NC State will require masks of students, faculty, staff through the fall semester

In an email to the campus community, the university promised, "Additional information about the fall semester will be released in the coming days."

Face coverings will be required in all classrooms and laboratories and even in buildings not owned by the university where university programs are held.

The only exceptions to the rule will be for people in private offices or in student residence halls when only the residents are present.

"Everyone on campus is expected to carry a face coverage at all times," the email said. N.C. State will provide face coverings to those who need them, or students and staff can provide their own.

The fall semester starts about a week earlier than usual, and fall break will be eliminated to allow for final exams before Thanksgiving. Both universities plan to close campuses between Thanksgiving and the new year in hopes of limiting any cold-weather resurgence of the novel coronavirus.

NC State said everyone on campus must wear a face mask in campus buildings and on campus grounds starting July 15th.

“I think it’s probably a good thing since there’s a lot of people at state. People are going to be walking by each other often, so I support it," said NC State student Jillian Tyler.

Senior student Eric Blackwell supports the decision but expects some challenges. "The one thing about masks is that it is hard to hear people, so to have instructors wearing a mask, I feel like people in the back row might not be able to hear them," he said.

Students Thomas Hill and Brittany Supak say it could be hard to enforce the use of masks outside.

“I feel like there will be some resistance," Hill said.

“Especially when it is mid-August, scorching hot out and you’re walking all the way from Pullen Road all the way to the other side of campus, it’s going to suck," Supak added. "Especially how big NC State is, people are going have issues with it.”

Many classes have been moved online and most of the students we spoke to say wearing a mask for in-person learning is the new normal.