UNC, with 30,000 students, also began classes on August 10, and on Monday, 177 students had positive tests for the coronavirus and another 349 students were forced to quarantine because of possible exposure. At least four clusters were identified in student housing, including one on a fraternal.
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A day later, the president of Michigan State sent a letter to reported undergraduate students who had plans to live in campus housing to stay home. He said most of the university’s courses were already offered remotely, and that it would all be made available online before school starts in two weeks, with some exceptions for graduates.
“It has become clear to me that, despite our best efforts and strong planning, it is unlikely that we will be able to prevent widespread transfer of Covid-19 between students when our undergraduates return to campus,” said the president, Drs. Samuel L. Stanley Jr. , wrote on Tuesday. He cited outbreaks at other universities as a big part of his decision.
Criticism and concern plague other colleges in the hopes of offering personalized learning this fall. In the last few days, images with a lot of circulation of young people gathering without masks at the campus in Tuscaloosa, Ala., Home of the University of Alabama, and around Dahlonega, Ga., House of the University of North Georgia, raised concerns about students’ cavalry attitudes toward social distance measures.
Virginia Tech President Tim Sands on Tuesday sent a letter to students pleading with them to be responsible or risk outbreaks like those on other campuses.
“For those who might want to take a break – perhaps by hosting a party or attending with people who are not in your ‘pod’ – please do not,” he wrote, adding, “There will be a day be in the not-too-distant future when a degree of normality will return. ”
Timmy Facciola and Alyssa Burr contributed reporting.
