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UT trustees approve fall reopening guidelines; No tuition increase planned for students in 2020-21 school year

The Board of Trustees is meeting this week virtually to review the budget for the 2020-21 year. They heard plans on how campuses are dealing with the coronavirus.

KNOXVILLE, Tennessee — Virus challenges aside, students in the University of Tennessee System can look forward to no tuition increase when classes start this August, system officials said Thursday.

The UT Board of Trustees is meeting Thursday and Friday virtually. Committees met Thursday and the full board voted Friday.

Trustees unanimously approved a resolution Friday that set certain guidelines for reopening in fall 2020. The guidance will allow each campus within the system to implement a plan that best fits their students and faculty.

The resolution includes changing the academic calendars for each campus and providing in-person, hybrid and remote instruction methods. System President Randy Boyd will be allowed to take actions to keep students and faculty safe, including suspending in-person instruction again if necessary. 

The board also approved the 2020-2021 budget Friday. 

Financial administrators briefed trustees Thursday afternoon on the system's fiscal outlook. The overall projected 2020/21 budget for system campuses is $2.52 billion, figures show, with UT Knoxville representing $1.24 billion of that.

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The unrestricted and general operating part of the system budget is $1.53 billion, a decrease of about 1.2 percent.

Among the few major capital projects that will be sought is a rehab and addition for the nursing building on the UT Knoxville campus, costing about $65 million.

The system includes UT Knoxville, UT Chattanooga and UT Martin.

News of the stable tuition rate was not unexpected. The full board votes on the budget Friday.

The Tennessee Board of Regents voted earlier this month to keep tuition and fees for students at community colleges and colleges of applied technology at the same rate. For the state's community colleges it's the first time in nearly 30 years that there hasn't been a tuition increase, according to the board.

The COVID-19 pandemic has jolted the national economy and forced governments and services to recalibrate how they do business.

Trustees also Thursday heard updates from campus chancellors about how they're getting ready for fall classes amid the ongoing spread of the coronavirus.

In-person classes ended in mid March, shifting to online instruction for the balance of the semester.

In Knoxville, classes will begin Aug. 19. The campus will be open Labor Day and skip a fall break.

The last day of instruction for the fall semester will be Nov. 24. Exams will be administered online Dec. 2-9.

Chancellor Donde Plowman said UTK is communicating with the Knox County Health Department to ensure they know what's planned.

Social distancing will be the norm. Classes will be conducted later into the day, with the last class ending about 8 p.m., she said.

Administrators are working with faculty to create the schedule, she said.

There'll be more time between classes. Wherever students normally congregate, they'll see signs reminding them about safe practices.

Students living in dorms will be required to go through training before coming back to campus, according to UTK. As part of being prepared to deal with possible exposure, they'll be expected to take their temperature every day through an app. A high temperature could be a sign they're infected.

UTK plans to isolate students who may get sick. About 250 living spaces are being set aside for the quarantine process, Plowman said.

In the classroom, faculty members will keep extra masks on hand if a student forgets theirs or doesn't have one, according to the university.

One telling sign of the virus from this spring -- demand for mental health services rose, according to the chancellor. UT's student health services will be ready to help students who may need assistance, according to UTK.

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