Hampton University to remain online in spring

Hampton University students will not return to campus this spring, President William Harvey announced Wednesday.

Harvey cited in a letter to the community current trends in COVID-19 data as the basis for the decision. The college’s campus has been closed to students and visitors since March.

“We, at Hampton, have evaluated the data trends and the current state of affairs as it relates to the pandemic to determine the impact that COVID-19 will likely have on the Hampton community and the associated risks if we resume in-person instruction next semester,” Harvey wrote. “With the cases spiking on college and university campuses, including HBCUs, and in a majority of the states, we have determined that it is in the best interest of the entire Hampton University community to continue virtual instruction for the spring 2021 semester.”

In particular, Harvey cited cases at colleges and universities, noting that schools across the country have reported over 130,000 campus cases. In Virginia, there have been 32 outbreaks associated with colleges and universities, according to data from the Virginia

Department of Health.

Most four-year colleges in Hampton Roads, including William & Mary, Christopher Newport University, Old Dominion University and Norfolk State University, are holding in-person classes. Those schools have seen dozens of cases, according to their online dashboards. Earlier this month, ODU reported a COVID19 outbreak in a residence hall.

Hampton University is one of only a few colleges in the region to remain online in spring. Community colleges across the state will also remain mostly online, the Virginia Community College System announced in September.

Harvey said that he and Barbara Inman, vice president for administrative services and student affairs, had a virtual meeting with student leaders Oct. 8. During the meeting, student leaders said that they were disappointed that they might not return but agreed virtual learning was the best option.

Faculty will be required to record all lectures next semester to make it easier for students who live in other time zones to follow along in classes. The university is also changing its spring calendar. Classes will start Jan. 11, but in addition to spring break and Martin Luther King Jr. day holidays, Harvey said the university will have “wellness breaks” for students on Feb. 12 and April 2.

“This was a difficult decision to make because we miss our students greatly. We would prefer that all of our lives return to the normalcy we now recognize as ‘before the pandemic,’” Harvey said. “However, this is not presently possible. We cannot, in good conscience, allow students to return to campus under these current conditions, which might inevitably increase their likelihood of exposure to COVID-19.”