Molloy Announces Measures To Start Classes In Fall

ROCKVILLE CENTRE, NY — At a press conference on Tuesday, Molloy College President Dr. Jim Lentini announced the measures the school was taking for classes to reopen safely in the fall.

Molloy currently has classes for the Fall 2020 semester scheduled to start on Sept. 8. The school will also be welcoming students into its residence halls at that time. Lentini, who just took over leadership of the school from former president Dr. Drew Bogner, said he understands the concerns that families have, but that the school is ready to safely accommodate students.

Lentini said that Molloy will be holding in-person classes in the fall semester, but that students will be sitting six feet apart in the classroom, and will also be required to wear face coverings during class. Because the distance between students will necessitate smaller class sizes, the school will be using a combination of in-person and online classes.

The school will also be opening its three residence halls to students who choose to live on-campus. Lentini said that the state considers students who live together on campus to be a "family unit," meaning they would not have to wear masks or social distance when in their dorm rooms with their roommates.

Lentini said the school will not be putting three students in the triple rooms some of the dormitories have. Instead, all of the rooms will be used as singles or doubles. The dormitories will also be equipped with kiosks that will scan students' faces and take their temperature every day.

"A lot of thinking went into this," Lentini said.

Molloy has taken other steps to make the school welcoming for students, both new and returning. It announced earlier this year that it was freezing tuition for the 2020-21 school year, and also refunded about $1 million to students to reimburse them for the costs of meal plans and fees due to the school's closure this spring.