Post-break plan is set by UAFS

Classes to be finished online

The University of Arkansas at Fort Smith will follow the same path as a number of higher education institutions around the country to help slow the potential spread of covid-19.

It will keep students away from campus after Thanksgiving weekend.

The university’s Thanksgiving break is scheduled from Nov. 25-29. After that, classes and activities, including those during the final examination period, will take place remotely, with some exceptions.

The university said:

■ On-campus instruction will continue through Nov.

24.

■ Instruction will be delivered online from Nov. 30Dec. 4.

■ Final exams will be conducted in an online format Dec. 5-11.

“Critical face-to-face instruction such as clinicals, skills testing, and practical training will continue after Thanksgiving,” according to the “UAFS COVID-19 Response” page on the university’s website, citing the exceptions.

Students taking courses that will continue in person will be notified.

Many students traditionally use the long Thanksgiving weekend to travel home. The change is an effort to make the campus safer during the coronavirus pandemic.

Schools, businesses and large venues that have been affected by the pandemic are taking measures to help contain the spread of covid-19, a respiratory illness that can readily spread from person to person.

Colleges and universities have specific challenges — students arriving on campus from different states and countries; living in close quarters in residence halls; and freely socializing on and off campus.

“Expecting a surge of COVID-19 following the Thanksgiving holiday, which necessitates the move to online learning for the final two weeks of the Fall semester, the university has also made the difficult decision to cancel in-person commencement for the Spring 2020 and Fall 2020 graduates,” the university said.

“A comprehensive virtual commencement will take its place until the threat of covid-19 has decreased, and restrictions on large gatherings have been lifted.”

More information is available at https://bit. ly/3fXPdCp.