After seeing a group of COVID-19 infection clusters during the first week of classes, the school is transitioning to virtual learning.
What We Know:
- On Saturday, a third cluster of coronavirus cases was confirmed on the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus. A cluster is defined as five or more cases in “close proximity in location”. As of Monday morning, the school had 177 students in isolation and 349 in quarantine. The University noted that most of the affected students are experiencing mild symptoms.
- UNC Chancellor Kevin M. Guskiewicz informed the student body via email about the changes on Monday. All undergraduate learning will be remote while the graduate and professional schools continue on as is. The research efforts at the university will also remain the same.
We understand the concerns of our neighbors, co-workers and friends in and around the Chapel Hill and Carrboro communities. Their health and well-being are just as important to us as that of our #UNC students, faculty and staff https://t.co/BaKlNB6jEr
— UNC-Chapel Hill (@UNC) August 17, 2020
- In order to help further de-densify campus and ease the economic burden the shift will have on students, UNC is offering the option to cancel student housing without charge. Students who need to be on campus in order to have access to internet, or who face other hardships, will be allowed to remain.
- Some students at UNC say that this entire scenario could have been prevented. The Editorial Board of The Daily Tar Heel published a piece called “We all saw this coming”. In the piece, the board criticizes the choice to bring students back to campus this fall.
“University leadership should have expected students, many of whom are now living on their own for the first time, to be reckless. Reports of parties throughout the weekend come as no surprise. Though these students are not faultless, it was the University’s responsibility to disincentivize such gatherings by reconsidering its plans to operate in-person earlier on.”
- President of the University, Peter Hans, shared in a statement to students that, “There are no easy answers as the nation navigates through the pandemic”.
At the time of publish, there were no further reports of clusters appearing at fellow UNC campuses.
