Students will not return to campus in May, provost Joseph Helble announced to the Dartmouth community in an email Tuesday afternoon. Both graduate and undergraduate classes will be conducted online for the entirety of spring term.
The announcement comes over a month before the College promised a decision regarding the final five weeks of spring term. On Thursday, Dartmouth announced a transition to remote learning for the first half of the term, noting that a decision on the second half of the term would be made by April 20.
Helble’s email said that administrators will provide more information on spring term billing and financial aid “soon.”
Faculty and staff will be paid as usual, Helble wrote.
Beginning tomorrow, all Dartmouth libraries will close until further notice. Helble’s email stated that library staff will continue to assist Dartmouth faculty and students remotely. The Collis Center and Robinson Hall are also closed.
Alumni Gym, the Berry Sports Center and Boss Tennis Center will close tomorrow and remain closed until it is safe to reopen, the email said.
Helble also outlined restrictions on events and gatherings organized by Dartmouth or hosted on Dartmouth property, noting that until May 8, all events of 10 or more people should be canceled, postponed, made virtual or modified to lower attendance.
The College will announce a decision on whether or not it will hold commencement and reunions before April 10, according to the email.
Helble also noted that research activities are being ramped down and paused in an effort to limit the spread of COVID-19. Beginning March 23, research staff and students must perform their scholarly work remotely.
All graduate students will continue receiving stipends, Helble wrote, but the Geisel School of Medicine will suspend all clinical rotations beginning today.
Additionally, the email said all faculty committee work, including tenure review, will continue as planned.
Helble wrote that the College “understand[s] the importance of the on-campus experience” and “hoped to preserve some of the personal interaction that defines a term at Dartmouth,” but the “rapid spread” of COVID-19 and local and national events have led to the cancellation of in-person courses.
He added that he and College President Phil Hanlon will be holding a virtual town hall tomorrow to discuss the College’s response to COVID-19. The event will be broadcast live at 3:00 p.m.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
