Tennessee suspending in-person classes, activities following spring break
Tennessee will enter a campus-wide shutdown following the conclusion of spring break, the university announced on Wednesday.
All in-person class sessions will be bold online until, at minimum, April 3.
While there have been no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Knoxville UT interim president Randy Boyd released a statement addressing the concerns of the faculty regarding the health of students across campus.
“Our top priority is the health and safety of our students,” Boyd said. “We are taking this preventative measure with all of our campuses that provide face-to-face instruction out of an abundance of caution.”
All non-athletic events on campus have been cancelled until further notice, and a release by UT Chancellor Donde Plowman states that the university will work with the SEC in regards to the future of spring athletic events.
All students have been advised to remain home following March 22, with residence halls, sorority and fraternity housing all suspended for the foreseeable future.
Those who are unable to remain away from campus are advised to apply for an exemption through Tennessee’s housing portal.
“While we do not want to create undue anxiety on our campuses, we firmly believe that suspending our in-person classes is a prudent and important measure to take given the current COVID-19 situation,” Boyd said.
No word has been released on whether or not athletics events on campus will be suspended, but all signs are pointing toward UT taking precautionary measures.
This is an ongoing, developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
