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OUAZ opens for pre-fall classes

Fall sports in limbo for now

Posted 8/3/20

While public, charter and private high schools across the state wrestle with decisions on when to reopen classes in-person, one local private university has already opened its classrooms.

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Return to School

OUAZ opens for pre-fall classes

Fall sports in limbo for now

Posted

While public, charter and private high schools across the state wrestle with decisions on when to reopen classes in-person, one local private university already has opened its classrooms.

It is not business as usual at Ottawa University Arizona in Surprise. But the campus is back in the business of education as the pre-fall term began July 27 with in-person class offered.

In an email interview, OUAZ President Dennis Tyner stated that, like other institutions, OUAZ is monitoring and following recommendations from national and local health organizations to prevent the spread of COVID-19, so health screenings, social distancing and face masks are part of the daily routine now.

“We have not modified our start date, largely due to the fact that our pre-fall term already has us opening our doors to students in late July,” Mr. Tyner stated. “We will be offering all Surprise campus classes in the traditional face-to-face format, but will be simultaneously offering each course in the virtual environment to accommodate those international students who are coping with both travel restrictions and delays in processing of visas.

“We have modified our housing policy to include more restrictive visitation rules that include a limit on the number of people allowed in a residence suite. Although the main campus in Ottawa, Kansas, is not in a geographic area that is recording the number of COVID-19 cases that we are seeing here in Arizona, our actions are closely aligned with the preventative steps that are being taken on the Kansas campus.”

While Mr. Tyner said some students have discussed not enrolling for the fall term with the hopes of coming back next year if the spread of COVID-19 decreases, early enrollment metrics for the fall portend another increase from this point last year.

More than 900 student are expected once the fall term begins.

Mr Tyner stated rooms are set up as close to six feet between desks/chairs as possible, and class sizes have been modified to accommodate social distancing, but there’s not set limit.

“As has happened each year since our founding in 2017, we are expecting an increase in student enrollment again this year. Though nobody knows for sure what students will decide to do in this COVID-19 environment, we are encouraged by the fact that our applications are up by 27% and our tuition confirmation deposits are up by 22% through mid-July,” Mr. Tyner said. “Members of our admissions team have heard from a few students who are considering postponing their enrollment this fall, but our new student turnout for our pre-fall term is a positive indication of what will likely happen in August when the remainder of our students are expected to arrive on campus.”

The fall term starts Aug. 24. After a major year of expansion on the campus, students who believe it is safe to return will not see construction when they get back.

The O’Dell Center, Scholars Hall and the OUAZ Student Union were completed and opened in November 2019. Mr. Tyner said there is no plan to open any new buildings during the 2020-21 academic year, but the university is in the final stages of a campus master plan that includes starting construction on the next residence hall later this academic year.

Mr. Tyner said the full residence hall capacity is normally 325. Pre-fall capacity is 150, while the fall term will see the hall “close to capacity.” All students will be living in university-sponsored housing, which includes the Cottages on Greenway.

Josh Fisher, OUAZ assistant athletic director for athletics communications, stated in an email that many of the fall sports student-athletes arrived on campus.

When they can start play is anyone’s guess but recent developments look to have shut down some fall competition. The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, the main governing body for most OUAZ sports, voted July 28 to postpone the national championships in cross country, men’s soccer, women’s soccer and women’s volleyball to spring 2021.

“The decision yesterday by the NAIA moved their championships for women’s volleyball, men’s and women’s soccer, and men’s and women’s cross country to the spring, but it allowed for each conference to make independent decisions on when those sports would conduct seasons in those sports,” Mr Fisher stated.

On July 30, the Golden Sun Athletic Conference took the NAIA up on its offer postponing most fall sports conference competition to begin after Jan. 1. The GSAC Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Championship will remain set for Nov. 7.

Two Arizona members of the conference — Arizona Christian University in Glendale and OUAZ — have announced their intent to continue with fall intercollegiate athletic competition against non-conference opponents.

On July 3, the NAIA Council of Presidents voted to postpone the fall national football championship to spring 2021. NAIA conferences are allowed to compete in the fall and winter, if they choose.

As of Aug. 3, the Spirit are scheduled to open the season Sept. 19 at Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth. Neither OUAZ nor the Sooner Athletic Conference — where the Spirit are defending champions — have announced plans regarding fall games.

Since its doors opened in 2017, OUAZ has been known as a university that led with athletics. Indeed, its initial cohort was nearly all tied to sports.

The student body has diversified since then and appears better positioned to handle disruptions to athletic competition. Mr. Tyner said the majors with the largest enrollments at OUAZ are biology, business administration, communication, education, engineering, exercise science, psychology and sport studies.

“While it is true that around 75% of our students will be student-athletes this year, the ‘student’ component of student-athlete is more important to us. We cherish the fact that OUAZ is a participatory campus, with almost every student supplementing their academic journey by participating in a sport or a student organization (e.g. Biology Club, Business Club, Outdoor Adventure, Psi Chi Honor Society, eSports), but our commitment to their educational success is at the forefront of our mission,” Mr. Tyner stated.