Kansas State University is considering starting the spring semester in a fully remote setting.
In a statement Tuesday, President Richard Myers said the university hopes to see progress in the fight against the pandemic. The university remains in Phase 3 of its reopening plan and Myers says administrators are working on contingency plans for the spring, which includes the possibility of starting completely remote.
In Phase 3, university employees are encouraged to work remotely if possible and mass gatherings are limited to 50 or fewer individuals. Myers says now is the time not to succumb to “pandemic fatigue,” but rather a time for increased resolve and resiliency.
The university projects starting the spring semester Jan. 25, but Myers warns the indicators they rely on to make decisions are not moving in a positive direction, with new cases continuing to rise, along with hospitalizations in the university’s host communities. He also says the university is concerned with the new variant of the virus likely to increase transmission rates and a slower than anticipated rollout of vaccines.
