In-person classes to resume at University of Tennessee at Martin

MARTIN, Tenn. — The University of Tennessee at Martin is returning to in-person classes this fall.

Chancellor Keith Carver says they are prepared to have students on campus, and they’re making sure COVID-19 precautions are still enforced.

“We will use the cleaning and safety protocols that we have used all last year. How we have been cleaning and sanitizing all three shifts with our facility teams, we are going to continue that,” Carver said.

Last year, the university limited the number of students who could live on campus to 1,200. They are hoping to fill rooms at regular capacity.

“Much more robust student population on campus. We still will have some rooms reserved for isolation, just in case we have some students come down with COVID. But we will be much more full and residential this fall,”  Carver said.

Consuelo Crews’ son will be attending UTM in the fall. She says, for her son, having to physically go to class makes a world of difference.

“I think being on campus will teach him to make those decisions. You have to be mature enough to say, ‘I know I have to go to class. I have to get up,'” Crews said.

Carver says the university is going to be mainly in-person, but it will still offer a few alternatives.

“The majority of our classes will be face-to-face. However, in the normal cadence of a semester, we do have online options, remote options for students to choose from,” Carver said.

UTM held student and parent orientation sessions to prepare for the upcoming semester.