Aaliyah BowdenAll in-class lectures at N.C. Central University will be moved online for instruction starting Monday, Mar 23 said NCCU Chancellor Johnson O. Akinleye Friday in a statement in response to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 being declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization Wednesday.
“The James E. Shepard Memorial Library is available remotely to support online instruction. Information Technology Services has provided a list of Remote Work Technology Resources,” Chancellor Akinleye said in the email.
He informed the NCCU community Thursday that spring break would be extended for students, faculty, and staff until Mar 23.
In the email, he said that instruction for laboratory or clinical components are being evaluated and will be updated by the Office of the Provost.
According to the World Health Organization, the COV-19 is an “infectious disease caused by a new virus that had not been identified in humans.”
This strand of coronavirus spreads through “having contact with an infected person when they sneeze, cough, or have droplets of saliva or discharge from the nose.”
According to the Johns Hopkins dashboard, there have been over 145,000 cases of the COV-19 reported with 5,411 deaths worldwide.
The COV-19 has spread to every continent except for Antarctica according to a statement on the science news website Live Science.
The North Carolina Office of State Human Resources has assisted the University of North Carolina System, “effective immediately to expand teleworking options for employees in Durham, Wake, and Orange counties,” said Chancellor Akinleye.
“We strongly encourage managers and supervisors to begin implementing remote working arrangements,” he said referring to NCCU faculty and staff.
The university remains “open and operational” during the COV-19 pandemic according to a statement by NCCU Division of Student Affairs.
Services by NCCU dining, campus recreation, student activities will be limited. Students who decided to stay on campus for spring break must stay in campus housing and must be aware that access to facilities and services on campus will be limited, according to Chancellor Akinleye.
NCCU residence halls remain open during spring break and the extended spring break for students who were approved to stay on campus.
Students who have requested to stay on campus during the extended spring break were asked to use an online portal to make their request.
The residence halls will reopen to all students on Mar 22.
Beginning Monday, Mar 16, NCCU events or gatherings on and off campus of more than 100 people will be canceled until further notice, according to the UNC System guidelines.
All athletic sports and championships have been suspended by the Mid-Eastern Atlantic Conference through the end of the spring semester.
NCCU will release details no later than Monday about the process for students to gather belongings from their dorms for the extended spring break.
