EAST LANSING, Mich. (FOX 2) - Michigan State University announced changes to their fall semester plans Tuesday, with president Dr. Samuel L. Stanley, Jr. saying the university is going remote for the fall 2020 semester - the first decision of its kind from any major university in the state.
"Effective immediately, we are asking undergraduate students who planned to live in our residence halls this fall to stay home and continue their education with MSU remotely. While a vast majority of our classes already were offered in remote formats, we will work the next two weeks to transition those that were in-person or hybrid to remote formats," the president said in a letter.
"Given the current status of the virus in our country - particularly what we are seeing at other institutions as they re-populate their campus communities - it has become evident to me that, despite our best efforts and strong planning, it is unlikely we can prevent widespread transmission of COVID-19 between students if our undergraduates return to campus," the letter continues.
Some exceptions are being made for the colleges of Law, Human Medicine, Nursing, Osteopathic Medicine and Veterinary Medicine as well as all graduate programs.
Refunds or credits will also be issued to individuals who have already paid for the fall semester.
A Sept. 2 start date for remote undergraduate education is still planned.
You can read the full announcement here.
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MSU senior reacts to remote learning for fall semester
We talk with a senior at Michigan State University who reacts to the news that classes are remote only this fall during COVID-19.
Back in May, the university announced it was planning to bring students back to campus for the fall semester. MSU, like other universities, also suspended nearly all in-person operations at MSU, including research and face-to-face instruction back in March when COVID-19 broke out in Michigan.
Also just announced last week was the postponement of the 2020-21 fall sports season for the Big Ten, which includes Michigan State.