Student

FAQ for spring term

Here is information for some of the most commonly asked questions about spring term.

What will Commencement look like?
The Registrar’s office sent out a survey to eligible 2020 and 2021 students earlier this month with a deadline of Jan. 29. Next, the responses will be tallied and popular options identified. You can read more about the timeline for the decision on the Commencement website.

What if I need a practicum or internship this spring before I graduate?
We encourage you to contact your academic adviser about how those will be handled in your program.

Will there be spring sports and club events?
Barring any changes from the GNAC, spring sports are a go.

What will campus look like in the fall?
We’ll continue to rely on ever-developing information from the Oregon Health Authority, governor’s office and other sources as we work toward a decision later this year. With the vaccine in the early stages of distribution, we’re anticipating more in-person classes, a healthy calendar of great events, full residence halls and lots of live sports.

Will there be an online course fee?
Yes. This fee was in the works prior to the pandemic as a way to provide greater transparency to students over fees. This fee pays for the technology and infrastructure required to deliver online classes and some student services and will be assessed per credit for up to 12 credits (anyone taking more than 12 credits will only see fees for 12 credits).

Those taking in-person classes instead pay mandatory fees such as building fees (which repay building debt, not access or use of a building) and incidental fees among others. To learn more, visit the Accounting and Business Services website and look for the red box.

Will the Courtney Center be open?
We must follow guidance from the Oregon Health Authority and governor’s office regarding indoor recreation facilities. At this time, the facility cannot be open and we don’t know when that will change, but Campus Recreation will post updated information on their website as it becomes available. To check what’s open in our county or others, visit Oregon’s coronavirus website.

Online classes and academic excellence

Although we are delivering most of our courses online this fall, online learning will look different and improved from spring term:

• Many of our courses are online synchronous, with scheduled meeting times, so students and professors can interact in real time.
• Faculty members have access to Zoom, including numerous tools that enhance the learning environment, such as breakout rooms, virtual whiteboards and more.
• Unlike the spring emergency situation, many WOU faculty have spent the summer participating in workshops and training in order to create high-quality online courses and educational activities.

The Keep-Learning website includes resources to help you maximize your own online learning skills. Learn about course delivery.

Tuition and Fees

Online and in-person tuition will be filled at the same per-credit rate. As you may know, different fees are associated with each type of course.

• Course fees (e.g., fees for labs or art courses) may change for classes originally planned to be in person or hybrid, but we will only reduce those fees, not increase them.
• Mandatory fees (e.g., building fees, IFC, etc.) will be charged based on the actual course delivery modality of the class.
• Incidental fees and the health service fee will only be charged only to students taking in-person or hybrid courses.
• The fee for the Student Health and Counseling Center, which is offering online services, may be available on an opt-in basis for students taking online courses.

See our Tuition and Fee Book

Housing and Dining

Students are invited to live on campus during fall term, particularly those who want a focused learning space and ready access to technology. Hundreds of students have already selected their residence hall rooms, and that process remains ongoing. Safety protocols, such as single-occupancy rooms, are in place in all residence halls, and move-in will still happen on an appointment-based schedule starting Sept. 23. Valsetz Dining Hall will be open to serve students who are living on campus; the dining hall has been reconfigured to maximize safety for both students and employees. Students can also use online ordering for breakfast, lunch and dinner and pick up their food at Valsetz.

Visit the Housing and Dining site

Campus COVID-19 safety protocols

We welcome students to campus in limited ways and settings with safety protocols in place. Masks are required, additional cleaning procedures are in place, physical distancing must be maintained, a daily health self-check must be completed before coming to campus (or moving around campus for residence hall students), directional flow signs will be observed and personal hygiene practices must be strenuous. Residence hall students and students with in-person classes are provided a Welcome Kit with face coverings, hand sanitizer and other items. By working together for the good of the campus community, we can help reduce the risk of COVID transmission.

Student Affairs and Student Engagement

Student Engagement is planning a mix of in-person and online events. Fall Orientation is being delivered remotely, including more than a month of programming, which started Aug. 24. Based on the current number of students expected to be living on and around campus and depending on incidental fees, the Peter Courtney Health and Wellness Center is planning to be open limited hours. Student Affairs offices, including the Veterans Resource Center and Abby’s House, are open 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursdays for drop-in support, though most appointments will remain virtual.

See the Student Affairs website

Student Health and Counseling Center (SHCC)

The SHCC will remain open to students for COVID-19 testing and will offer in-person and telemedicine medical appointments. All in-person appointments will require a health screening before scheduling. Counseling sessions will continue to be offered remotely.

Visit the SHCC website

Athletics

Athletic competition within the NCAA DII Great Northwest Athletic Conference has been suspended until at least Nov. 30. The GNAC is currently exploring the possibility of shifting fall sports to the winter and spring (in addition to regular winter and spring sports), but that decision is still pending. The WOU Athletic COVID participation policy manual will be shared directly with student-athletes and available on the WOU Wolves athletic website in early September.

Visit the WOU Wolves

Academic Innovation

This year, WOU has two platforms for online courses: Moodle and Canvas. Over the year, WOU will gradually move more courses to Canvas each term until we are no longer using Moodle. However, this fall, your courses may be taught on either platform. More information on how to access your courses will be sent shortly before the first day of classes.

WOU is making every effort to ensure you can easily find and access your course materials and receive support as you use these systems. Students will have access to 24/7 user support for Canvas, and the Academic Innovation team continues to be available to help students with Moodle, Canvas and many other digital media and learning tools.

Visit the Keep Learning website

Student Success and Advising

SSA has created a number of tools to help students be successful in an online learning environment. Services provided by SSA have also shifted to meet students wherever they are, including remote appointments with Academic Success Advisors via Zoom or phone and tutoring sessions via Zoom/WebEx. Remote appointments can be scheduled online via Wolf Connection System in the WOU Portal.

Find SSA resources

Hamersly Library and Computing Spaces

The Hamersly Library will open to students in mid-September, and users should bring their WOU ID so staff can monitor library occupancy in real time. Print books, DVDs and other physical items from the local collection and from Summit libraries are already available through curbside pickup or mail delivery. Computers and printers are available in the library, the WUC, the Valsetz Residential Lab and possibly others. The Audio and Video Production studios will be available. The 24-hour computer lab will be open with a limited number of physically distanced computers.

The library will continue to lend a range of computing technology to facilitate online learning, including loaner Wi-fi hotspots for students with financial need.

Visit the library’s COVID-19 webpage

Disability Services

Students interested in pursuing disability-related accommodations, which may be more substantial in the online learning format, should contact Disability Services. The office is open for drop-in support 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and for remote appointments throughout the week.

Visit the Disability Services website

WOU:Salem

Like most of our courses on our main campus in Monmouth, WOU:Salem classes are primarily conducted online.

Visit the WOU:Salem website

Support for parents

The Child Development Center’s preschool program is available. A comprehensive safety plan has been developed to meet all OHA and CDC guidelines. The center is open to WOU students and employees first, then community members.

Register your child

Admissions tours

In-person campus tours are not currently offered due to the pandemic, but there are alternative ways to tour campus. We have video tours, virtual admissions counselor appointments, and live virtual visits.

Visit WOU virtually