he coronavirus continues to spread very quickly, advancing into Southern California with a growing number of cases in Los Angeles County, and now Orange County. While we are still categorized as low risk in Orange County, and Chapman University has no known cases, we are aggressively preparing to move classes online to minimize the potential exposure on campus. Chapman is following the California Public Health Department’s Guidance for Universities, and while it has not yet recommended a move to online classes, we are anticipating the continued spread of COVID-19 and must take precautions to keep our campus safe.
What you need to know:
- Effective March 12, we will suspend in-person classes and begin transitioning to online platforms.
- Faculty members have the flexibility to manage this action in a way that is optimal for their classes. All students and faculty must participate in alternate course delivery, as defined by the faculty. Short-term cancellations will be permitted for courses not readily able to alter course delivery, not to extend past March 30, 2020.
- Staff from Information Systems & Technology (IS&T) and Academic Affairs will immediately begin supporting the transition to online instruction for all graduate and undergraduate classes.
- Students who have the ability to return home are advised to do so. Regardless of location, students will participate in remote instruction.
- Campus operations and services will continue operating as usual; employees will remain on campus.
- Specialized courses that require in-person meetings are being evaluated, and further information will be shared as decisions are made. Students who participate in events as a part of coursework must work closely with faculty members to understand the impact.
- Athletic events and campus events with attendance of 100 or more are canceled; however, we suggest additional discretion when events are likely to be attended by high-risk populations.
Additional resources are available on the coronavirus website to prepare for remote learning and teaching. Faculty members need to begin communicating to students on individual course alterations and plans for how coursework will be completed.
We are aware that this is a challenging request and will cause many questions and difficulties. We ask that faculty and students leverage the resources available and rely on campus resources as needed. This transition will not be easy, but if we all work together with patience and flexibility, we will successfully move forward with the semester while reducing the health risks we are seeing around the world.
