Rutgers University to conduct fall semester with mostly remote courses
(Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. - Officials at Rutgers University have announced that the upcoming fall semester will be made up of a majority of "remotely delivered courses."
"The decision was not made easily or hastily, Holloway said, but was made due to the uncertainty regarding the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, the increase in cases in other areas of the country and in consultation with public health experts and university leaders," Rutgers officials said in a release Monday.
The university says there will be a limited number of in-person classes including courses that involve laboratory work, field work, or clinical instruction.
Chancellors at Rutgers satellite campuses across New Jersey will be releasing more details about how the changes will affect students on their campuses.
“We have wanted very fervently to be able to resume some version of a normal semester,” Holloway said in a message to the Rutgers community. However, “because of the ongoing requirements for social distancing and guided by our paramount priority of safeguarding the people of our university community, we determined that most courses this fall will have to rely on remote methods of instruction – delivered both in real time and asynchronously,” President Jonathan Holloway said Monday.
Campus housing and other services will be extremely limited because of the need for social distancing.
Essential student services, including academic, health and wellness counseling, will continue to be available to students remotely and complemented by in-person interactions as public health guidelines allow, officials say.
The school says decisions regarding the upcoming athletic season will be guided by state requirements and policies and the campuses' respective athletic conferences.
The suspension of campus events will remain in place this fall to limit opportunities for the virus to spread.
No decision has been made for the winter session and spring semester.
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