AMHERST, MASS. (WHDH) - Students working remotely will not be allowed to live on the University of Massachusetts Amherst campus for the fall semester due to worsening coronavirus conditions across the country, school officials said.
Only students who are enrolled in essential face-to-face classes, including laboratory, studio, and certain capstone courses, will be accommodated in campus residence halls and be granted access to campus facilities and dining this fall, according to a letter sent to students by Chancellor Kumble R. Subbaswamy Thursday.
School officials also urged off-campus students whose coursework is remote to refrain from returning to the Amherst area for the upcoming semester, for they, too, will not have campus facilities at their disposal.
Students with special circumstances, including international students with visa requirements, will be evaluated on a case by case basis.
The new plan is a departure from the one issued in June, which would allow all students back on campus regardless of the mode in which they would be learning.
“Unfortunately, despite our best efforts and detailed planning, the proliferation of the pandemic has left us with no choice but to pursue this more stringent approach,” Subbaswamy wrote.
Research laboratories, many of which resumed operation in the spring, will remain open.
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