(Josh Shettler/CU Independent illustration)
On Monday morning, the University of Colorado Boulder announced that it would be moving to online-only learning for at least two weeks, amidst a surge in COVID-19 cases on campus.
In an email to university students, faculty and staff, Chancellor DiStefano said, “Since we began the two-week stay-at-home period for students last week, our COVID-19 cases have started to come down. To continue this downward trend and help protect the health and safety of our Boulder community, our campus will operate under temporary remote-only instruction for all undergraduate, graduate and law classes for a minimum of two weeks beginning Wednesday, Sept. 23.”
The change will take place starting two days after the announcement on Wednesday. According to the email, all undergraduate and graduate classes will be held remotely for at least the two weeks period.
The week prior, Boulder County Public Health advised university students to adhere to a two week self-isolation period to combat the rise in positive cases.
More recently students were moved from Darley North, one of the largest dorm buildings on campus, in order to make room for more quarantine spaces.
“The next two weeks are about more than our ability to see each other in person,” the email continued, “the risks to our broader community are too great, and COVID-19 spreads too easily, for any further non-compliance with public health measures to go without immediate consequences.”
In a media advisory Monday afternoon, Provost Russell Moore said, “it was a minority of students who put us in this situation.”
In order to identify violations of public health orders or university regulation, the City of Boulder’s Sarah Huntley said that the Boulder Police Department and Campus Police have increased their patrols of the Hill and of the university campus.
The university has said that a joint effort is needed to slow the spread of COVID-19, with cooperation from CU Boulder and the students. They’ve placed equal responsibility on both parties.
Despite a move away from an in-person learning experience, Provost Moore said that there would not be any tuition refunds offered for any students.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Henry Larson at henry.larson@colorado.edu.
