Le Moyne shifts to online-only instruction for rest of spring semester; students can’t return to campus

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Le Moyne College has decided that “it is necessary to move to online instruction for the remainder of the spring semester” after spring break ends this week.

“In particular, decisions to limit the size of gatherings to 10 or fewer, close bars and restaurants, and increase travel restrictions confirmed with absolute clarity that the decision to move to online instruction is in the best interest of the health and safety of all members of the Le Moyne community, and all external constituencies,” the school said in a message posted Tuesday on its website.

Le Moyne noted that the decision to shift to online only instruction came “after much deliberation among Le Moyne’s leadership team, and with the input of the coronavirus task force,” it became “clear” in the past few days that the situation had escalated to the point of requiring the shift to online instruction.

The school says students are not allowed to return to campus. Residential students are not permitted to access any campus residence until further notice. In the coming weeks, students will be notified with more information about when they’ll be able to access their building. Starting next week, Le Moyne will begin forwarding all mail to a student’s home address.

Le Moyne says it is not closing, and reminded students that, if they haven’t already, their instructors will contact them soon “to open your courses to online instruction and learning.”

Le Moyne faculty will continue to have access to their offices. To help control access to school buildings, Le Moyne has already transitioned to ID card access to enter any college facility. The school will also be limiting access to certain buildings, including the library, as many of the functions found in the library — such as the information-technology (IT) service desk and services provided by Student Success Center — “can and are being provided remotely.”

“It saddens me to the core that we have come to this decision, and I can only imagine how heartbreaking this is for all of you, especially our seniors,” Le Moyne President Linda LeMura said. “It’s a difficult decision, but one I know in my heart is the right one.”

The school is also currently reviewing how this decision will impact various other operating areas, including enrollment management, facilities, the Student Success Center and IT.

As it monitored the coronavirus situation, Le Moyne College had decided not to bring students back from spring break until at least March 23. It had earlier announced that it would notify students during the week of March 16 as to how the school would proceed at the end of spring break.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com