Linfield will have spring, then winter
“Jan. Term” is moving to May at Linfield University, which will flip-flop its 2021 winter and spring terms, in an effort to minimize coronavirus risks, school officials announced.
They said they want to keep students safe in “campus bubbles,” as is being done during fall semester.
Students arrived in August and have been encouraged to stay on the McMinnville or Portland campus until Nov. 20, the Friday before Thanksgiving, when they will go home.
After the holiday, they will continue learning and preparing for finals remotely, and take their tests online, as well.
They will return to the McMinnville campus for spring semester, which will run Jan. 18 to April 30. The Portland nursing campus will have its spring semester from Feb. 8 to May 20.
Spring break will be eliminated, just as the fall break was canceled.
Jan. Term will be held May 3 to 27. Usually, students take one intensive class in January, or go abroad. Linfield officials said they hope to include the study abroad program, if it isn’t canceled by travel restrictions.
Susan Agre-Kippenham, provost, said the early end to spring semester may give students a jumpstart on summer internships or jobs.
She said the spring plans “reflect an updated reality” in a year of “adjustments for all of us.”
The changes this fall — including smaller classes and alternative learning spaces, like tents — have proven successful, said Susan Hopp, vice president for student affairs and admission.
As of Oct. 26, nine people associated with the McMinnville campus had tested positive and fewer than five with the Portland campus. The groups include those who live on campus as well as those studying or working from home in other parts of the state or country.
“Linfield students have done an exceptional job taking care of one another and the campus community by following public health protocols and being willing to modify the campus social environment,” Hopp said.
Despite the ongoing pandemic, the provost said, Linfield “remains steadfast in its commitment to ensuring that all students continue their studies and have an opportunity to graduate on time.”
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