Penn State suspends in-person classes for 3 weeks due to coronavirus concerns

Note: The Centre Daily Times and McClatchy news sites have lifted the paywall on this developing story, providing critical information to readers. To support vital reporting such as this, please consider a digital subscription.

Students were set to return to Penn State Monday after spring break, but concerns about spread of the novel coronavirus will suspend in-person classes through April 3.

Online learning will be in place starting Monday and in-person classes will resume April 6, according to a Wednesday news release from the university.

“As you know, communities around the globe are facing unprecedented challenges as coronavirus continues to spread. It remains our goal to take the necessary, active steps to confront this public health threat and manage our risks,” said Penn State President Eric Barron in a message to students, faculty and staff.

Penn State plans to deliver all in-person classes, seminars and labs remotely for students at every university campus. Additionally, the College of Medicine and Penn College will announce similar protocols tailored to their communities.

Though the university will stay open for faculty and staff, Penn State said supervisors may work with some staff to accommodate telework when possible and encouraged employees who feel sick to stay home. Penn State is encouraging supervisors to be flexible about missed class or work.

Students discouraged from returning to campus

Some university departments sent out guidance to faculty and staff on Tuesday on how to prepare to teach online classes.

During the three-week period of suspended in-person classes, Penn State is “strongly” discouraging undergraduate and graduate students from returning to campus, off-campus locations and group dwellings like apartments and fraternities, according to the release.

For international students already on campus or students unable to return home “due to extenuating and/or compelling circumstances,” Penn State said it will work with individuals on a case-by-base basis to make special visit or housing arrangements. Students in need of accommodations should contact the campus housing office, with information found at hfs.psu.edu/campuses.

Residence halls and campus dining facilities will not reopen for normal operation during the three-week online learning period. According to the release, Penn State will have some “facilities” open but did not specify which ones. Penn State said it can arrange for temporary access to dormitories for students to retrieve any necessary belongings, through contacting the housing office.

Students staying on campus will be able to use their meal plan, Penn State spokesperson Wyatt DuBois said in an email. The Office of Student Aid is available to help students whose housing or financial aid packages might be affected by the decision to suspend in-person classes, he said.

Students who are unable to access the internet or a computer from home or another location will be assisted by Penn State in getting access at campus computer labs. For arrangements, students should contact the IT director at their campus or the IT Service Desk at University Park at ITservicedesk@psu.edu.

Because Penn State is trying to accommodate all students’ technological needs, it won’t be offering refunds unless “a student truly could not access the online version of the course to complete it,” said DuBois.

Penn State has canceled or postponed all student sponsored events and activities until after April 6, urging students to contact Student Affairs for more guidance. All non-essential events will be canceled, rescheduled or offered virtually through April 6, and any essential event with over 50 attendees should get approval from Provost Nick Jones.

“This action represents a significant interruption of normal business practice for our community, not only from a logistical standpoint, but also in the ways we embrace a sense of community, teach our classes, gather together, create new knowledge and share in our differences and similarities,” said Barron in the release. “However, we know that community infection is a primary mode of transmission and we need to do all we can to protect those around us, including those who may be more at risk or vulnerable to this virus. If there was ever a ‘We Are’ moment, this is it.”

Classes suspended at other Pennsylvania, Big Ten universities

While it’s an unprecedented move from the university, the suspension follows precautionary steps taken recently at universities across the country. On Monday, Ohio State became the first Big Ten university to suspend classes due to the coronavirus outbreak. Rutgers University and Indiana University followed suit on Tuesday, canceling face-to-face classes after their spring breaks and moving to online instruction through early April.

Other Pennsylvania schools, including West Chester, Edinboro and Bucknell universities, University of Pennsylvania and Villanova, Lehigh, Bryn Mawr and Swarthmore, announced shifts to online learning Tuesday and Wednesday.

Penn State has taken other steps to protect its students and faculty against the coronavirus, known as COVID-19, which has more than 121,000 confirmed cases globally and over 1,000 in the U.S. The World Heath Organization classified COVID-19 as a pandemic — the worldwide spread of a new disease — on Wednesday.

All embedded spring break trips were canceled last week, with all students, faculty and staff planning to travel over the break to avoid Level 2 or higher Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory countries. The university is requiring anyone coming to campus after visiting a Level 2 or higher country to self-quarantine for 14 days.

Hundreds of students were also pulled out of study abroad trips in Italy after the CDC raised the country’s coronavirus risk to a Level 3 travel advisory.

As of Wednesday afternoon, 16 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Pennsylvania, including nine in Montgomery County, where Penn State’s Abington campus is located, and one in Delaware County, where the university’s Brandywine campus is. Two of those cases have been confirmed by the CDC.

There are no known cases of COVID-19 in Centre County or at any Penn State campus.

Penn State is posting all updates on coronavirus and the university’s response at sites.psu.edu/virusinfo.

This story was originally published March 11, 2020 at 2:36 PM.