YPSILANTI, Mich. – Eastern Michigan University announced all classes will be held online through at least the end of the month because of coronavirus concerns.
- Effective tomorrow, March 12, we are suspending face-to-face instruction in lectures, seminars and other similar classroom settings. The suspension of on campus/in person classes will last through Tuesday, March 31 -- with on campus/in person classes tentatively set to resume on April 1. This decision and timing will be reevaluated on an ongoing basis and may be modified as more information becomes available.
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See which schools, events are being impacted here
Students are encouraged to return home while classes are held online. For students who stay on campus, the residence halls and dining facilities will remain open. Students who are staying must register here by Saturday so the school is aware and can make sure appropriate facilities are available.
All school events are canceled through the end of March.
MORE: First 2 cases of coronavirus confirmed in Michigan: What we know, don’t know
International travel is also being suspended, and nonessential university travel domestically is suspended.
Read more about coronavirus here.
Full info from EMU:
Classes and instruction
- Effective tomorrow, March 12, we are suspending face-to-face instruction in lectures, seminars and other similar classroom settings. The suspension of on campus/in person classes will last through Tuesday, March 31 -- with on campus/in person classes tentatively set to resume on April 1. This decision and timing will be reevaluated on an ongoing basis and may be modified as more information becomes available.
- Current classes that are presented in an online format will continue as scheduled.
- The University is working to move on-campus classes to a virtual/online instruction format. On Monday, March 16, the University will transition classes to a virtual/online format. Instructors will contact their students with the online class plan.
- We are working with faculty and staff who conduct performance and laboratory classes to determine the best approach for those classes, and will provide further guidance next week. This is an evolving process and I ask for your patience as we work through these items.
- Halle Library will remain open with reduced hours beginning on Monday.
Residence halls
- While completing classes virtually, students are encouraged to return to their permanent place of residence due to public health recommendations for social distancing.
- For students who choose to continue living on campus or are not able to return home, the University’s residence halls and dining facilities will remain open. Students who stay on campus must register online by Saturday, March 14, so the University can appropriately prepare and staff residence halls and dining facilities.
- We urge all students to make the choice that is best for their own personal situations.
- Everyone is encouraged to practice appropriate social distancing and enhanced preventative public health and hygiene measures, as we have previously shared in our campus communications.
Employees
- Certain designated personnel, as notified by their supervisors, may be required to work in the period between Thursday, March 12 and Sunday, March 15. All other employees should plan not to work and remain at home Thursday through Sunday to allow for greater attention to campus-wide cleaning initiatives and transition to online instruction.
- As of Monday, March 16, all employees, other than certain designated personnel notified by their supervisors, will be expected to work remotely through March 31. Employees can return to campus to retrieve computers and necessary materials on Monday, March 16.
Events
- Governor Whitmer today announced recommendations to cancel large events or gatherings of people.
- Following that recommendation, all University events are canceled through the end of March. This includes tomorrow's (March 12) ribbon cutting for the new Campus Wellness Center and weekend events.
- We have suspended scheduling any new events for the immediate future. Of course, we will continue to reassess this decision as the situation unfolds.
Travel
- All University-related travel to international destinations is now suspended. This is a change to our previous announcement suspending only travel to countries with Level Three and Level Four travel advisories.
- All non-essential University travel to domestic locations is also suspended. Any domestic travel requests will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis by the Office of the Provost and the CFO.