UC Santa Barbara ends in-person classes in response to coronavirus

UC Santa Barbara will stop in-person classes immediately and use “remote instruction” for final exams and classes through at least April, to mitigate the potential impact of COVID-19 on campus and in Isla Vista, the campus announced Tuesday.

“We know that many of these recommendations will be challenging to implement, but it is important that we take the necessary steps now to respond to the rapidly evolving situation, despite the fact that no cases have been reported on campus or in Santa Barbara County,” Chancellor Henry Yang’s office said in a statement.

“Our campus will be transitioning to remote instruction for the remainder of Winter Quarter and the start of the Spring Quarter through at least the end of April.

“Given our campus’s transition to remote instruction and the possibility of additional travel disruptions and restrictions, we are recommending that all undergraduate students traveling for spring break be prepared for the possibility of remaining away from campus through the month of April. We understand that graduate students have different academic commitments and recommend that they consult with their advisors and departments.”

Final exams are scheduled for next week, and spring break for the university is March 21 to March 29.

The campus will stay open and operational, including the on-campus housing and dining, according to UCSB.

Students are allowed to stay on campus but will experience limited on-campus activities and services, according to Yang.

Yang’s letter asked instructors to make “alternative arrangements for in-person classes and for final exams” starting Wednesday, and asked them to plan for remote formats for spring quarter classes, at least through April, instead of in-person sessions.

UCSB also recommends employees avoid all non-essential business travel, international and domestic, through the end of April, and strongly discourages international travel for employees, staff and students during spring break.

“The Athletics Department will be moving to ‘fan-less’ events,” according to the statement, and campus groups are encouraged to postpone, cancel or reschedule large, on-campus events.

Several universities and colleges in California and the rest of the country have recently announced similar plans to move to online classes and other forms of remote instruction.

UC Santa Cruz, UC Berkeley, UC San Diego and several other state and private colleges in California are canceling in-person classes, often through upcoming spring breaks if not longer.

Cal Poly’s San Luis Obispo campus was open and operating normally as of Tuesday, university spokesman Matt Lazier said.

“The university is planning for a wide variety of COVID-19-related scenarios, but remote teaching has not been implemented here at this time,” he said.

Lauren Milbourne, spokeswoman for Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria, said classes are meeting as scheduled, and the campus created an information website for COVID-19.

“Contingency plans regarding the modality of course offerings are being discussed, but nothing has changed as of now,” she said.

This story was originally published March 10, 2020 at 5:17 PM.