Arkansas State University courses will be online-only after Thanksgiving, Chancellor Kelly Damphousse announced Friday.
Damphousse's decision covers "most" courses, he said, but Provost Alan Utter will have to approve any coursework done in-person. Exceptions, if granted, would be for courses difficult to deliver remotely, such as laboratories.
Dormitories and campus facilities will remain open for students, and ASU employees can continue to work on campus.
The university, and others, had outlined online-only courses after the holiday break as an option this summer, when announcing the fall term would be in-person. The contingency plans were designed to prevent coronavirus outbreaks on campus or in the community that might occur if students leave campus, become exposed to the virus at home and then return to campus with an infection that they spread in class.
"With the growth of COVID-19 infections across the state (and beyond), it is logical to predict that students going home for Thanksgiving and then returning to campus 10 days later could increase the likelihood of spread on our campus," Damphousse wrote in his message to campus.
Some universities, like the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, have opted to continue business as usual after Thanksgiving, while others, such as Southern Arkansas University, have scheduled the fall term to end before Thanksgiving.