Whitworth confirms plans to ‘resume campus operations’ this fall

Whitworth University is moving forward with plans for students, faculty and staff to return to campus this fall, according to a Wednesday evening tweet from school President Beck A. Taylor.

While other Spokane-area colleges, including Washington State University and Eastern Washington University, have announced plans to rely almost exclusively on remote instruction, Whitworth has been pursuing a plan to return to campus life and primarily in-person instruction.

Taylor’s tweet indicated there had been “no changes” to that plan.

“Whitworth University will resume campus operations, including academic instruction, on-campus housing, dining and student services, for Fall Term 2020,” Taylor wrote.

He said instruction would be given in-person, online and a mix of the two.

He also noted, “We have a comprehensive strategy for testing, contact tracing and isolation/quarantine. All of our plans are vetted with Spokane Regional Health District and consistent with @GovInslee’s June 24 proclamation and guidelines concerning the reopening of higher education.”