EDINBURG — The spike in COVID-19 cases fueled by the omicron variant of the virus prompted the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley to announce Friday that it is temporarily shifting courses to an online delivery method.
In a news release, the university said classes will be taught remotely from Jan. 18 to Jan. 28.
The shift is described as an effort to reduce the spread of the coronavirus and to give students time to receive vaccines and boosters — steps the university is encouraging.
“While this is not the way we wanted to start the semester,” UTRGV President Guy Bailey wrote in an internal message to the campus community, “our leadership team determined that pivoting to remote course delivery in the short term not only protects our community during this latest surge, but also ensures that there are no further interruptions to students’ financial aid distribution and academic progress – all of which we cannot compromise as part of our commitment to safety and success.”
Other university services, like its dining services, libraries and computer labs, will continue operating normally.
The shift does not affect non-faculty employees.
Also, classes with components that necessitate meeting in-person — classes with clinical components, labs, fieldwork and performance aspects — will continue meeting in–person during the shift, and instructors will notify students of those requirements.
“Despite this slight change in direction, we are still very excited and optimistic about the spring term and all that our students will accomplish in the months ahead,” Bailey wrote. “We remain committed to continuously monitoring infection rates and variants, and to using the most current guidance from infectious disease and public health experts to make decisions in the best interest of our campus community.”
