ASU TO go online for rest of semester.

State University will transition all classes to online learning for the rest of the spring semester beginning Tuesday amid the coronavirus outbreak, Chancellor Kelly Damphousse announced on Sunday, but the campus will remain open.

Students will continue to have access to ASU’s residence halls, cafeteria and library. Students who wish to return home can do so, Damphousse said, but campus facilities will stay open “so that students will be able to keep up with their studies.”

Employees will continue to perform their duties “for the duration of the time that campus remains open,” he said.

Today’s classes are canceled as the university prepares to transition to online instruction, according to Damphousse.

The announcement from Damphousse scraps the university’s previous plans, announced last week, to hold two trial days of online learning on Tuesday and Wednesday, with at least two weeks of online classes planned for March 30 to April 13 after the return from spring break.

The chancellor asked community members to remain patient and calm despite the disruption.

“Friends, this is really uncharted territory for everyone in the world, and especially on college campuses,” Damphousse said in the statement. “This will not be easy. Building online classes typically takes several months of work and we have only had a few weeks to get ready for this.”

Damphousse said the university will do “everything we can to hold our graduation ceremonies as scheduled in May.”

Universities around the country have suspended or canceled in-person courses as a precautionary measure in light of the viral pandemic.

Events and gatherings of more than 50 people at ASU have been canceled effective today to encourage social distancing and limit the spread of the virus, the university announced Friday.