Dear Oxford students,

This communication contains important information about the 2020 Fall Semester at Miami University’s Oxford Campus. Undergraduate classes will begin remotely on August 17, and moving into the residence halls will begin September 14 in a phased-in manner.

Multiple options are available for students – your response is required.

We are working to welcome you to campus with as robust an on-campus educational experience as is possible during this pandemic. We are consulting with Butler County public health officials and following the guidance and directives of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Ohio Department of Health. When we began planning last spring, we had hoped that the COVID-19 pandemic would be in significant decline before classes were scheduled to begin.

Instead, cases are rising in many states, and with over 40% of our Oxford students coming from outside Ohio, we’ve been monitoring the situation closely, listening to the concerns and hopes of our students, faculty, and staff, and gaining information from experts directly engaged in this work. We have heard from students and their families, faculty, and staff who are excited to return to campus and from those who have concerns about returning. This means offering our students several options for the fall semester.

As a University, we must continue to be adaptable, with the health and safety of our community as our first priority. Following best practices for opening universities, we will sequence the return to campus in multiple phases. This will give us the opportunity to review lessons learned at each interval and adapt accordingly. In the end, we hope this will provide the best opportunity for a successful return to campus later this fall. The various options available to students and their families are explained below.

ON-CAMPUS OPTION- Phased-In Opening

(To select this option, visit MiamiOH.edu/Attendance)

• Classes will begin as scheduledon August 17, 2020, but we will begin with all undergraduate classes held online/remotely until September 21. We expect students planning to live off-campus in Oxford will begin returning in advance of the August 17 start of classes. We encourage students to consider residing at home if circumstances permit or if you have significant health or family concerns.
• General residence hall move-in will begin the week of September 14. Information about Fall Move-In and campus Health and Safety measures can be found here,and additional information will be provided soon.
• Graduate students will begin on-campus classes on August 17, and research activities will continue as planned.
• Students who elect to return to campus will be required to sign the Healthy Together Pledge.
• Second, third, and fourth-year students may choose to be released from their housing and meal contracts and allowed to reside off-campus when the University resumes face-to-face instruction later this fall.
• $750 Credit-All students who elect this option will receive a $750 credit on their bill (pro-rated for students taking less than 12 credit hours). This credit acknowledges the phased return, and that you will not be on campus to participate in the student experience and utilize University facilities until later in the semester. For students selecting this option, the credit will be applied to your bill within two weeks.
• Your fall bill, to be delivered later this evening, will contain pro-rated housing and meal charges to reflect the new anticipated move-in the week of September 14 and the last week of finals, to be conducted remotely beginning December 2, 2020. This means you will be charged only for nine weeks of housing and meals instead of the normal 15 weeks.

REMOTE FALL OPTION- Attend the Fall Semester Remotely 

(To select this option, visit MiamiOH.edu/Attendance)

• This option is designed for those students who do not want to come to Oxford and elect to remain home and take classes remotely for the entire semester. Students electing this option will need to modify their course schedule to accommodate fully remote learning. Students who select this option will be released from their on-campus housing and meal contracts for the fall semester. More information on how to accomplish this is available in our FAQs, which will be available this evening.
• $1,000 Credit- Ohio students who elect this option will receive a $1,000 credit (pro-rated for students taking less than 12 credit hours). This credit acknowledges that you will not be on-campus during the semester to participate in the student experience and will not be using University facilities such as the Rec Center, the Health Center, etc. For students selecting this option, the credit will be applied to your bill within two weeks.
• $2,000 Credit- Students who are not residents of Ohio and pay out-of-state tuition will receive a $2,000 credit (pro-rated for students taking less than 12 credit hours).  This credit will be applied to your bill within two weeks.

TAKE A GAP SEMESTER OR YEAR

(To select this option, visit MiamiOH.edu/Attendance)

This option is designed for newly admitted and transfer students who want to take a gap semester or year. Miami will hold your admission spot if you elect to defer enrollment to Spring Semester 2021 or Fall Semester 2021 with your scholarship offer intact. If you have previously had student loans, information about the impact this option could have can be found at  Student Aid-Loans.

All students must select one of the options by August 21, 2020. The selection is irrevocable. To make your selection, visit MiamiOH.edu/Attendance.

The credits associated with your choice of option will be posted to your account at a later date. You can find more information in our FAQs, which will be available this evening, and you may also submit questions online. In addition, beginning tomorrow, we will open a temporary phone bank to assist you in answering your questions. Please call 513-529-9000 between 8 AM and 5 PM ET, Monday through Friday.

We know that many of you have made your plans to arrive on campus, and that some of our students will be disappointed and some will be relieved. The decision to offer you these options for the Fall 2020 semester was made with the wellbeing of our students, faculty, staff, and the Oxford community as our foremost responsibility. As we continue to evaluate this evolving situation, Miami University remains committed to providing our students with a full and enriching fall semester despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

We are deeply grateful for your understanding and patience as we keep working to provide you with the best educational experience possible.

Love and Honor,

Greg Crawford