ETSU President Brian Noland announced Friday that all courses will remain online for the remainder of the spring semester in response to COVID-19 mitigation efforts.
Noland sent the message to the ETSU community Friday evening, stating that the university will “implement a series of new steps … to flatten the curve of the spread of the COVID-19 virus.”
“We do not take these actions lightly but do so in an effort to secure the health, safety, and welfare of our campus community,” Noland said.
Students will continue their spring courses online with the help of tools like Desire2Learn – or D2L – and Zoom Video Conferencing.
Refunds for housing and dining fees paid “out-of-pocket” will be addressed by the university in April.
The transition also impacts faculty, staff and graduate assistants.
“I am asking that faculty members move to suspend their on-campus research activities,” Noland said. “Faculty should work directly with their chairs and deans to wind down on-campus research activities. Challenges to suspending research activities must be addressed with chairs, deans, and the Vice Provost for Research. Additionally, Graduate Assistants should not be working on campus to support administrative, research, or teaching activities.”
While the university is not closed, many offices will now work remotely. Faculty and staff have been asked to make preparations for online class work, including “to wind down” research on campus, according to the email.
Sherrod Library will be closed, but online resources and other national databases through the library may still be accessed.
Precautions have already been taken for sanitization, starting last week, according to Noland.
“All buildings will be locked, and faculty and staff with keys may have limited access to their offices and classrooms,” he said.
No decision has been made regarding spring 2019 commencement, according to Noland.
More updates can be found at easttenessean.com or https://www.etsu.edu/coronavirus/.
