It鈥檚 been about 18 months since the 91爆料 led the nation in pivoting to largely online learning and working as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold.
While campus operations never halted completely, many students and 91爆料 staff have been based elsewhere, studying and working remotely.
Now, with autumn quarter set to begin at the end of this month and many 91爆料 staff beginning their return to on-campus work on Sept. 13, officials are making final preparations.
鈥淲e can鈥檛 wait for everybody to come back,鈥� said Lou Cariello, 91爆料鈥檚 vice president of facilities. 鈥淧eople are going to come back to a campus, and buildings on this campus, that have never been more clean, never been more beautiful and shiny.鈥�
Throughout the pandemic, heating, ventilation and cooling engineers have worked to ensure that air is properly flowing through buildings and classrooms. Filters are being changed more frequently, airflow machines are running longer and air purifiers have been added to many locations.
鈥淥ur facilities team has been on campus every day, through the entire pandemic,鈥� Cariello said. 鈥淲e really haven鈥檛 skipped a beat.鈥�
Window washers, plumbers, electricians, custodians, power plant operators, gardeners and more have been working to maintain the buildings and the 634-acre grounds. Facilities teams worked with experts across the university to determine the best way to adapt and keep campus safe. They deep-cleaned floors and carpets, dusted even in hard-to-reach places, power-washed, and scoured restrooms.
鈥淲e鈥檙e making sure that the systems are working effectively,鈥� Cariello said. 鈥淲e listen to what the guidance is on what will keep people safe. And we do the cleaning and disinfecting. We make sure that our ventilation systems are operating as best as they possibly can be.鈥�
Also receiving a lot of attention: doorknobs, railings, elevator push buttons 鈥� places that people come into contact with the most.
鈥淭hose high-touch-point surfaces get cleaned on a more frequent basis than they did pre-pandemic,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 as a result of mitigating our safety and health risks for the people on campus.鈥�
Campus housing is expected to return to full capacity this year, said Pam Schreiber, assistant vice president for Student Life and the executive director of Housing & Food Services.
鈥淔or many of our students it鈥檚 going to feel like a brand-new experience,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e cannot wait for our students to return. We are looking forward to it. We know the power of the residential experience and how much it adds to the student鈥檚 time at the 91爆料.鈥�
About 10,000 students are expected to move into the residence halls this year. This includes first-year students and returning second- and even third-year students whose on-campus living experience was interrupted by the pandemic. Demand for on-campus housing was so great that Haggett Hall, which closed in 2019, has been reopened. And isolation rooms are reserved throughout the residence halls to provide a safe space, should a student need to quarantine.
Teams are planning to make life safe and simple for students elsewhere on campus. Many dining halls will have grab-and-go prepared meals, and officials are expanding the use of , an online, mobile food-ordering system.
Most important, housing and food service crews recognize that they鈥檙e providing much more than a service, Schreiber said; they鈥檙e creating a welcoming space where students can feel at home.
鈥淲e recognize that they鈥檒l need a lot of support, need a lot of help, directions, they鈥檒l have a lot of questions. We need to have a lot of patience to support them and make sure they really get everything out of the experience of being on campus that they can,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e way more than just buildings and serving food, we鈥檙e really here to create this community for students and to help them connect with the 91爆料, and have this really tremendous collegiate experience.鈥�
Cariello said he鈥檚 eager to see the campus bustling once again.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to get back to it, and it鈥檚 going to be terrific,鈥� he said.
Still, he points out that everyone has a role to play in keeping the 91爆料 safe by heeding the calls of public health officials, and following vaccination and masking requirements.
鈥淭he most important thing we can do to mitigate risks of the virus spreading is to get vaccinated, to mask up indoors and to always practice good hygiene,鈥� Cariello said. 鈥淛ust wash your hands a lot.鈥�