Some Southern Universities Make Changes for COVID-19

Most of the universities going online for all or part of January, or adjusting their schedules or rules, are in New England, the Midwest and the West.

But this week some universities in the South are making changes.

• Auburn University, in Alabama, announced that it is reinstating a mask mandate to go into campus buildings or use university transportation, CBS 42 News reported.
• Emory University, in Georgia, announced, “While the campus will open as planned on January 4, we know there will be positive cases within our community. Therefore, to continue all aspects of our academic mission, undergraduate, graduate, and professional courses will start the spring semester in a remote format, excluding clinical and research activities, School of Medicine courses, and other select activities. Classes will transition back to in-person learning on January 31, should conditions permit. Most undergraduate courses will be canceled on January 27 and 28 to accommodate students returning to the Atlanta or Oxford campuses.”
• Trinity University, in Texas, announced that “Due to a dramatic increase in the number of positive cases of COVID in our campus community, we have decided to extend winter break and delay the start of classes until January 31 so that we may do so in person. We believe this will provide time for eligible faculty, staff and students to receive booster shots and avoid having individuals return to campus during the peak of the surge. Spring Break dates will not be impacted, but the Spring 2022 academic calendar will be re-published soon with some revisions.” Classes normally begin Jan. 12.