Columbia will move to remote learning for first two weeks of spring semester

Upper West Side NY

01 January, 2022

5:11 PM

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Columbia Daily Spectator BY IRIE SENTNER • DECEMBER 22, 2021, 12:07 PM Following a surge of COVID-19 cases on campus and in New York state, the first two weeks of classes for the spring 2022 semester will be conducted remotely, University administration announced in an email on Wednesday. All students will still be allowed back on campus before and during the two-week remote learning period, but will be required to follow new testing requirements and safety measures. "This two-week remote learning period is designed to minimize disruptions for students who may be unable to travel or who must isolate because of COVID-19. It will also allow a period for gateway testing of all students prior to the start of in-person classes," the email said. The remote learning period will cover the first two weeks of the classes for each individual school at Columbia. University COVID-19 cases reached an all-time high last week, with 849 affiliates testing positive across sites on the Morningside, Manhattanville, Lamont-Doherty, and Columbia University Irving Medical Center campuses, as well as through tests taken outside of the Columbia Test and Trace Program. On Monday, the University announced more stringent safety measures. Despite the spike in positivity and recent changes to University policy, the University remains in the 'Yellow Zone' of 'low risk.' [Read more: 849 Columbia affiliates test positive for COVID-19, students prepare to isolate over the holidays] Columbia's decision to begin the spring semester with virtual instruction follows those of many of its peer institutions. Harvard on Saturday announced that it will shift to remote operations for the first three weeks of January. Stanford announced a similar policy on Thursday, shifting online for the first two weeks of their winter quarter. Seven schools within the University of California system have followed suit. Today's email also updated Columbia's visitor and gathering policies, with all visitors who enter campus facilities for any period of time required to show proof of vaccination. In addition, all indoor gatherings during the first two weeks of January will be prohibited. In addition to all instruction moving online for the first two weeks following the start date of each individual school, the President's COVID-19 Task Force has recommended that faculty, researchers, staff, and students involved in research, administration, and other non-instructional work remotely during the first two weeks of January. The University will require all residential undergraduate students to receive a gateway test through Columbia on the first business day after they return to campus, and again between days five and seven, while all other students must take a Columbia gateway test within 72 hours of their return to campus. All non-student affiliates who did not receive a Columbia gateway test in 2021 will also be required to test upon returning to campus. Founded in 1877, the Columbia Daily Spectator is the independent undergraduate newspaper of Columbia University, serving thousands of readers in Morningside Heights, West Harlem, and beyond. Read more at columbiaspectator.com and donate here.