> Skip to content
FEATURED:
  • The Evolution of Race in Admissions
Sign In
  • News
  • Advice
  • The Review
  • Data
  • Current Issue
  • Virtual Events
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
Sign In
  • News
  • Advice
  • The Review
  • Data
  • Current Issue
  • Virtual Events
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
  • News
  • Advice
  • The Review
  • Data
  • Current Issue
  • Virtual Events
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
Sign In
ADVERTISEMENT
clu-icon.jpg

Live Coronavirus Updates: More Campuses Go Remote Amid Rising Cases and Evidence of Omicron

Tracking the impact of the pandemic on higher education

  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Show more sharing options
Share
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Email
  • Copy Link URLCopied!
  • Print

More Campuses Go Remote Amid Rising Cases and Evidence of Omicron

By  Nell Gluckman
December 15, 2021
NYU Vaccine Clinic.
Sapna Parikh, New York University
A New York U. student receives a Covid-19 vaccine. The university is among several that have taken steps to reduce activity on campus amid a surge of cases.

As positive Covid case counts grow on campuses, some of which have detected evidence of the more contagious Omicron variant, a small number of colleges have decided to move their final days of the fall semester online and cancel in-person activities.

We’re sorry. Something went wrong.

We are unable to fully display the content of this page.

The most likely cause of this is a content blocker on your computer or network. Please make sure your computer, VPN, or network allows javascript and allows content to be delivered from c950.chronicle.com and chronicle.blueconic.net.

Once javascript and access to those URLs are allowed, please refresh this page. You may then be asked to log in, create an account if you don't already have one, or subscribe.

If you continue to experience issues, contact us at 202-466-1032 or help@chronicle.com

As positive Covid case counts grow on campuses, some of which have detected evidence of the more contagious Omicron variant, a small number of colleges have decided to move their final days of the fall semester online and cancel in-person activities.

Following Cornell University’s announcement Tuesday morning that finals would be administered remotely for the rest of the week and a ceremony for December graduates would be canceled, Princeton, New York, and George Washington Universities and the University of Pennsylvania announced similar plans. Princeton said Tuesday that all finals would be taken online and mandated the Covid-19 booster shot for all students, faculty members, and staff who return for the spring semester, The Daily Princetonian reported. NYU said they “strongly encourage” fall exams to be given online and canceled “non-essential, non-academic gatherings.” GWU canceled in-person gatherings and, beginning Friday, moved exams online, The GW Hatchet reported. The University of Pennsylvania said that exams scheduled for the week of December 20 would be online as a precautionary measure, The Daily Pennsylvanian reported.

“This is not quite how we expected to end the semester; however, if there is any consistency to the coronavirus, it is its unpredictability,” NYU’s announcement said.

Those universities cited raising case numbers and, in some cases, evidence of the Omicron variant. Cornell said that its Covid-19 testing-lab team identified evidence of the variant in a significant number of cases, but that those results were still preliminary. GWU said its public-health team had also discovered the variant in a small number of cases.

At these universities, the vast majority of students are vaccinated. At Princeton and NYU, 99 percent of undergraduate students are vaccinated, while at Cornell 97 percent of the on-campus population are vaccinated. Cornell’s statement said that the university had not seen cases of severe illness in this surge.

ADVERTISEMENT

Health & Wellness
Nell Gluckman
Nell Gluckman is a senior reporter who writes about research, ethics, funding issues, affirmative action, and other higher-education topics. You can follow her on Twitter @nellgluckman, or email her at nell.gluckman@chronicle.com.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
  • Explore
    • Get Newsletters
    • Letters
    • Free Reports and Guides
    • Blogs
    • Virtual Events
    • Chronicle Store
    • Find a Job
    Explore
    • Get Newsletters
    • Letters
    • Free Reports and Guides
    • Blogs
    • Virtual Events
    • Chronicle Store
    • Find a Job
  • The Chronicle
    • About Us
    • DEI Commitment Statement
    • Write for Us
    • Talk to Us
    • Work at The Chronicle
    • User Agreement
    • Privacy Policy
    • California Privacy Policy
    • Site Map
    • Accessibility Statement
    The Chronicle
    • About Us
    • DEI Commitment Statement
    • Write for Us
    • Talk to Us
    • Work at The Chronicle
    • User Agreement
    • Privacy Policy
    • California Privacy Policy
    • Site Map
    • Accessibility Statement
  • Customer Assistance
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise With Us
    • Post a Job
    • Advertising Terms and Conditions
    • Reprints & Permissions
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
    Customer Assistance
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise With Us
    • Post a Job
    • Advertising Terms and Conditions
    • Reprints & Permissions
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
  • Subscribe
    • Individual Subscriptions
    • Institutional Subscriptions
    • Subscription & Account FAQ
    • Manage Newsletters
    • Manage Your Account
    Subscribe
    • Individual Subscriptions
    • Institutional Subscriptions
    • Subscription & Account FAQ
    • Manage Newsletters
    • Manage Your Account
1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037
© 2023 The Chronicle of Higher Education
  • twitter
  • instagram
  • youtube
  • facebook
  • linkedin