KU extends springs break a week

Kutztown University students will get an extra week of spring break, and all Penn State students, including Berks, will be taking classes online into April.

Kutztown announced Wednesday that classes will be suspended and residence halls closed through March 21 due to concerns over COVID-19, the new coronavirus that has been spreading around the world.

The campus is currently on spring break, and was slated to resume classes Monday.

University officials said there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 on campus, and that closing the campus is being done “out of an abundance of caution.”

The new schedule is for residence halls at KU will reopen on March 22, and classes will resume on March 23.

While the campus is closed, students with internships for credit, clinicals and student teacher assignments will continue as long as the host institution remains open. Those students will have access to on-campus housing, if applicable.

Faculty will be available to answer student questions during the closure, and have been instructed to prepare online courses in case further closure of the school past March 21 is needed.

Administrative offices will remain open and on a regular operating schedule. Employees with an underlying health condition that could make them vulnerable to COVID-19 should contact the human resources department.

The university is also canceling all universitysponsored travel for faculty, staff and students until further notice. That includes regional, statewide, national and international travel.

University officials said they will continue to monitor the coronavirus situation and plan for new developments.

“We remain committed foremost to our students’ and employees’ well-being and safety,” a statement about the closure states.

Intercollegiate athletic events are not being impacted by the closure and will be held as scheduled. Other university events scheduled during the closure will be held on a caseto-case basis.

Penn State: Stay home

Penn State announced Wednesday that classes at all campuses, including Berks, will be held online starting Monday. That will last until April 3.

“During this three-week period following spring break, undergraduate and graduate students at all campus locations are strongly discouraged from returning to campus, offcampus locations and group dwellings, and should return to, or remain at, home during this time period,” a statement announcing the closure reads.

While Penn State campuses will remain open for staff and faculty, residence halls and campus dining facilities will be closed. For students who need to retrieve belongings, arrangements for temporary access can be made by contacting their campus student housing department.

International students who are already on campus, and students who must return on campus due to extenuating or compelling circumstances, may be able to make special housing arrangements through Penn State. Those students should contact their campus housing office.

Students who do not have access to an off-campus computer or internet service should contact their campus IT service desk.

All on-campus, student sponsored events and activities, such as student organization meetings, will be postponed or canceled until April 6, at the earliest.

Penn State President Eric J. Barron acknowledged that closing campuses to students is an inconvenience, but said it is a necessary, preventive step.

“This action represents a significant interruption of normal business practice for our community, not only from a logistical standpoint, but also in the ways we embrace a sense of community, teach our classes, gather together, create new knowledge and share in our differences and similarities,” he said. “However, we know that community infection is a primary mode of transmission and we need to do all we can to protect those around us, including those who may be more at risk or vulnerable to this virus.”

State system

Along with Kutztown and Penn State, several other colleges across the state are making moves to address the spread of coronavirus. Several state schools have decided to temporarily close campus or take other measures.

Kutztown, Shippensburg, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro,

Bloomsburg, California University of Pennsylvania, Lock Haven and West Chester are each on spring break this week.

West Chester and California University have extended their breaks until March 30, when classes will resume online for the remainder of the semester at each institution.

Edinboro and Lock Haven will extend spring break until March 23, when classes will resume online. Lock Haven said online courses will last until at least April 3.

Shippensburg, East Stroudsburg and Bloomsburg have each also extended spring break until March 23. Whether classes will be moved online at that point has not yet been determined for those schools.

Millersville and Slippery Rock universities are set to go on spring break next week, and will extend that break until March 30. When classes resume at each school, they will be online.