Before you head into summer, I want to share information about our plans to return to campus at the start of the new academic year this fall.

Antioch College is a small community of educators and learners in the Village of Yellow Springs. As the country and the world grappled with the covid-19 pandemic, so did Antioch. For the safety of students, faculty and staff, we moved our classes online and, except for a limited number of students and essential staff, our residence halls remained unoccupied and face-to-face events were cancelled.

Our Student Affairs staff and Covid-19 Task Force have been working closely with county health officials, following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control, and regularly reviewing reports from the World Health Organization. We are confident that our relatively small community and our location in Yellow Springs gives us some advantages and flexibility to create protocols designed to keep students, faculty, and staff as safe as possible this fall.

Because covid-19 remains a serious health concern, we believe the protocols we list below will give you an opportunity to begin your Antioch experience in community and in the safest manner possible:

• We will continue social distancing protocols: Our colleagues in Student Affairs have written guidelines on campus social distancing, wearing masks, and sanitizing shared spaces. Mila Cooper, the Vice President of Student Affairs, will share details about safety in the residence halls as we get closer to Orientation.
• Every student will have a single room: While first year students traditionally share rooms absent special circumstances, we believe single rooms for all students will further minimize health risks. The Office of Residence Life will send room assignments to all students who have deposited or received the income-based deposit waiver.
• In-person classes will have limited enrollment: Our 4:1 student-faculty ratio makes it possible for us to limit the number of people in each course and to ensure appropriate social distancing in the classroom.
• Some courses will be online or hybrid classes: Our faculty are planning to offer some online and hybrid courses for students who are unable to make it to Yellow Springs because of travel restrictions or health concerns.

New students will move into the residence halls over two days, Wednesday, August 26, and Thursday, August 27.  Classes begin Monday, August 31.

The Offices of Academic Affairs and Student Affairs will share the full orientation schedule and pre-orientation placement test schedule soon. In the meantime, please don’t hesitate to be in touch with us in Admission & Financial Aid with questions or concerns.

We’re looking forward to greeting you in Yellow Springs this fall!