NIAGARA COUNTY, N.Y. — Niagara University announced Tuesday that it is transitioning to remote instruction for the remainder of the semester due to COVID-19 concerns.
Thomas J. Burns, the associate vice president for public, external, and government relations at Niagara University, released a statement Tuesday saying the university has been keeping tabs on COVID-19 news in the region as well as the recent increase of positive cases on campus. Due to these concerns, the university has decided to shift to remote instruction starting Thursday, November 12.
Burns says the semester has been very demanding for Niagara University students and says by shifting to remote instruction this week, it will allow students to get home for Thanksgiving. Burns added that the university has added COVID-19 testing days and is strongly encouraging students to be tested before they leave campus.
The university says it will make accommodations to assist students as classes shift to remote learning.
You can read the full statement from Burns below:
Niagara University has continued to monitor the return of COVID-19 tests over recent days and found that, while the increase has not been as significant as it was at the end of last week, we continue to have positive cases. We are also closely monitoring the pandemic news in Erie County, the WNY region, and Greater Toronto Area.
As we track the news in the region and the uptick of cases on campus, we have made the decision to proactively shift to remote instruction for the remainder of the semester, beginning on Thursday, Nov. 12. This has been a demanding semester for our students, and we know that moving to remote instruction for the last few days of our face-to-face classes will also allow them to get home for Thanksgiving.
We remain confident in our plans, which included a shift in the academic calendar, a comprehensive program of surveillance testing, physical distancing, cleaning and sanitizing, and many other safety measures, however, we are not immune to what is happening throughout the U.S, Erie County, and the Greater Toronto Area, and it is critical to be proactive and adapt to these factors, which continue to impact our campus.
As we shift to remote instruction for the remainder of the semester, we will make every accommodation to assist students to persist through the semester. In addition we have added COVID testing days, and we will strongly encourage students to be tested before they leave campus. Based on the result, we will assist students with accommodations, if needed.