Penn State suspends in-person classes for the rest of spring semester due to COVID-19
Penn State has suspended in-person classes for the rest of the semester and postponed spring commencement, the university said in a release Wednesday.
Exams will be administered remotely, said the release.
“Graduation is a significant milestone for our students and while it may not be the same as our traditional ceremony, we are committed to finding the best way possible to recognize the achievements of our graduates,” said Penn State President Eric Barron in the release. “However, as the world works together to slow the spread of COVID-19, these decisions must be made with public health at the forefront along with the health and wellness of our students, faculty, staff, their families and our local communities.”
Penn State said it will announce a schedule for students to come collect their belongings from residence halls and apartments soon. The university is also working with local landlords, municipalities and student leaders to minimize contact for students returning to off-campus housing to retrieve belongings.
The university said it will have more information soon on room and board refunds, internships, on-campus jobs and research projects that have been disrupted due to the shift to online classes.
“We also know that this is causing significant distress for many in our Penn State family, for a variety of reasons. Please know, while we are not together physically, we are here to support you virtually in any way we can,” said Barron in the release. “The administration, faculty and staff are doing everything we can to manage disruptions to your learning, teaching, working and living arrangements as much as possible, given these extraordinary circumstances. And there are services and various support mechanisms in place or in development.”
In line with state and federal guidance, Penn State will not hold new nonessential meetings with more than 10 individuals, and will use social distancing practices — maintaining distance up to 6 feet — in essential meetings. For essential in-person meetings with more than 10 people, Executive Vice President and Provost Nick Jones must approve the request.
On Tuesday, Penn State’s faculty Senate approved a resolution asking the university to consider allowing students to request their classes be graded satisfactory/unsatisfactory given the move to online classes and coronavirus concerns.
The non-binding resolution would allow students to coordinate with their academic advisers to request some courses be graded S/U instead of by letter grade, with “satisfactory” representing a grade of C or higher. Courses graded S/U will not impact a student’s GPA, according to the release.
University leadership has not yet approved the faculty Senate’s resolution.
Penn State will communicate with students through email, the Penn State Go app and university announcements in the upcoming days about retrieving their belongings on campus.
The latest updates from Penn State can be found at psu.edu/virusinfo. The university is also raising funds for the Student Care and Advocacy Emergency Fund, which supports students with financial need across the state who apply for emergency assistance. Contributions may be made at raise.psu.edu/emergencyaid.
There are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Centre County as of noon Wednesday. Pennsylvania has 133 confirmed cases and reported its first virus death Wednesday afternoon.
This story was originally published March 18, 2020 at 11:19 AM.
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