As they near completion of an in-person academic year altered by the coronavirus pandemic, Westminster College officials are looking ahead with optimism.
Westminster expects students to physically attend classes and participate in activities for the upcoming semester in the fall, while continuing to follow COVID-19 precautions.
Kasi Lacey - vice president and dean of student life - said Westminster is wrapping up a successful school year due to the protocols established by the college last summer when the decision was made to return to in-person classes.
"I am incredibly proud of our Westminster College students, staff and faculty in relation to our response to COVID-19," Lacey said in a press release. "We were able to offer a quality in-person experience, with health and safety at the forefront of our decisions."
Social distancing forced Westminster to reduce classroom sizes. In response, additional sections of more populated classes were added to the college's course roster.
Faculty and students with health concerns had the option of virtually participating in courses occurring in 18 classrooms equipped with Zoom technology.
As the school year has advanced, the number of Westminster students who petitioned to take virtual classes dropped from 50 during the fall semester to 15 in the spring.
College officials have not yet decided if virtual or hybrid options will be available for the fall semester. They stressed the technology will remain in case a switch to alternative teaching methods becomes necessary.
When it comes to athletics at Westminster, approximately 50 percent of students are involved in NCAA Division III sports. All of the college's St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference games were postponed until the spring due to COVID-19.
"It has been a very arduous process," Westminster Athletic Director Matt Mitchell said in the news release. "But as we drew closer to competition this spring, the excitement level increased. The job that our conference institutions, administrators, athletic trainers, and coaches have done to pull this off has been nothing short of remarkable."
In looking ahead to the fall semester, Westminster officials are recommending everyone on campus receive the COVID-19 vaccine. The college offered vaccinations exclusively to students, faculty and staff this past Monday.
The second doses are scheduled for May 3.
"We have taken a proactive step in working with our local health department in receiving the vaccine, which is a positive step to increasing the overall safety of everyone on campus," Lacey said.