Ohio State University is extending online courses in place of face-to-face classes for the rest of the semester, adding a week to its spring break and sending students home.
OSU had previously canceled in-person classes through March 30. Exceptions will be made for some clinical experiences or field work where students serve patients or clients.
The school has also extended spring break by one week through Sunday, March 22. Classes will resume virtually the following day on March 23.
A special website, keeplearning.osu.edu, has been created to help students shift from classroom to online learning.
"We have a large student population and global reach that require us to manage this issue while taking a variety of circumstances into consideration," Ohio State President Dr. Michael Drake said in the email to the university community on Thursday.
Students living in dorms will be required to move out of their residence halls over the next week. However these students should not return to campus just yet.
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The office of student life will be scheduling times for students to move out of residence hall between Saturday, March 14, and Sunday, March 22. Students living in on-campus family housing, like Buckeye Village, will not have to move out.
When Drake joined All Sides With Ann Fisher on Tuesday, he said dorms would stay open.
"People will be here on campus. We're not sending everyone home, we're not stopping business," he said.
The school says it will work with students who have nowhere else to go and some dorms and dining halls will stay open.
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