-face learning, while also giving students the option to livestream or watch a recording of their classes from anywhere.
Students tell Action News Now they’re glad to be trading their online classes for in-person ones.
“I'm going to do a hybrid,” said Fatima Valenzuela, a second-year at Simpson University.
“Sometimes I’m going to do it by Zoom and sometimes in class, but the hard classes “I’m going to try to do it in person.”
But with students back on campus, the university has a plan to help prevent an outbreak. The university says if a student shows signs of coronavirus they will be asked to self-isolate. The college set aside several dorm rooms at Measell-Taylor Residency Hall. The university is also using part of its parking lot for trailers, which is where they’ll quarantine students who test positive.
“If we believe they have COVID or the test positive for COVID, they would go to a high quarantine where they would go into a room with no other interaction,” said Hall.
The university says while there's no need for the trailers or isolation rooms just yet, they want to be prepared. The university plans to have between five to 15 trailers on its campus.