Georgetown, GW, NYU and Princeton Change Course
Universities switch final exams and cancel most in-person events.
By Scott Jaschik, December 16, 2021, Inside Higher Ed
Georgetown, New York and Princeton Universities on Wednesday all announced changes in their plans for the close of the semester due to surges of COVID-19 infections on their campuses. The decisions followed Cornell University, which this week made all final exams online because of 496 active COVID cases among students.
Increase in Cases at Georgetown
A statement from Georgetown said, “We are experiencing a notable and concerning increase in COVID-19 cases on our campuses this week, and we are taking several immediate steps to help protect the Georgetown University community. Yesterday marked the largest one-day total for COVID-19 cases within our community, with 34 Georgetown community members testing positive, and the positivity rate on our campuses this week to date, 2.36 percent, is the highest we have seen.” The university is not changing plans for final exams. But it is closing the campus fitness center and requiring all eating to be done in dormitories. “All indoor university-sponsored events on campus, including holiday parties, need to be moved outdoors or canceled, and all other events and social gatherings should be held virtually, ” the letter said.
George Washington University announced that all final exams scheduled for Friday and after would be online only. In addition, it said that faculty members have the right to switch exams today to online only. A letter from the university's president, Thomas J. LeBlanc, and other officials also said that “all in-person social gatherings and events are cancelled.”
“We understand that this news comes at an already stressful time during finals and other scheduled end-of-semester activities. At this time, we have not made any changes regarding spring semester. We will continue to monitor COVID-19 transmission among our community members and in the region and will update you with more information soon,” the letter said.
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