Gallaudet University to move all classes online for rest of semester due to coronavirus

Gallaudet University’s President Roberta “Bobbi” Cordano and other top university officials announced in a public livestream video that due to concerns with coronavirus, all classes that were conducted on campus would be moved to an online, remote setting starting March 23, which is the first Monday after their spring break next week. The remote format will continue for the rest of the spring semester, which ends on May 4. 

Gallaudet students who live in on-campus residence halls will be asked to go home. There will be some students who will be allowed to stay on campus if they meet a certain criteria. On-campus cafeterias will still be open and serve food, but on a smaller scale. 

The university will not be closed, but classes will be done remotely. Events that have more than 25 people will not be allowed. 

Gallaudet officials emphasized that the coronavirus crisis is not just a Gallaudet issue, but a global issue. Cordano said they are doing what they can to help slow down the spread of the virus. 

Cordano said there was a “scare” yesterday with rumors of a student who was infected with COVID-19, but that there are no known cases on campus. 

Many people online asked about the status of their financial aid or if they would get a refund for room/board payments. Gallaudet officials said they are still assessing those areas. 

Cordano said it is an emotional time because many students are losing that day-to-day interaction, their social life, and access to a bilingual environment. She encouraged the Class of 2023 to be creative in how they would conduct the rat funeral, a treasured springtime tradition. 

Plans for this year’s commencement (graduation) are still in the discussion stage. Officials said they would make an announcement in the future. 

Cordano said it is their intention to have in-person classes in the fall. 

More information and updates is available on coronavirus.gallaudet.edu. 

Gallaudet is not the only university to respond to the coronavirus crisis in this way. Yesterday I reported that Harvard University was moving all classes online and would ask their students to move out of on-campus residence facilities. 

The New York Times reported that American University in Washington D.C., Syracuse University in upstate New York, the University of Maryland, Ohio State University, and Rice University in Houston were cancelling in-person classes. Many more educational programs have shifted to an online approach. 

https://www.facebook.com/gallaudetu/videos/605837016936908/https://coronavirus.gallaudet.edu/

https://www.nytimes.com/article/coronavirus-closings.html