MSU To Move To Online-Only Classes This Fall
LANSING, MI — Michigan State University has opted for online-only classes for its fall semester, moving away from face-to-face instruction amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the university announced Tuesday.
MSU President Samuel Stanley said in a letter to students that the decision in March to transition to remote classes and to have more employees work remotely was the right one, and since that time the university has continued to evaluate the future decisions.
"But given the current status of the virus in our country — particularly what we are seeing at other institutions as they re-populate their campus communities — it has become evident to me that, despite our best efforts and strong planning, it is unlikely we can prevent widespread transmission of COVID-19 between students if our undergraduates return to campus," the letter said.
"So, effective immediately, we are asking undergraduate students who planned to live in our residence halls this fall to stay home and continue their education with MSU remotely. While a vast majority of our classes already were offered in remote formats, we will work the next two weeks to transition those that were in-person or hybrid to remote formats."
Effective immediately, we are asking undergraduate students who planned to live in our residence halls this fall to stay home and continue their education with MSU remotely. https://t.co/vMDZAcy5fc
— MSU (@michiganstateu) August 18, 2020
Exceptions include students in the Colleges of Law, Human Medicine, Nursing, Osteopathic Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, the university said. Other initiatives are also going to continue.
As of Tuesday morning, more than 90,000 cases of the virus have been confirmed in Michigan. The state has also lost over 6,300 people from the virus.
Many grade schools throughout Michigan are also planning to move to virtual setups, with many schools deciding to at least begin with online learning before transitioning into a more traditional in-person instruction.
This article originally appeared on the Across Michigan Patch
