ITHACA, N.Y. — Tompkins-Cortland Community College will be moving all classes to online instruction when students return from spring break, after an announcement from the governor on Wednesday that all SUNY schools will be making the switch.
“Governor Cuomo announced this afternoon that all SUNY schools will be moving to online classes beginning at the end of next week. As a SUNY institution, Tompkins Cortland Community College leadership has been preparing plans to move to this model and will provide further details later today after scheduled conversations with SUNY administration,” the school said in a campus-wide alert on Wednesday.
The college is set to continue normal operations through next week, with classes ending for spring break on March 20. Campus will remain open and students will be allowed to return to campus — the school is working to ensure that students who need to complete laboratory or clinical, but all classes are switching to online in an effort to reduce gatherings where illness may be spread.
“While the risk to New Yorkers remains low, we are taking a number of steps out of an abundance of caution to protect public health including asking SUNY and CUNY to implement strategies to reduce density on campuses for the remainder of the semester,” Cuomo said in a press conference in Albany Wednesday where he announced the moves for SUNY and CUNY.
“They’re not evicting anyone, they are not closing the dorm or kicking you out,” Cuomo added.
The school is asking students to fill out a Distance Learning Impact Survey to help the school determine how to best meet the needs of the student body.
The administration is also urging students to be in regular contact with professors, especially students who have not taken online courses before
For students nearing the end of the collegiate career, the question of graduation ceremonies has loomed large. According to school officials, they are in constant contact with SUNY and while state officials said at Cuomo’s press conference Wednesday that they do anticipate some in-person graduation ceremonies to be impacted, a system-wide decision had not been made yet.