West Chester University Suspends Face-to-Face Classes Until The End of the Semester
West Chester University announced yesterday that they will suspend face-to-face classes out of an abundance of caution amid the ongoing response to combat coronavirus. This is effective until the end of the semester. Officials said residence halls and south campus apartments will not be open. Large public events and public gatherings will be cancelled.
West Chester University does not have any confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of this time and is taking every precaution possible to ensure the health and safety of all students, faculty, staff, and visitors to its campus. To continue proactively managing the health of the WCU community, academic instruction will be expedited remotely for the remainder of the spring semester.
West Chester University President Christopher Fiorentino issued the following statement to the University community on Tuesday, March 10, 2020 in an email entitled WCU to Move to Alternate Modes of Instruction for the Remainder of the Spring Semester:
Dear West Chester University Students, Parents, Faculty, and Staff,
I hope that you are enjoying a well-deserved spring break and that this message finds you well. Know that we continue to take every precaution possible to ensure the health and safety of all students, faculty, staff, and visitors to our campus amidst a global public health concern. It is important to share that WCU does not have any confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of this time.
Out of an abundance of concern for the continued good health of our community, the University has made the decision to move to alternate modes of instruction for the remainder of the spring semester. To expedite, faculty will use the next two weeks to prepare their courses for remote delivery, and remote advising and registering for the summer and fall terms. As such, in-person, face-to-face instruction will not occur on campus and these courses will resume by alternate means on March 30. Current online courses will not be affected, and will run as scheduled beginning on March 16. All internships for credit, clinicals, and student teaching assignments will continue as long as the host institution is open for business. Our dedicated faculty are committed to this alternate instruction plan and will soon be emailing students in their classes to let them know next steps.
In keeping with the CDC’s guidance to limit social distance, the University is taking proactive measures to minimize social contact. Please know that the residence halls and South Campus apartments will not be open, and the Office of Residence Life will be in contact with each student for a scheduled time to return to campus to collect their items. In addition, large public events and public gatherings will be cancelled, including West Chester University’s 37th Annual Presidential Scholarship Community Gala.
The day-to-day administrative operation of the University will continue, and University staff will report to work as usual. We ask all staff to continue healthy practices that will minimize the possibility of the spread of the virus. If you are sick, please stay home. Managers are prepared to work with you so that you will not be adversely affected.
To recap, academic instruction will commence as follows:
- Online –courses will continue on their regular schedule, beginning March 16.
- Internships for credit, clinicals, and student teaching assignments will continue as long as the host institution is open for business.
- All other courses will resume by remote means on March 30.
West Chester University wants its students to be successful and we will do whatever we can to help students complete the spring term successfully. I will be sending more details about how this proactive plan will be implemented, but wanted to let you know of this decision as soon as possible. All updates on the University’s response to COVID-19 will continue to be posted on our website, www.wcupa.edu/healthNotices. I encourage you to check the website frequently.
Sincerely,
Christopher M. Fiorentino, Ph.D.
President
