ROCHESTER, Mich. – Oakland University announced Tuesday classes for the Winter 2022 semester will begin online Jan. 5 following the university’s holiday break due to concerns about spreading the coronavirus.
The university said classes will return to their previously scheduled delivery formats on Tuesday, Jan. 18, “barring a further need to respond to pandemic conditions.”
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Some Winter 2022 courses -- such as labs, lab-based research and field experiences -- may meet in person starting on Jan. 5. Students enrolled in such courses should contact their instructors for additional direction, the university said.
“We are proud of the health and safety measures our campus community has taken over the past two years,” said Oakland University President Ora Hirsch Pescovitz, M.D. “We are grateful that the campus community compliance rates are very high. That said, we also understand that we have to continue to actively work to maintain our health and safety as we go into the Winter semester and the new year.”
This two-week period allows for quarantine time for any students who might have been exposed to COVID-19 over the break, the university said.
“All campus community members are strongly encouraged to get fully vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus if not already, as well as to receive booster shots as advised by the CDC,” said Pescovitz. “All other infection prevention practices and expectations in place for students, faculty and staff will be maintained into the winter semester. This includes the mask mandate inside campus buildings.”
In August, Oakland University announced it is requiring all students, faculty and staff to receive the COVID vaccine in order to attend in-person courses and activities. The deadline for a first dose of the COVID vaccine was Sept. 3. The second shot deadline was Oct. 1.