SUNY Albany says it's ready for classes to start on Monday and employees have been working since March on plans to reopen the campus to students.

What You Need To Know

  • Albany has cut class sizes and moved almost 60 percent of courses online

  • Only 34 percent of classes will be offered in-person

  • Students will need to wear masks and social distance

  • On-campus students can have two visitors at a time, but no overnight guests

Because of the pandemic, class sizes have been reduced, arrows mark traffic flow, and students living on campus need to sign a school pledge.

"These guidelines are all about wearing a mask when they're outside their room or suite, social distancing," said Carol Perrin, director of residential life.

Perrin says on-campus students can have two visitors at a time, but no overnight guests.

Meeting areas, like the university's ballroom, have been transformed into extra classrooms. The school has also set up a number of outdoor tents for additional dining options.

Despite all of the preparation, those at UAlbany say this will only work if students take the virus seriously.

"We have put preparations in place for this to be a successful semester, but what it's going to come down to, and I think this is true everywhere, is behavior," said Kevin Wilcox, the associate vice president of enterprise risk management and compliance.

Students agree, with senior Katherine Lonigro saying, "If we don't follow the rules, everyone is going to go home, and we don't want to go home. I'm not really nervous, I'm just hopeful."

Students traveling from high risk states and countries are undergoing precautionary quarantines before classes begin.