University of Michigan President Mark Schlissel has announced students will return to campus this fall, one of the prerequisites to a football season. Schlissel had said many times no students on campus would mean no games at Michigan Stadium.
"I'm pleased to announce that @UMich plans to offer an in-residence fall semester consisting of a mixture of in-person & remote classes, reflecting our commitment to public health while fulfilling our fundamental mission of providing a world-class education," he reported in a tweet.
The school year will consist of a mixture of in-person and remote classes structured to reflect a commitment to promoting public health while fulfilling a fundamental mission of transformative undergraduate, graduate and professional education, Schlissel continued.
"Thanks to the thoughtful and deliberate efforts of hundreds of members of the U-M community, our cautious optimism about the fall has coalesced into a path forward. Their work has given me confidence that we can do this safely, and we will continue to plan and prepare in the months ahead," he said. "We now have the opportunity to begin a new journey together, equipped with the very best guidance and ideas from our leading scholars, innovative students and expert staff.
"Because of the ongoing challenges of COVID-19, the semester ahead will look and feel different than anything we have seen before. But the pandemic won’t change our commitment to the members of our community."
Although not all courses will be available in every format, he added, most students will be able to choose whether to return to Ann Arbor for a hybrid learning experience or study from home in a fully remote mode.
"Our Ann Arbor campus will open its residence halls for housing and dining, and will offer many on-campus programs and activities that enhance the college experience," Schlissel added.
Michigan Athletic Director Warde Manuel said last week no final decision had been made on the 2020 college football season. He did say it wouldn't be normal and that it was "definitive" Michigan Stadium would not be filled to capacity, but could range from 10 to 50 percent.
Manuel said at this point that the details are still being discussed. He said that the capacity at Michigan Stadium could range from 10 to 50 percent of the 110,000 capacity venue.
He'd also said no students on campus meant no football, so Schissel's announcement is huge in that respect.
“If students can’t come back to campus for class, why would I ask our student-athletes to come back and participate in sports?” Manuel said. “It’s against how I think about our student-athletes. They are students first.
"For me, it wasn’t even a moment of thought as to what I would do or what I would suggest to Dr. Schlissel. He was on the same page as me from Day One about that.”
As of now, that's no longer an issue.
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