Kennesaw State’s Office of the President released a statement Monday, March 16, saying that classes will be held remotely for the remainder of the semester and the majority of on-campus residents must move out.
“Effective immediately, Kennesaw State University will be implementing a new directive from the University System of Georgia to complete the Spring 2020 semester through remote learning programs,” according to the statement. “No classes will be held in person on any of KSU’s campuses for the remainder of the semester.”
KSU’s announcement comes after the USG released a statement Monday, March 16, announcing all 26 USG institutions will move to remote, online learning for the rest of the semester.
Remote learning will begin Wednesday, March 18.
USG said that closing all schools down will allow “business and instructional continuity, and to allow further state assessment of COVID-19,” according to its website on the coronavirus.
KSU said that residence halls will be closed and very few exceptions will be made for allowing on-campus residents to stay in dorms at this time. Those who cannot return home or find housing elsewhere will be considered among exceptions.
Residents will have to retrieve their belongings out their dorms during appointment times set by University Housing to limit crowd sizes because of COVID-19, according to the statement. Through University Housing doing this, they are adhering to federal guidelines President Donald Trump set Monday dealing with the outbreak.
KSU on-campus residents cannot return to their dorms until the university gives them permission to.
With regard to refunds for housing, dining and other on-campus amenities, KSU said the University System of Georgia will be advising institutions on this and students should wait for KSU to reach out to them.
All USG institutions will stay open but minimal staff will continue to be within institutions to ensure “critical services” are still running, according to the statement.
This past Thursday, March 12, KSU initially announced it was going to move to remote learning for two weeks — until Sunday, March 29, — according to the Sentinel. School was to be shut down Monday, March 16, and Tuesday, March 17.
Just four days after KSU made its decision on the guidelines set at the time, USG extended the ban on physical classes on university campuses for the remainder of the academic semester.
On Saturday, March 14, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp issued an executive order to call 2,000 Georgia National Guard troops to active duty, according to Fox 5 Atlanta. Kemp said they have been called to ensure the supply of medical equipment, food and more during this outbreak.
As of Monday, March 16, there are 121 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Georgia, with 22 in Cobb County, according to Fox 5 Atlanta. A 67-year-old man at Kennestone Hospital in Marietta was the first recorded death in Georgia due to the illness.
No reported COVID-19 cases have been confirmed on either KSU campus.
