In-person UTA classes won’t resume this semester; commencement postponed due to coronavirus
In-person classes at the University of Texas at Arlington will not resume this semester and its spring commencement ceremonies will be postponed, the university’s president announced Tuesday.
The decisions were based on recommendations developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in order to check the spread of the novel coronavirus, President Vistasp Karbhari wrote in a memorandum. The agency said that gatherings should be limited to fewer than 50 people for the next eight weeks.
The university will conduct instruction online beginning on Monday. It had previously said classes would shift to the internet after the end of an extended spring break, but the Tuesday announcement made clear that future classroom meetings this semester had been ruled out.
Spring commencement ceremonies at UTA and the seven other University of Texas System academic institutions were postponed Tuesday, likely until the fall, according to a letter written by Chancellor James Milliken.
Graduating students will receive degrees, but the ceremonies will be rescheduled for a date the university system did not announce.
“We strongly encourage all students to stay at home and/or return home and access facilities through online means,” Karbhari wrote.
The university was working on arranging “socially distant computer labs on campus.”
Campus residence halls and dining programs will be limited to students who do not have a suitable alternative, Karbhari wrote. Campus tours, events, and activities were also canceled.
A UTA student was confirmed to have COVID-19, Karbhari said Saturday.
In late February, UTA had required three students who had recently returned from a study abroad trip to South Korea to quarantine themselves for at least 14 days. At the time, the three students had been showing no symptoms and would be required to be cleared by a health professional before returning to campus.
The University of Texas System said its decisions on classes and commencement ceremonies were developed from advice from UT presidents and in discussions among Milliken and Board of Regents leaders.
This story was originally published March 17, 2020 at 5:55 PM.
