Virus pushes college online amid cancellations
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – College seniors began making tearful goodbyes, not knowing if they’d return to see friends on campus. Some were heading to homes without internet, leaving them to wonder if they could keep up with online classes. And some worried about finding a way to afford a flight on only a few days’ notice.
As dozens of universities cancel inperson classes and move instruction online amid fears over the new coronavirus, thousands of students are left scrambling to find their way home while their professors puzzle over how to move weeks of courses to the internet.
Schools nationwide announced plans to cancel in-person classes through spring break or beyond amid fears about the virus’s spread. Some are pausing campus classes for a few days or weeks, including Columbia, Princeton and Indiana University, while others are canceling classes through the end of the term, including Stanford and Harvard.
On Tuesday, Harvard undergraduates were told to leave campus by Sunday and stay home until the end of the semester.
The abrupt order drew outrage from students who are also juggling midterm exams, senior projects and daily classes.
Harvard student Silvana Gomez didn’t know how she would afford to return on such short notice to her family’s home in West New York, New Jersey. Gomez, a junior studying psychology, also worries about the risk she could pose to her father, who is 66 and has a health condition that could make him more vulnerable to the virus.
“It’s terrifying. I’m definitely very scared right now about what the next couple days, the next couple weeks look like,” she said. “I have to stay on campus, and if Harvard doesn’t allow me to stay on campus, then I really don’t know what’s going to happen.”
Harvard senior Nick Wyville doesn’t know how he’ll take online courses at his family’s home near Anniston, Alabama. It’s a rural area, he said, and the closest internet access is at the county’s only Starbucks, miles from his home.
“We are really panicking right now, and a lot of students have anxiety,” he said. “A lot of us woke up this morning to a very ominous email that’s essentially evicting us from campus.”
Stores were selling out of boxes near Harvard, one of several schools including Amherst College and St. John’s University that asked students to move out of student housing and finish their courses for the year from home.
Others, like Princeton University, are temporarily moving to online learning, even for students who remain on campus, and telling them to prepare for tight restrictions on social activities.
With more campuses canceling classes by the day, the potential impact looms large into the spring for final exams, new student tours and graduation ceremonies.
For most people, the coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.
The vast majority of people recover from the new virus.
According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover.
In mainland China, where the virus first exploded, more than 80,000 people have been diagnosed, and more than 58,000 have so far recovered.
Dan King, president of the American Association of University Administrators, predicted “many, many more” colleges will move learning online as campuses work to contain the virus and the anxiety around it.