Weber State University announced that all classes will move to an online only format starting on Wednesday, March 18 through the end of spring semester at 10:40 a.m. on March 12 to limit the spread of COVID-19.
WSU President Brad Mortensen announced that all classes would be suspended from March 13 until March 17 when class will resume online.
“We’ve never done this before and it’s rocky and it’s rough and conditions are changing rapidly,” Mortensen said at a faculty staff meeting after the emailed announcement. “We’re not going to get everything right.”
This came as Governor Gary Herbert announced that schools should move as many in person classes online as possible.
“I am confident that these steps will reduce the spread of COVID-19 in our state,” Herbert said during the press conference.
Faculty, staff and hourly employees will continue to work on campus, according to Brett Perozzi’s staff and employee email.
No students will be forced to leave the residence halls and dining services will remain open. Students living on campus will receive more information on expectation over the next few days.
This decision will be in effect until the end of spring semester. There will not be any classes that will resume in person. There has not been a decision about the summer semester or if it will be postponed.
All university events will be canceled until March 30, both on and off campus. Several notable events have been canceled over the past week. After the Thursday announcement all events before March 30 have been canceled:
Postponed: Intermountain Sustainability Summit. The summit will take place in an online forum, free, on March 19 and 20.
Canceled: National Undergraduate Literature Conference.
Canceled: Summer Job Fair
Canceled: International Banquet
Canceled: UWHEN 2020 Leadership Conference
Canceled: All remaining Creative Writing readings, open mics and pizza socials
Online: 2020 Legislative Update
Online: Crystal Crest Awards
No official decision has been made about graduation or grad fair. This will be reassessed after the March 30 cutoff.
During the press conference, Herbert also called for mass gatherings to be limited to 100 people. Those who are at-risk should limit themselves to 20-person gatherings.
At risk populations include, children, those over 60 and anyone with a compromised immune system or preexisting health conditions, especially any disorder of the lungs.
Those who have traveled personally to areas that might be potentially impacted by the coronavirus since Feb. 15 for university travel are required to report via a survey available at weber.edu/coronavirus. Those that have traveled for personal reasons are encouraged to report their travel.
All international and domestic university travel is suspended through April 20, including study abroad trips and club sports. All university team sports will defer to big sky recommendations.
In addition to WSU’s announcement, on March 11, the University of Utah will be transitioning all classes to online classes beginning on March 18. On Monday and Tuesday, classes will be canceled to give time for professors to make the transition.
Utah State University will also close its in person classes until March 18, when it will also transition to online classes. They also canceled all university events and travel, beginning March 11 through April 8.
Westminster College announced that all classes are postponed until March 23. At that time they will resume online until March 27. Students who cannot reasonably leave campus will be accommodated on campus.
Brigham Young University also canceled all large gatherings, including graduation ceremonies. On the evening of March 12, BYU also announced they will also be moving all classes to an online format.
Both Salt Lake Community College will cancel all classes with over 100 students.
Southern Utah University recalled students from Italy Study Abroad Trips. SUU, Utah Valley University and Dixie State University will move all classes to an online format starting on March 23.
Seven cases of COVID-19 have been diagnosed in Utah. Four was diagnosed in Summit County, one in Davis County and one in Weber County. As of the morning of March 12, two Utah Jazz players, Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, had been diagnosed with the coronavirus while in Oklahoma City.
Schools across the nation, including Harvard, have also suspended classes for a week or are moving classes online in light of the numerous cases in those areas.
The national cases of COVID-19 have lead to the shut down of national sports leagues. The NBA and NCAA have canceled all games for the rest of the season. The NHL has postponed their season and will resume the 2019-2020 season when possible.
Major League Baseball canceled all spring training and delayed opening day by two weeks. For the next 30 days, Major League Soccer has postponed all matches.
Nascar is the only sport that has not canceled their ongoing season; however, there are no fans allowed during the races.
Despite the movement of classes to an online format and the postponing of sports events, many student services are still on campus as normal, as of March 13.
Testing Centers:
All testing centers are currently open as normal; however, all centers are open so that social distancing can be maintained for those who need to test. Rooms will be limited to 25 people at a time.
Weber Cares Food Pantry:
This service remains open. The hours will remain 12:30 – 3:30 p.m.
Computer Labs:
All computer labs will remain open for regular hours. The locations for computer labs on the main campus are the Shepherd Union, Elizabeth Hall, Wattis Building, Lindquist Hall, Stewart Library and Tracy Hall. The Davis Campus has labs in D2 and D3 will be open. There is one computer lab on the West Campus.
The Writing Center on the main and Davis Campuses:
The Writing Center will remain open as normal. At this time, students can request a session online or come in and meet with tutors.
Appointment Tutoring:
Appointment tutoring will remain open as normal. Students can request a tutoring appointment online. There will no longer be face-to-face tutoring for appointment tutoring.
Weber State Main Campus Buildings:
The majority of buildings will remain open, including the Residence Halls. The only building closure is Swenson Gym . This includes the pool, climbing wall, classes and equipment.
Residence Halls will remain open for the time being. More information will be sent out to residents.
The Shepherd Union will remain open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m Monday – Friday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Women’s Center:
The office remains open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. All 24/7 resources remain open and available, including Safe@Weber.
Student Health Center:
The center remains open Monday – Thursday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Friday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. If you suspect you have COVID-19, call before going to the Health Center.
Counseling & Psychological Services:
Both the Ogden and Davis Campus services will be open during the closure. Ogden is open Monday – Thursday from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Friday 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Davis will be open 9:30 a.m. – 6 p.m. The 24 hour crisis line will still be available.
Davis Learning Center:
The Davis Learning Center will be open during their hours for tutoring, peer coaching and supplemental instruction.
Disability Services Center:
The Disability Services Center will be open for their hours. They will continue to provided accommodated testing and other appointments. All appointments will be done over the phone where possible.
International Student and Scholar Center:
The Ogden Center will remain open from 7:30 p.m. – 5 p.m. Monday -Thursday and 7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. on Fridays. The Davis Center will be available by appointment.
Nontraditional Hourly Childcare:
Childcare will remain open for their regular hours Monday – Friday 7 a.m. – 3 p.m.
The Charter Academy and Children’s School:
The Charter Academy will be remain open as will the Children’s School until further notice.
Academic Advising:
Academic advising for the various degrees and departments will continue to be held. Appointments can still be made online, and the advising can take place over a video conference or over the phone.
Admissions:
The admissions office will be open for those who need to contact them. campus tours will continue to be held for previous booked campus visits. Virtual Tours are available online.
Financial Aid:
Currently, the office hours for both the Ogden and Davis campus Financial Aid offices remain the same. The Ogden Campus hours are 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. and 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. The Davis campus hours are 8 a.m – 6 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Thursday and 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Friday.
Registration:
All registration times for Summer and Fall Semesters have not changed. The Ogden Registration Office will remain open for regular hours: Monday – Thursday 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Friday 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. The Davis Campus will be open 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. Monday – Thursday and 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Fridays.
Symptoms of the coronavirus include a fever of over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, a dry cough and shortness of breath. If you have these symptoms, call ahead to the doctor’s office or emergency room.
Currently, the best form of prevention according to the CDC is to stay home while sick, wash your hands, avoid touching your face, cover your cough and avoid contact with those that are ill.
