When students begin classes at the University of Northern Iowa next week they’ll notice not only a new culture of wearing masks but also physical spaces that have been changed since COVID-19 emerged last spring. 

The university has invested substantial time and money to create a safe and productive learning environment, officials said. That includes purchasing 25,000 masks to distribute to faculty, staff and students, installing Plexiglass barriers across campus and offering COVID-19 testing and contact tracing. All faculty, staff, and students are completing new training to ensure everyone knows the best practices for a safe return.

Classrooms have been altered for physical distancing guidelines and public spaces in the Maucker Union and Rod Library have been reconfigured to allow for social distancing. Some changes were relatively small, like dedicated study rooms set up across campus for students to use between classes. Others were larger, at the student health clinic where windows have been removed and doors installed to allow people to enter and exit for COVID-19 testing while maintaining six feet of separation. 

Even the move-in process itself was different this year, with student arrivals staggered over the last two weeks. Regan Wilkie, a first-year music major, said he felt good about the semester.

“I feel really confident about the way UNI is taking action for this whole dilemma right now,” he said while moving in Wednesday. “I’m feeling like I can be safe on campus, making sure everybody’s wearing a mask in the buildings and all that.”

Since May, hundreds of people from all across campus have spent thousands of hours preparing for this unique year in countless ways. Among their achievements was ensuring classrooms use no more than 40% of their capacity while allowing more than 80% of fall classes to include at least some face-to-face instruction.  

“There’s no template for reopening,” said library dean Theresa Westbrock, who chaired the facilities use subcommittee.  “We're committed to flexibility, patience and creativity. That's what will get us through all of this.

“People have a team mentality here at UNI. I think people really feel part of the community and part of the team and we're doing this for the team, our students, our community, our peers.”

The library has moved furniture, installed Plexiglass barriers at the check-out desk, cafe register and Learning Center tables with the goal of making it a welcoming but safe environment.