A growing number of universities in the US are prepping for a return to campus this fall. Among them is the University of Arkansas, where new precautions have been revealed that will help ensure student move-ins remain healthy and safe.

As outlined on the University of Arkansas' Housing website, the university will enact multiple steps to make the student experience on campus as safe as possible. The university will welcome student athletes back to campus as soon as June 8 for voluntary workouts, while the general student population will be welcomed back to campus in August.

The precautions that Arkansas is implementing for its campus move-in procedures include:

• Additional move-in dates and times with decreased volume of students and parents at each arrival time slot
• Conducting enhanced disinfection of high-touch areas within university facilities including door handles, knobs, buttons, switches, handrails, tables, etc.
• Continual cleaning, sanitizing and disinfecting processes as directed by the Centers for Disease Control, which includes additional “fogging” of bathrooms
• Evaluation of all residential programming to limit group sizes while still encouraging strong communities
• Establishing partnerships between campus offices to continue important messaging about social distancing and current health protocols
• Modified serving stations, installation of sneeze guards, contactless ordering where feasible, and additional portable hand wash stations in dining facilities
• Restricting the number of people assisting each student during move-in to two
• Allowing only one family in elevators at a time during move-in

In addition to its campus move-in procedure, the university has also compiled an extensive phase-back plan that it calls its Research Return Overview. The overview includes a multi-level return schedule for all aspects of campus, and is being updated in real time as changes occur.