Central Mass. colleges suspending in-person courses

Photo | Grant Welker UMass Medical School in Worcester

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By Grant Welker

UMass Medical School, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, College of the Holy Cross and Fitchburg State University have suspended in-person courses in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

The actions, which took place in quick succession Wednesday afternoon, added to a growing list of colleges nationwide that are keeping students off campus at least temporarily to help slow the spread of coronavirus, which had 95 presumptive or confirmed cases in Massachusetts — including one in Worcester County, reported Monday — and more than 1,000 nationwide.

WPI, with more than 5,000 students, said it will delay the start of its fourth academic term — known as D-term — until March 25, and after that point would be holding classes only online for at least two weeks. The term is now set to run through May 13.

Residence halls at WPI will be closed from March 16 until at least April 4. Students who reside on campus and are currently away should not return to campus, the school said in a notice to the campus community Wednesday afternoon. The campus remains open to faculty and staff.

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Holy Cross is ending classes after Friday and requiring students to move out of their dorms by Saturday at 5 p.m. The school, which returned from spring break Monday, said it will shift to online classes only starting March 23 and continuing through the end of the semester.

Holy Cross, with more than 3,000 students, said it had no confirmed cases of coronavirus but that its health services office was working with two individuals who experiencing viral symptoms and has protocols in place. On-campus events will be canceled beginning Thursday for the remainder of the semester, though the campus will remain open for faculty and staff.

UMass President Marty Meehan also announced his decision Wednesday in a move affecting UMass campuses in Worcester, Amherst, Boston, Dartmouth and Lowell. Courses will be online only through April 3.

"Our highest priority is the health and safety of students, faculty, staff and communities," Meehan said in the announcement. "The complex and fast-evolving challenges posed by this virus require decisive, proactive measures, and we have an obligation to do our part in mitigating the spread of the virus here in Massachusetts."

"After considering the guidance we have received from state and federal health officials as well as our own infectious disease experts, it is now clear that moving our students from face-to-face learning to a remote model must be part of our contribution to the mitigation effort," Meehan said.

UMass Medical School in Worcester includes nearly 1,200 students.

Photo | Grant Welker

The College of the Holy Cross

UMass' Dartmouth and Lowell campuses will begin online courses starting next week when they return from break. The Amherst and Boston campuses will go online starting March 23 when their breaks end.

Fitchburg State, with more than 4,700 students, said it has canceled classes for the week of March 16-20 and that students have been told not to return to the campus that week. Residence halls will be closed for the week. The campus will otherwise remain open and all faculty and staff.

MCPHS University is extending its break through March 22, and will hold classes online after that. Students at the Worcester campus will be given an option to stay in their housing, but the school's Boston dorms will close.

Others are extending spring breaks to buy time to figure out best courses of action.

Worcester State University said it would extend its spring break through March 29, and is asking all students, if possible, to leave campus during break to allow for larger measures to guard against the outbreak.

Framingham State University, which is holding spring break the week of March 16, has canceled all classes and student activities for the week of March 23-27. Faculty and staff should report as scheduled, the school said.

Anna Maria College in Paxton is extending its break through March 22 to prepare for online courses if it becomes necessary.

The decisions announced Wednesday also add to a growing list of colleges in Massachusetts and nationwide to shift courses online.

WPI and UMass Medical School had already suspended school-related international travel, and WPI canceled its summer programs in China and Taiwan. Assumption College sent students home from its Rome campus.

No Central Massachusetts colleges have said they have any presumptive or confirmed coronavirus cases. Worcester County has had one reported presumptive case.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been updated.