MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Christian Brothers University has announced the delay of the start of the Spring 2021 semester.
Due to COVID-19 cases on the rise the university says it wants to be vigilant in mitigating the spread of the virus.
The following is the information sent to faculty, staff, and students.
Dear CBU Community:
As we are all too aware, the COVID-19 public health crisis continues to grow in its severity and magnitude at the local and national levels. While news of the approval and distribution of vaccines gives us all a sense of optimism and hope, the reality is that we are still facing a potentially dark time in the months ahead. Simply put, now more than ever, we must be vigilant and responsible in the steps we are taking – both individually and collectively - to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus.
Public health experts currently anticipate that the number of COVID-19 cases will substantially rise after the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. Given these projections, the CBU leadership team and the Board of Trustees have decided to postpone the start of the Spring 2021 semester by two weeks to Saturday, January 30. With the well-being of our Lasallian community as always being paramount, we believe this change in the schedule will allow for a safer return to campus.
Even with this delayed start to the Spring 2021 semester, we will continue our previously announced plan to forgo a Spring Break. We will, however, maintain the Easter holidays of Thursday, April 1 through Monday, April 5, 2021 with the expectation that our campus community will be mindful and observant of safe COVID-19 practices during this break. Classes will end on Monday, May 17 with final exams to promptly follow, from Wednesday, May 19 through Monday, May 24, 2021.
The 2021 Commencement ceremony will correspondingly be postponed two weeks to Saturday, May 29. The ceremony is scheduled to be held in the Renasant Convention Center in a space providing ample room for safe social distancing. This ceremony will honor both the classes of 2020 and 2021, and more details about this special day will be provided soon.
The following items are of particular relevance as we look ahead to the Spring 2021 semester:
- We will be adjusting the dates for add/drop, account settlement, course withdrawal, and other key academic and financial deadlines in accordance with a two-week delay. These calendar changes will be posted on the academic calendar and as always, we will be reminding the community via email, the Connection newsletter, and on social media.
- The Physician Assistant program will not be impacted by this delay and will continue on the academic calendar currently in place for that program. Students and faculty will coordinate to ensure safe practices in all courses and healthcare placements.
- At this time, the postponed start to Spring 2021 will not impact the recently approved calendars for Summer or Fall 2021. These schedules will be posted soon.
- Students whose internships are scheduled to begin prior to January 30, 2021 should contact Amy Ware, Director of Career Services, at aware@cbu.edu to make arrangements to begin as scheduled or delay until after the start of the Spring 2021 term.
- International students will again be required to complete a 7-day period of quarantine upon arrival in the United States. All international students should plan to arrive in the United States to complete this quarantine prior to the start of the Spring 2021 term as faculty members will not be providing online or remote instruction alternatives for these students at the beginning of courses. If international students have questions about their arrival plans, they should contact Bettye Durham, Director of COVID Operations at bettye.durham@cbu.edu. Questions related to immigration needs should be directed to Melissa Luttmann, Director of Study Abroad, at melissa.luttmann@cbu.edu.
- As we focus on our individual health along with the well-being of our colleagues, families, and friends, getting a flu vaccine is more important than ever. All students who plan to be on campus for any reason during the Spring 2021 term are required to provide verification to the University that they have received the current flu vaccine. Students will be receiving additional information about submitting this verification or requesting an exemption for religious or medical reasons via email, in a letter mailed to their homes, and at cbu.edu/fluvaccine. (Students who will be fully remote during Spring 2021 will not be required to submit verification of their flu vaccine.)
- In addition, residential students will be required to submit a negative COVID-19 result from a test taken within seven (7) days prior to their return to campus in January. We will again be organizing a staggered move-in to campus residences, about which further details will soon be provided to residential students. In the meantime, any questions should be directed to the Residence Life staff at reslife@cbu.edu.
As we have done since the beginning of the pandemic, we will work with all CBU community members to address any specific concerns that may arise as a result of the delayed start to the semester, and we encourage you to continue to check your CBU email regularly to stay abreast of any announcements. We will also continue to monitor the public health situation and make responsible adjustments as needed in the interest of protecting our community.
In closing, we cannot urge you strongly enough to keep your personal safety, along with the well-being of your family and friends, at the top of your mind as we near the holidays. 2020 has no doubt been a very difficult and challenging year for our Lasallian community, and while we have hope for the promise of future safety, we must remain steadfast in our commitment to each other. We must keep each other safe by wearing our masks whenever we are interacting with anyone outside our household, by practicing social distancing at all recommended times, and by limiting personal travel and social gatherings as much as possible. Although it is certainly a personal sacrifice to do all these very necessary things, it is through your daily actions that we demonstrate our care, concern and respect for each other.
Together and by association,
Jack Shannon
President
Paul Haught
Vice President for Academics