Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) administration, faculty and staff have been working hard over the last few months to prepare for a return to on-campus instruction and services in the fall semester and to welcome the newest class of students. OLLU is committed to the well-being of all the members of the community. Plans are being put into place with many measures to promote social distancing and safety for all. With the current surge in COVID-19 cases in Texas, OLLU is developing plans that allow for maximum flexibility.

Of special note is an important change for the fall semester: Following the Thanksgiving break, all classes will move to remote/online instruction for the remainder of the fall semester. Students will be allowed to remain in the residence halls and use campus facilities and services, but classes and final exams will all be online.

This initiative mirrors what other universities across the country are planning for the fall semester. It is designed to reduce the spread of coronavirus and seasonal flu that accompanies the surge in travel (and virus transmission) that happens during the Thanksgiving holiday. OLLU campuses, like many others, experience an uptick in seasonal flu cases following Thanksgiving. Online instruction after the break will allow for greater social distancing during this critical period.

As during any fall semester, students will be allowed to leave their belongings in the residence halls awaiting their return for the spring semester. In addition, any unused meal plan dollars will roll over to the spring semester.

Finally, all student support services—computer labs, library, tutoring and more—will continue to be available on campus following Thanksgiving. Remote services will be available, as well, for those students who do not wish to travel back to campus after the break.

OLLU will continue throughout July to put systems in place to help protect the community while still providing students an excellent and holistic academic and campus experience. You can read about these in more detail on the OLLU COVID-19 webpage  in the Planning for Fall 2020 section.

Over the last few months, many OLLU students have shared their hopes of returning to campus and having a deeper sense of community. OLLU is using guidance and best practices from local, state and national health organizations to put systems into place so that students can be welcomed back to campus and provided the safest environment possible. Guidance will be monitored throughout July and updates will be provided as needed. 

OLLU administration, faculty and staff look forward to greeting students in August on the San Antonio, Houston and Rio Grande Valley campuses.