A Modified Approach

The pandemic continues to reshape Swarthmore’s approach to creating safe paths for teaching and learning in 2020. 

In close consultation with the Facilities Planning Group, the College determined that it could accommodate approximately 900 students on campus this fall. 

Typically, about 1,500 students live on campus. That 900 figure is based on factors such as the number of rooms available to house all students in single bedrooms, the ratio of students to bathrooms in the residence halls, necessary cleaning protocols, the College’s capacity to observe physical distancing in dining facilities, and the ability to reserve housing spaces in the event that students need to be quarantined and isolated.

In consultation with faculty, and considering numerous factors such as the impact on curricular progress and socioeconomic circumstances that may disadvantage certain students, the following groups were given the option to return to campus this fall: first-year students, sophomores, incoming transfer students, and resident assistants.

Students whose ability to learn remotely was severely challenged by various personal circumstances and who were not included in one of those cohorts were able apply to return to campus. The process continued to evolve late into the summer; details on how the fall semester is proceeding are available online.