Stanford proceeds with plans to invite frosh, sophomores to campus in summer

April 26, 2021, 8:05 p.m.

Stanford is moving forward with plans to invite frosh and sophomores to campus for the summer quarter, Provost Persis Drell told undergraduates in an email on Monday.

The update on the summer term follows recent announcements of a return to in-person classes in the fall and an in-person commencement in June. Juniors and seniors have been in residence on campus since the start of the spring quarter, while students with approved special circumstances have been accommodated throughout the pandemic.

After Stanford twice canceled plans to bring frosh and sophomores to campus due to worsening public health conditions, the in-person summer quarter marks the first time most frosh will be able to live on campus since their admission last year.

While students returning to campus in the fall must be vaccinated, vaccines will not be required for students living on campus in the summer due to availability concerns, according to the provost.

Face coverings, social distancing, surveillance testing and a period of restricted activity at the start of the quarter will be extended to the summer term, according to Drell. Students will be able to continue engaging in low-risk activities during the summer, such as gathering in small groups, eating in dining halls and participating in recreational activities.

Full-time students enrolling in the summer quarter can expect a “compelling array of educational offerings for the summer,” Drell wrote. While most summer courses will continue to be delivered remotely, there may be opportunities for in-person office hours and study groups, conditions permitting.

Although Stanford implemented four 10-week quarters due to the pandemic, the University still expects significantly lower undergraduate enrollment in the summer because of reduced course offerings, Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education Sarah Church said at a Faculty Senate meeting in February. Church urged departments to identify more courses that could be offered in the summer.

Only 518 summer courses are listed on Explore Courses as of publication — approximately one-fourth the number of courses offered this spring and on average 60 more than the past two summer quarters.

Frosh and sophomores on Flex Terms are not eligible for on-campus housing unless they are participating in an approved summer activity or program. Eligible students enrolling full-time and those with special circumstances can apply for housing through May 7.

Cameron Ehsan is a junior at Stanford studying neurobiology. He served as a news editor and newsroom development director for Vol. 261 and was the Vol. 260 winter managing editor.

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