Morehouse College announces re-opening plan for fall semester

ATLANTA - Morehouse College has announced its re-opening plan for the fall semester amid the coronavirus pandemic. 

The plan will include mandatory COVID-19 testing for all students, faculty, and staff returning to campus, a mix of both in-person and digital learning, and single rooms for students on campus with fewer students living on campus.

The academic calendar has been tweaked to ensure students will return home before the winter flu season, with the fall semester ending before Thanksgiving. Final exams will be held between Nov. 16 through Nov. 20. 

The school also said there will be other changes regarding events that have attracted large crowds in prior school years, such as the annual Morehouse-Spelman College homecoming, which has been canceled. Fall athletic schedules for football and cross country have also been canceled. 

Additionally, Morehouse's week-long bonding and school prep workshop have been cut to two days and will be virtual. 

Morehouse said it will work with its School of Medicine to track COVID-19 test results and monitor the symptoms of students. 

“We will follow the strict guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and the state health department so that we can safely transition to low-density residential living and learning on campus,” said Morehouse President David A. Thomas. “It’s been nearly four months since we have seen our students. We are looking forward to having the men of Morehouse return to campus under the new normal and hearing their intellectual conversations in the classroom."