Southeast suspends week of classes in response to coronavirus concerns

Southeast Missouri State University on Thursday announced it would suspend classes from March 23 through 27 in an effort to limit the possibility of exposure to COVID-19, also known as coronavirus, to the campus and Cape Girardeau communities.

According to a Thursday news conference, Gov. Mike Parson announced the Missouri State Public Health Laboratory had tested a second presumptive positive case for COVID-19, which he said was a travel-related case affecting an individual in their 20s from Springfield, Missouri.

At this time, there have been no reported cases of COVID-19 on any of Southeast’s campuses, according to a Thursday campus advisory that was sent to members of the university community. The decision to suspend in-person classes was made after consultation with local public health officials, according to the advisory.

Online courses will be delivered without any interruption or change, the advisory stated, and during this period, all of Southeast’s campuses will remain open with business office hours from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For students who have no other living accommodations, residence halls will remain open on the main and river campuses in Cape Girardeau. Limited dining opportunities and residence hall services will be available during this time. While residence halls will remain open, students are encouraged not to return to campus, according to the advisory.

The university’s scheduled spring break is Monday through March 20. Suspension the following week will allow students, faculty and staff who traveled over the break time to self-evaluate and assess their probability of exposure to the coronavirus, the advisory states. Should the need arise to complete the semester through alternative instructional methods, the break will also allow university leadership and academic departments the time to develop a plan, according to the advisory.

All campus events, programs and services are being evaluated on a case-by-case basis, the advisory stated.

While in-person classes will not be held the week of March 23, university leadership encouraged all students to take books, computers, electronic devices and all academic-related materials with them when they leave for spring break. Students are also encouraged to continue their coursework and faculty members will communicate with students about academic expectations via email, Moodle or other means of communication.

Another COVID-19 update will be provided on or before March 19, according to the advisory. More COVID-19-related information pertaining to Southeast can be found online at www.semo.edu/sealerts/covid-19.