Indiana Goes to Remote Teaching For Rest of Semester, Extends Spring Break, Cancels Little 500

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — The coronavirus scare that took away the NCAA basketball tournament and many other things at Indiana a few days ago got worse on Sunday night when President Michael McRobbie basically shut down the campus for the rest of the semester.

In a letter to all members of the IU community, McRobbie reiterated the numbers in the rapid growth of the virus in the U.S. and the need to not gather in large numbers. Because of that, Indiana suspended face-to-face classes for the remainder of the spring semester and will transition to virtual learning to complete classes on time.

Several other decisions were made, according to McRobbie, including:

Residential housing to close: To reduce large concentrations of students living in on-campus housing with many shared spaces and dining facilities, IU will close most of its residence halls and on-campus housing on March 20. Procedures for an orderly move-out and transition policies, including retrieving essential items, will be provided by each campus to housing residents via email by Tuesday and on campus housing websites.

Spring break extended a week: To better accommodate move-outs, spring break will be extended by a week and will run from March 14 to March 29. This additional week will provide more travel flexibility for all students given the stress on domestic and international travel systems. It will additionally give faculty time to prepare for completing the semester via virtual teaching.

Canceling Little 500: The men's and women's Little 500 bike races are canceled for this academic semester. This includes all associated events, including the qualifications events. The possibility of holding the events at some future date beyond this semester will be reassessed at a later date. It's the first time in the 70-year history of the event that it won't be run.

Employees working remotely: Indiana campuses remain open with limited operations and employees who can work remotely should be allowed to do so.

"I know how very difficult and deeply disappointing these steps will be for many students, staff and faculty,'' McRobbie said in the statement. "We profoundly regret having to arrive at this place, as I know that it means further disruption for all of you and your families.

"We do so now to enable everyone to better plan for the remainder of March and April. We are taking these necessary actions to support the health and safety of the IU community and the communities around our campuses. These steps will enable both our public health goals and continuity of our research and education mission in these circumstances. I am deeply grateful to everyone in the IU community for your understanding and your willingness to navigate the disruptions caused by this virus. Personal responsibility and swift collective action are essential as we work together to protect the health and safety of our community.''

Add us as a preferred source on Google