Duke to begin remote classes. UNC and other NC universities debate coronavirus plans.
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Duke University announced Tuesday night that all on-campus classes will be indefinitely suspended and remote instruction will begin, according to a message from the president.
Undergraduate spring break was extended until Sunday, March 22. Classes will then resume remotely on Monday, March 23 to give time for students and faculty to adjust to the new plans, the statement from President Vincent E. Price said.
Students should not return to campus “if at all possible,” Price said.
The president said Duke is working on plans to give residential students a prorated reimbursement of any previously paid and unused housing and dining fees.
All students who need to return to campus, even briefly, must register with Student Affairs in advance so the university can support a limited on-campus population, Price’s statement said.
“This was not an easy decision to make and came only after reviewing the range of options available in light of the rapidly changing situation in North Carolina, and nationally,” Price said. “The goal is to minimize situations in which members of our community might be exposed to those who have COVID-19, and to protect our students, faculty and staff who might be at elevated risk. This approach is consistent with recommendations from public health officials, and also mirrors the actions taken by many universities across the country.”
Student activities will be curtailed and many campus facilities — including libraries, dining and recreation areas — will be limited, according to the university. Any Duke-sponsored events that expect more than 50 people to attend will be postponed, canceled or done virtually until April 20. That includes recruitment events, tours, student programs, reunions, performances, conferences and social events.
Duke will keep its campus, gardens, museums and tourist destinations open as much as possible, as long as groups are under 50 people.
What UNC, NC State and other schools are considering
Several other North Carolina universities are considering plans to offer courses online for the spring semester as the coronavirus spreads across the nation.
UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz and Provost Robert Blouin sent a letter to students and faculty Monday saying the university is preparing for remote classes if they are needed.
“We are developing the capacity to continue course delivery remotely, should that be necessary,” the letter said.
University staff and academic leaders are working with UNC’s information technology team to put together resources to help faculty and instructors prepare for that situation. UNC-CH students are on spring break until Monday, March 16.
“It’s important to note that, even if the risks associated with COVID-19 are low for many individuals in our community, it is critical we all do our part to limit transmission and ensure the safety of everyone on our campus and in our communities,” the letter said.
There are seven confirmed cases in North Carolina, in Wake and Chatham counties, but none have been reported on any college campuses in the state. Gov. Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency Tuesday as leaders continue to deal with the coronavirus.
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UNC Charlotte is telling professors to prepare for online classes for the spring semester as students return from spring break.
Professors were asked to “begin planning for the possibility of delivering the remainder of their spring courses virtually” in a memo from the provost Monday.
“While there is no imminent threat to the University, we need to be prepared for the continued spread of the virus and the potential disruption of classes and other institutional activities,” the memo said.
As N.C. State University prepares for the coronavirus, instructors are being asked to create “academic continuity plans for their classes and remain flexible with attendance policies,” university spokesman Mick Kulikowski said. N.C. State students are currently on spring break.
When asked about potentially canceling classes or making all courses available online, he said N.C. State is “preparing for all contingencies.”
Coronavirus cases
Click or touch the map to see cases in the North Carolina area. Pan the map to see cases elsewhere in the world. The data for the map is maintained by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at the Johns Hopkins University and automated by the Esri Living Atlas team. Data sources are WHO, US CDC, China NHC, ECDC, and DXY. Data is updated every hour. Note: Some cases from the Diamond Princess cruise ship are grouped in Japan on this map and do not show up in the US.
The North Carolina Community College System is planning for the outbreak a bit differently, because it does not have residence halls and about one-third of full-time students already take online classes.
The community colleges across the state are generally well-prepared for virtual instruction, according to spokeswoman Jane Stancill, but some workforce programs that require hands-on learning could pose a challenge.
The system asked community college presidents to review their internal policies on communicable disease, travel and teleworking and communicate with local health departments as the situation progresses.
Duke could change academic calendar
Duke has not made changes to the academic calendar for undergraduate and graduate classes, but is monitoring the situation and preparing to adjust its schedule.
“Over the next week, we will be communicating with deans, department chairs and faculty about how best they can prepare in advance should it become advisable for Duke to end on-campus classes sooner than indicated by the Duke calendar,” Duke officials said in a campus update. “We hope this will not be necessary but want to be prepared.”
Duke is canceling all classes after this week for its Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, which has more than 2,500 members.
Duke Provost Sally Kornbluth sent a letter saying the decision was made “out of an abundance of concern and caution for lifelong learners” and staff and instructors as the spread of the coronavirus is of “greatest risk to individuals over 60 and people with serious medical conditions.”
Duke officials said it will offer a course fee credit for individuals enrolled in courses that meet beyond March 14 and refunds for fees for activities such as workshops, movies and tours after that date.
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Elon University and Wake Forest University are also making plans as the coronavirus outbreak escalates.
In an Elon coronavirus update Tuesday, officials said while some universities with “direct exposure to coronavirus” replaced classroom instruction with online classes, they are not currently taking that action. The university is making plans for continuing classes if coronavirus directly affects Elon’s campus.
Wake Forest University is also discussing “contingency plans for academic continuity” in case Forsyth County or the university community is affected by the coronavirus.
The WFU provost and deans have asked faculty to make preparations to teach courses and give final exams remotely, including summer and fall classes, should that become necessary.
Elon, Wake Forest and Duke have already restricted travel to countries with a level two or three travel warning from the CDC, including China, Iran, Italy, South Korea and Japan, and canceled some study abroad programs in those countries.
Students, faculty and staff who travel to or through one of those countries must self-quarantine for 14 days before returning to campus, according to the universities.
Travel restrictions at universities
UNC-CH has prohibited all university-affiliated travel to level two and three countries. Anyone returning from those countries is expected to self-quarantine off campus for 14 days, university officials said.
UNC-CH is also restricting domestic travel for students, faculty and staff to places where a state of emergency has been declared related to COVID-19 and coronavirus. That includes the cities of Austin and San Antonio in Texas, and the states of California, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah and Washington. North Carolina is also under a state of emergency, but UNC has not detailed how that will impact campus.
In addition to restricting university travel to those areas, UNC-CH said personal travel is strongly discouraged. Anyone returning from those areas may be asked to self-quarantine for 14 days.
N.C. State has restricted all university-related travel to level two and three countries and travel to these areas will not be reimbursed, according to the university.
The university is not prohibiting personal travel, but said individuals may be asked to self-quarantine for 14 days if they travel to those areas.
More information about guidance from the UNC System about the coronavirus and how other universities are handling the situation can be found on the system website.
Charlotte Observer reporter Amanda Zhou contributed to this report.
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