CMU going online only in first week for undergrads

In-person instruction to follow quarantine

Carnegie Mellon University on Tuesday said it has moved its first week of fall undergraduate classes online, and only those who have completed a required 14-day quarantine will be allowed to join inperson instruction on Sept. 8.

Graduate students in course levels 600 and above who have successfully passed through quarantine can join in-person classes Aug. 31, which remains the start of the fall semester.

Carnegie Mellon administrators said the change reflects shifting virus conditions.

“Due to the recent rise of COVID-19 cases across the country, we believe that taking a staggered approach to starting in-person coursework will afford us the best opportunity for long-term success in these fluid conditions,” Carnegie Mellon President Farnam Jahanian said in a note to students and employees.

“After consultation with the deans and the university’s leadership team, we have decided that, while all classes will begin as planned on August 31, all undergraduates will now be required to start the fall semester remotely for the first week of classes,” he added.

Residential students will be tested for the virus upon arrival, school officials said.

“As we emphasized before, this pandemic is constantly evolving, and we are closely tracking the situation and incorporating new information into our planning on a daily basis,” Mr. Jahanian said. “Using data is the Carnegie Mellon way: this phased approach will allow us to learn from the experience in the first week of instruction to support continued smooth operations for the semester.”

Carnegie Mellon, in a statement, said it or insurance will pick up the $100 test charge. After arrival, and throughout the semester, students with symptoms that suggest a COVID-19 infection or are close contacts of known positive cases also will be tested.

Officials said they expect that about 45% of all CMU students will not be in Pittsburgh this semester.