Lafayette will welcome students to live on campus this spring

Lafayette College President Alison Byerly announced Tuesday that the school “is preparing to welcome back to campus any student who wants to be here for the spring 2021 semester.”

Lafayette students will still have the option to study completely from home remotely, and those who choose that route will receive a 10 percent tuition discount. Both Lehigh and Lafayette gave fully remote students a 10 percent tuition discount this semester.

All faculty will make the choice as to how they wish to teach in the spring, which will be communicated to students when selecting their courses. All faculty, staff and students who come to campus will need to abide by the college’s testing and contact tracing protocols.

Lafayette’s announcement for the spring marks a change from its fall semester plan, in which all classes have been held remotely and only students with pre-approved extenuating circumstances have been allowed to live on campus.

“The most important lesson we have learned from other colleges is that the success of any plan is dependent on community commitment and cooperation,” Byerly said. “We will need every member of our community to step up to the challenge.”

Lafayette is currently planning to start classes Jan. 25 with a spring break in March. Lehigh already announced it would delay the spring semester until Feb. 1 and has canceled spring break.

Lafayette said in its memo to the campus community that student activities will be “significantly restricted” and on-campus students should expect to be forbidden to travel.

“We all wish we could have a normal semester, but that is not what we are promising here,” Byerly said. “Everyone must accept the limitations and compromises that will be necessary to maintain a safe environment.”