Written by Nicholas Vetrisek
The California State University (CSU) system recently announced that it is officially ending all in-person fall classes and switching exclusively to online. The closure will affect all 23 campuses in the system.
CSU Chancellor Timothy White explained that “this virtual planning approach for the next academic year is necessary because of the evolving data surrounding the progression of COVID-19.”
White also said that health experts and researchers are expecting an increase in coronavirus cases in the fall to coincide with the flu season. He added that a vaccine being developed during the academic year is unlikely and that public immunity is still very low.
“We have 530,000 people, students, faculty and staff. To bring them together in small, close quarters, vibrantly interacting as you do in a university…sadly isn’t in the cards.” — @calstate Chancellor Timothy White on why the Cal State system is largely going virtual for fall.
— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) May 18, 2020
The CSU system is one of the first in the nation to make this decision for the fall, though many schools will inevitably follow suit. Though there may be exceptions made for health and lab classes, CSU students are not expected to see the inside of a classroom until 2021.
In addition to classes being suspended, so are collegiate athletics—at least for the time being. Division I schools are deciding whether or not to cancel athletics individually, while there has been a blanket ban on Division II sports during the pandemic.
