University of Alabama to Switch to Online-Only Instruction on Nov. 20

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The University of Alabama has amended its Fall 2020 academic calendar and will switch to online-only instruction after Nov. 20.

The announcement came via an email sent to university faculty on Friday afternoon.

"The Fall 2020 academic calendar is being updated to provide instruction and testing remotely after Nov. 20," the letter to faculty reads. "The semester, scheduled to begin on campus with mostly in-person instruction components, will shift to remote just before Thanksgiving week.

"Calendar changes include:

Mid-Semester Study Break (previously scheduled for Oct. 29-30) is canceled. Classes will take place as scheduled on these days.
In-person instruction ends Nov. 20, and any remaining instruction will be remote."

In addition to switching to online classes and testing in November, the school's mid-semester study break which was scheduled for Oct. 29-30 has been canceled, and classes will take place as normally scheduled on those days.

The semester will also not have any classes for the entirety of the week of Thanksgiving.

The Fall 2020 semester, which was originally scheduled to run from Aug. 19 through Dec. 11, will now wrap up on-campus activity the week of Thanksgiving, essentially shortening the semester in Tuscaloosa by two weeks and sending students home early to conduct instruction and testing remotely.

The updated schedule also corresponds to a newly released coronavirus testing plan that was also issued by the school. The plan states that all students must be tested and have a negative test result within two weeks of returning to campus.

"Test within 2 weeks (14 days) before you return," the plan reads. "All students MUST receive their negative result before returning to campus and your first campus activity – before Greek recruitment, before move-in, before classes. Plan so that we receive the results in time for your return."

Back on June 9, UA officials announced Comprehensive Health and Safety Plan that applied to all schools in the UA System. The plan detailed a return to normal operations for the fall semester and established Aug. 19 as the first day of classes.

While the end date of on-campus activity has been changed from Dec. 11 that was originally adopted in the plan, the school will still be abiding by the safety and social distancing protocols provided in the plan.

These included:

— The quarantine of students, faculty and staff who test positive for COVID-19

— The limiting of dining options to take-out only, with no self-serve options available

— Move-in times for students will be staggered in order to reduce contact and encourage social distancing

— The wearing of masks by students, faculty and staff when social distancing cannot be maintained, including in classrooms, labs, offices and other gatherings on-campus

The June plan also announced that all athletic events would be conducted in compliance with the guidelines set forth by the NCAA, SEC, the CDC and the Alabama Department of Public Health.