Students at North Carolina State University have been instructed to abandon on-campus housing only a couple of weeks after moving in because of more than 20 clusters of the coronavirus that have been reported in or around the college.
At a press conference in Raleigh on Wednesday, school officials said the situation in the campus dorms had become “untenable” and that on top of substituting in-person classes for online learning, undergraduate students will be forced to leave campus within the next week.
“Our students want to be here,” Chancellor Randy Woodson told reporters. “Our parents want our students to be here. But they expect us to create an environment where they can be safe. And that’s our No. 1 priority. And it’s become untenable to provide on-campus housing and meet that threshold of health and safety.”
Students will be moved out of on-campus dormitories between Aug. 27 and Sept. 6. University officials are considering providing exemptions to some students who might be at higher risk if they leave campus.
“We’re not where we want to be today, but we’re hopeful that by reducing our on-campus population, we can keep our community safe and slow the spread of this relentless virus,” Woodson said. “The vital work of the university will continue — to educate, to conduct groundbreaking research, and to contribute to our world in meaningful ways.”
Similar measures were taken by neighboring state schools Eastern Carolina University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill after cluster outbreaks of the virus were found.
