Updated: 2:45 p.m. on August 5, 2020

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Marquette University announced Wednesday, Aug. 5, that they will reopen campus for in-person classes this fall, with fewer students living residentially. 

In response to student feedback, the university says they will offer a mixture of in-person, hybrid and fully online learning options "where reasonably possible," and additional online learning sections will be added as needed to meet student demand. 

Undergraduate students will receive additional information on options related to classes Wednesday, Aug. 5, and graduate students will receive more information later this week.

In-person classes will have no more than 50 people, physically distanced, and cloth face coverings will be required in classrooms as in all public and shared spaces on campus. Hand sanitizer and wipes will be available for students to clean their seats and work areas prior to the start of class, and all active rooms will be disinfected daily.

Marquette says first-year undergraduate students who choose to take a fully online course schedule can waive their residential living requirement for this academic year and remain in their permanent place of residence rather than live on campus -- however, first-year students taking hybrid courses or in-person courses must stay in the university residence halls.

Sophomore students will have the option to be released from their residential living requirement for this academic year, whether taking in-person or fully online classes.

Undergraduate juniors and seniors in Marquette-operated apartments will have the option to be released from their leases if they choose to take a fully online course schedule. 

The common areas of residence halls and university apartments will have adjusted capacity and signage to designate appropriate physical distancing. The same will apply to dining seating, and an option for increased online ordering and more takeout/grab-and-go options will be implemented. Fitness facilities will also have reduced capacities, and in-person meetings and events for student organizations, worship and other campus co-curricular activities will be limited and planned virtually.

The university says they will provide an increased level of medical care for students, and all faculty staff, and students on campus will undergo a daily screening process for COVID-19. Marquette has identified rooms in residence halls and near campus to isolate infected students and to quarantine close contacts, as needed. Students living in off-campus housing will be able to request quarantine or isolation space if their current situation does not allow for such space.

Marquette says their recovery plan is a phased approach, allowing for the ability to move from step to step, and backwards if needed. 

The university has developed five gating criteria to determine when and how to reassess the current state. The five gating criteria are: testing results timing, percentage of positive tests, quarantine/isolation capacity, access to personal protective equipment and percentage of contacts reached within a 24-hour period when a positive case is confirmed.

For more information, click here. 

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Posted: 1:34 p.m. on July 31, 2020

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Marquette University says the Milwaukee Health Department has approved its plans for a mixture of in-person, hybrid and online instruction for the upcoming school year.

According to a press release on Friday, July 31, the university will make a final decision regarding fall reopening plans next week. 

University officials say the plan is a phased approach, which allows for the ability to pivot from one step in the plan to the next, and step back, if needed.

More information is expected in the coming days.