Loyola plans to return to school in the fall with full capacity in-person classes, according to a university-wide email from University President Tania Tetlow.

The email said the decision is informed by the CDC’s recent prediction that all adults will have access to a COVID-19 vaccine by the end of the summer. Loyola will still offer fully online programs and courses and will be surveying students about hybrid options.

Community members and students unable to get vaccinated or with vulnerable health conditions will be able to go through Human Resources and the Office for Accessible Education to request ADA accommodation, Tetlow said in the email.

“Where possible, we will continue to make use of our classroom technology to facilitate virtual participation by those students. But rather than the difficult straddling we have done this year, faculty should be able to return to a focus on in-person education,” Tetlow said in the email.

She emphasized in the email that the plans for the fall are in flux depending on the success of vaccination efforts. The email also stressed that, particularly this semester, Loyola community members need to remain focused on keeping COVID-19 cases low.

“But— please note—  our rates of COVID are higher this spring than we were last fall. Some of that came from an increase in rates city-wide this January, but it also undoubtedly stems from some of us letting down our guard. We are so close to the end of the battle – don’t be the guy who stands up in the foxhole right before the war ends. And please don’t derail our ability to function in hybrid fashion right now,” Tetlow said in the email. “I pray every day in gratitude for your collective stamina, empathy and patience.”