HU announces classes will remain online for fall semester

Hampton University announced Thursday that it will continue offering only remote instruction for the fall semester.

In a letter, University President William Harvey said there were plans to reopen the campus in the fall but that the “COVID-19 situation has changed drastically.”

Harvey cited more than 2.7 million cases of coronavirus in the U.S. and more than 125,000 deaths. He also noted that 36 states had reported an increase in cases, saying that six out of the 10 states with the largest increases are where HU students live.

Harvey said he was concerned as experts predict cases will continue to rise, adding that Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has speculated that the U.S. could see 100,000 new cases of COVID-19 per day if people don’t wear facial coverings and practice physical distancing.

The decision to keep the campus closed was made “out of an abundance of caution for the health, safety and welfare” of the students and HU faculty and staff, Harvey wrote.

“There are going to be those who criticize this decision, and there are going to be those who applaud it,” Harvey said. “Here, at Hampton, we do not hold our finger up to see which way the wind is blowing and then follow.”

New Student Orientation will begin virtually in the upcoming weeks with classes scheduled to begin Aug. 10.

Earlier, Harvey said classes would start and end sooner than usual to ensure the fall semester would end before flu season. Even with the decision to only offer remote instruction, Harvey said classes will still follow this plan to end Nov. 20.

“It is our hope that this will also allow sufficient time for the threat of the virus to diminish,” Harvey said.

The university plans to reopen its campus in the spring semester “if conditions permit.”

Harvey also announced that the university was reducing tuition and comprehensive fees by 15% for the fall semester because of the financial burden of the pandemic.