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UT Austin residence halls to reopen in fall, updated plan states

For classes that can't be remote, classrooms will be filled at 40% capacity, the letter stated.

AUSTIN, Texas — In a June 3 letter to the University of Texas at Austin community, the interim president gave clarification on how things will look on the 40 acres when the campus reopens come fall. There are many questions swirling regarding how UT will be able to reduce the spread of the coronavirus.

Residence halls will reopen to students in the fall of 2020, Interim UT President Jay Hartzell said. Recreational sports and university unions facilities will reopen later in the summer and student athletes will be able to live in the San Jacinto Residence Hall once it is deep cleaned.

All students will be able to choose remote-only learning, however, not all classes are available in this format, so the interim president said that students should consider what classes they need in order to graduate. The classes that must be held in person will be filled to only 40% capacity unless departments get approval from the UT administration.

"There will be about 11,000 classes held during the fall semester, and as many as 2,100 of them will be presented online," the letter stated.

The school said those who are asymptomatic will be voluntarily tested in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

A face-covering policy will be announced at a later date, the letter read.

The interim president said the first phase of Texas Athletic's return to campus has "proved effective." Starting June 15, student athletes will be able to begin voluntary athletic activities on campus with the campus' strength and conditioning staff present. 

"Thank you all for your engagement during this challenging moment in the history of our state, nation and world," said Interim President Hartzell. "I will continue to keep you informed as our plans develop in the days ahead. This community is strong and we will get through this together."

Read the full June 3 update online.

VIDEO: UT Austin reopening campus in the fall

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