University Of Tulsa Explains Back To Class Safety Plan

Thousands of college students are about to go back to class in Oklahoma. Students at the University of Tulsa will move back to campus next week.

The University of Tulsa said a healthy campus starts with vaccinations. It said more than 60% its residential students and about 74% of its employees report they're fully vaccinated. They hope that number increases over the next few weeks. 

This time last year, Nicholas Tsahiridis was just happy to get out of his house.

"We kind of got last year stolen from us with COVID," said Tsahiridis. 

Tsahiridis will be a junior at the University of Tulsa and has yet to experience a normal year in college. Madison Thomas, a Tulsa Health department epidemiologist, said college-age individuals are under vaccinated compared to other age groups. She recommends a layered approach as students head back to class.

"It's vaccinations, it's masking when indoors and outdoor crowded settings, it's washing your hands, watching your distance, staying at home when you're sick,"

 said Thomas.

At TU, instead of a mass move-in, students will be assigned specific times. They're asked to upload their vaccination cards or take a COVID-19 test.

"Today we have something in our arsenal that we know works, vaccinations," said Matt Warren, VP for Risk Management at TU. 

Warren said they're dedicated to meeting students' educational needs, as well as their physical, mental, and emotional needs.

"In a word, flexibility," said Warren. 

Professors can set their own mask policies for their classrooms. Classes will begin in person on August 23 at normal occupancy.

"Our classes were not that big to begin with," said Warren. 

TU is using OSHA and CDC guidelines to sterilize buildings including using advanced filtration. In addition to getting a college education, Tsahiridis has one more wish for fall 2021.

"We're just hoping to go back to normal and just to sort of live life how it was before COVID," said Tsahiridis.

The clinic on campus provides free vaccinations. TU is offering incentives for students to get them like winning a year of free housing, a laptop, or textbooks.