Trinity Announces Spring 2021 Semester Calendar
October 1, 2020
Trinity President Pat McGuire announced the plans for the spring 2021 semester, which were shaped by input from the Trinity community. President McGuire surveyed the entire Trinity community (students, faculty and staff), seeking feedback on how the fall semester was working out for everyone and asking for input on a proposed spring calendar. She also hosted a Zoom conversation, open to all. Changes were made to the spring calendar after the survey results and comments were reviewed. See the survey results here on President McGuire’s blog.
In her message to the community, President McGuire noted, “We know the pandemic will still be with us; what we don’t know is whether it will be in a surge or diminishing. We need to be prepared for any eventuality. Spring 2021 will look a lot like Fall 2020, but with improvements as we learn more about what works and what needs to change. The pandemic emergency continues to drive much of the plan; we are subject to the Mayor’s orders and D.C. Department of Health review continuously.”
- Daily Symptom Checker: Please review the CDC symptom checklist to be sure you are able to be on campus each day!
- Covid-19 Essential Expectations for the Trinity Campus Community: Review the expectations for all persons on campus.
- Trinity’s Reopening Plan: View Trinity’s reopening plan for fall 2020, approved by the District of Columbia on June 29, 2020 with further orders on July 24, 2020. This plan details prevention protocols Trinity implemented prior to the fall semester and continues to follow.
Trinity’s Spring 2021 Semester Calendar
The spring 2020 semester calendar is similar to the fall 2020 semester:
Trinity’s School of Professional and Graduate Studies will continue to be online (business, education and professional studies) and most of the School of Nursing and Health Professions will be online with some face-to-face sessions in labs and for clinicals. Classes for the professional schools will start as planned on the academic calendar.
The undergraduate College of Arts and Sciences classes will continue to be a blend of face-to-face, hybrid and online. The spring semester for the College of Arts and Sciences will start on Monday, January 25, providing additional time in January for planning and preparation. Residents may start returning on January 9, by appointment, and Trinity will have the same return-to-campus clearance procedures that was in place for the fall semester. Students who want to live on campus may do so, as was Trinity’s policy for the fall semester. Students are in single rooms, with no surcharge for a single.
Trinity continues the policy that no one is forced to be on campus: Trinity will be flexible in accommodating students, faculty and staff who choose to remain remote.
The College of Arts and Sciences will not have the traditional spring break week, but other breaks have been built into the calendar. (The other schools at Trinity already don’t have a spring break.) This enables the calendar to catch up in time to end the semester in early May.
All services are available to all students, either virtually or in-person, including Career Services, academic advising, health and wellness, library, financial aid, food pantry, emergency funds and much more. Trinity staff are going the extra 100 miles to ensure Trinity’s students receive the support they need to be successful.
For Winter Graduation in January, Trinity will have virtual graduation ceremonies, as Trinity in May, when President McGuire hosted on Zoom 12 different interactive graduation celebrations.
For May commencement, it is highly unlikely that Trinity could assemble the usual 3,000 people for the traditional ceremony. Trinity will work with seniors and faculty to develop the possibilities for small group face-to-face ceremonies, depending on the pandemic conditions at that time. Stay tuned!
This past summer, Trinity invested in providing all faculty with professional training on how to effectively teach virtual classes – how to engage students, how to ensure they understand the content, how to use different teaching techniques, etc. This has made a very positive difference in the experience for both students and faculty this semester. Trinity is working to increase the number of face-to-face classes because that interaction is important for the students Trinity serves, particularly at the undergraduate level, who are mostly first generation students.
Highlights of key dates below; check the official Academic Calendar for detailed dates.
Key Trinity Managers:
Overall Direction: President Patricia McGuire, president@trinitydc.edu 202-884-9050
Health Services: Dr. Jacqueline Newsome-Williams, Director of Health Services, Newsome-williamsJ@trinitydc.edu, 202-884-9615
Student Affairs: Dr. Karen Gerlach, Vice President for Student Affairs, gerlachK@trinitydc.edu, 202-884-9203
Academic Affairs: Dr. Carlota Ocampo, Provost, ocampoC@trinitydc.edu, 202-884-9209
Facilities Services: Mr. William Shaffer, Director of Facilities, shafferW@trinitydc.edu, 202-884-9333
Human Resources: Ms. Tracey Prince Ross, Executive Director of Human Resources, princeTr@trinitydc.edu, 202-884-9126
Media Questions: Ann Pauley, Media Relations, pauleya@trinitydc.edu
Campus signage: These signs are posted around campus to remind everyone to do your part!
