WVU Potomac State College Campus Community:
As we approach the beginning of classes this fall, please note the information below that has been updated since Morgantown’s announcement on July 27. If you have additional questions, visit the Return to Campus website or send your questions to returntocampus@mail.wvu.edu.
Additionally, a Return to Campus Conversation will be held at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 6 where senior WVU administrators will continue to answer questions and address concerns. Thank you for your patience as we continue to work together toward a successful return.
ACADEMICS
Academic Calendar
There are two different academic calendars for WVU this fall.
Following the phased return approach to Morgantown campus, most Morgantown-based undergraduate programs and graduate on-campus degree programs will follow the Wednesday, Aug. 26 start-date academic calendar. However, the Beckley and Keyser campuses, online graduate degree programs and some professional programs will follow the Wednesday, Aug. 19 start-date academic calendar. Students in professional programs should check with their program for confirmation of their start date. Health Sciences graduate and professional students will receive guidance from their specific deans and/or program directors. This includes the HSC Charleston and Eastern campuses.
Even with the later Wednesday, Aug. 26 start date for some students, all programs will still provide 15 instructional weeks as required for regional accreditation. For programs with a Wednesday, Aug. 26 start date, the week after Thanksgiving will now be considered a week of instruction rather than a review week. Final exams will remain consistent, regardless of start date, and be delivered online Monday, Dec. 7 through Friday, Dec. 11.
Students may notice schedule changes throughout this week as WVU Potomac State College works through some minor changes to selected classes. We ask that students wait to review their finalized schedule until an official announcement is made from the Office of the Provost later this week. Students should work directly with their advisers to make changes to their schedules or contact the Academics Office at PSCAcademicAffairs@mail.wvu.edu.
Calendars and complete details are available on the Provost’s website.
Safety in the Classroom
We are implementing a number of health and safety procedures and protocols for any on-campus activity this year. Faculty, staff and students will be required to wear a face mask/face covering when on campus and follow physical distancing guidelines. Classrooms will have Plexiglass shields available for faculty and instructors as well as extra PPE if students forget their masks.
Facilities Management is implementing more enhanced cleaning and disinfecting measures based on guidance from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources and the Centers for Disease Control. Specifically, classrooms will be cleaned at the end of each day, and disinfecting wipes will be available in each classroom.
All face-to-face, on-campus classes will be required to have assigned seating and recorded attendance for each class meeting. Instructors teaching on campus will be required to complete the assigned seating chart for each class at the beginning of the semester and provide that to a centralized unit to use for contact tracing purposes should the need arise. Instructors will need to maintain attendance records for each class meeting and may be asked to provide that information to the contact tracing team.
Managing Quarantine or Illness Due to COVID-19
Students, faculty and instructors are reminded of the revised University attendance policy, which has been updated to reflect the impact of COVID-19, and the new emergency leave policy that provides guidance if a student should be unable to participate in class for more than a week. A reminder: those who have any symptoms of COVID-19 should not come to campus and should seek medical advice via Student Health or a primary care physician.
If students are ill and unable to attend class, work or complete assignments in isolation, the revisions to both the attendance policy and the emergency leave policy give students the ability to work with instructors on how to best complete the course requirements and demonstrate the necessary learning that was missed. If students are under quarantine because of potential contact but are not ill, they are expected to contact their instructor(s) for direction on how to keep up with the content and required work in the course. They should not go to class.
HP/Pass/Fail
The HP/P/F (Pass/Fail) grading mode is currently not an option for the fall semester. Since early summer, the Office of the Provost has tasked faculty with developing courses that could more seamlessly pivot to online instruction in response to the evolving public health situation. In addition, our faculty’s experience in the spring has helped them adapt their classes for this fall, and many instructors have engaged in professional development and training opportunities through the WVU Teaching and Learning Commons. We expect to see more live and interactive virtual classes.
COVID-19 DASHBOARD
Every week the University will share the latest information regarding COVID-19 on campus through a variety of news channels. In addition, a dashboard will be available daily at https://www.wvu.edu/return-to-campus/daily-test-resultswhere you can find the most current statistics on positive COVID-19 test results for the Morgantown, Beckley and Keyser campuses.
COVID-19 EDUCATION MODULE
Faculty, staff and students will receive an email with a link to access and complete the COVID-19 education module. All faculty, staff and students – regardless if they plan to be on campus this fall – must complete the module by Saturday, Aug. 22. For students, failure to complete the module by the Saturday, Aug. 22 deadline will result in a $250 fee being added to their accounts; they will also be reported to the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities. Students who will be wholly online are still required to complete the module. Faculty and staff who do not complete the course by the Saturday, Aug. 22 deadline may face disciplinary actions.
REC CENTER
The WVU Potomac State College Rec Center will be closed for indoor events until the week of August 17th. That date is subject to change. More information will be available in the coming weeks.
DINING
Dining facilities on the Beckley and Keyser campuses will be open starting Thursday, Aug. 6. Detailed instructions on how to access dining while waiting for test results will be shared in the coming days.
HOUSING
Please see the Residence Hall Move-In Page for details.
TESTING
Anyone who plans to be on campus this fall in any capacity is required to be tested for COVID-19 and receive a negative result prior to physically being on campus.
Students taking
all online courses are not required to be tested.
High School ACCESS students who will be taking classes off-site and not on the
WVU Potomac State College campus are not required to be tested.
The testing schedule is:
Date: Thursday – Saturday, August 13-15
Time: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Location: J. Edward Kelley Complex Recreation Center at WVU Potomac State College
Testing: Walk-up and Drive-Thru Testing
Testing Provider: Qlabs
As part of the registration process, students will be required to consent to a
COVID-19 testing program terms of services, HIPAA waiver and complete an online
pre-test questionnaire. If students are under the age of 18, they will need their
parents or legal guardians to assist you with completing this step.
Students, both residential and commuters, will complete the above items and register
for their preferred testing date/time via StarRez (WVU’s housing portal):
myhousing.wvu.edu.
If students have special circumstances (e.g., travel, not feeling well on their
scheduled day of testing) that prevent them from completing testing during the
times available to them, contact the Office of Student Experience at
pscstudentexperience@mail.wvu.edu. Let the office know you need to reschedule
the test. Students will need to provide: first and last name, student ID number,
and phone number. Students will receive a reply giving them instructions to set
up another free test with the Potomac Valley Hospital.
TUITION, FEES AND FINANCIAL AID
The payment deadline for fall charges on July eBills has been extended to Sept. 1 instead of Aug. 1 to allow more time for students to plan for the fall semester.
Late fees for fall charges will now be assessed on Wednesday, Sept. 2. Late fees assessed Monday, Aug. 3 will only apply to outstanding balances from previous semesters, not fall charges.
Financial aid disbursement will proceed as scheduled on Sunday, Aug. 9 for students who will begin the semester on or before Wednesday, August 19; however, per normal business process, the earliest a refund will be in bank accounts for those with direct deposit would be Wednesday, Aug. 19.
Please make sure you have no unsatisfied requirements that may cause a delay. More information is available at https://studentaccounts.wvu.edu/refunds.
Students can find current account and financial aid information via the WVU Portal. Parents/guests who have been given proxy access may view account information through the WVU Parent and Guest Portal.