UW-River Falls, UW-Eau Claire and UW-Stout announced they will be shifting to online instruction following Thanksgiving.
The campuses cited the announcement of 100% ICU bed capacity in Eau Claire area hospitals, recommendations issued by Gov. Tony Evers and the rise of cases in the Twin Cities as the reason to move to remote instruction.
“We all had high hopes of returning to campus after the fall break to continue our in-person classes,” said UW-Eau Claire Chancellor Jim Schmidt. “But with these two pieces of important information within a 24-hour period, it was a literal game-changer. Governor Evers’ recommendations to help mitigate the virus includes advising folks to stay home because – in his words – the crisis is urgent. In the spirit of public good requested by the Governor, we need to pull together to help keep as many people safe and at home during the remainder of the semester.”
Campuses will remain open during remote instruction. Students will be allowed to live in dorms and use dining services, libraries, study spaces and wifi.
"We understand that many students would like to return to campus and continue their studies, and that is a decision each and every student must make for themselves,” stated Schmidt. “Our campuses will be open for those students and faculty, and extra antigen testing will be administered.”
Officials said in a press release that the switch to remote learning does not reflect a rise in cases among students, and it won't affect their spring 2021 semester operations.