Coronavirus: Princeton University urges students to stay home, will switch to remote classes

Princeton University classes will go all online after spring break as a response to the coronavirus, the first college in the state to do so, officials said. 

University students were also encouraged to stay home after spring break, university President Christopher Eisgruber said in a letter to students and staff.

The announcement came less than 24 hours after the state announced its sixth case of the virus with the number of confirmed cases expected to grow. As of Monday afternoon the state has 11 cases. 

The university is also aiming to limit large congregations of people on campus by way of "social distancing." 

"Though we recognize that a personal, 'high touch' educational environment is one of Princeton’s great strengths, we also recognize that these are extraordinary times that require exceptional measures to deal with a health risk that affects us all," Eisgruber said.

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The mandated remote classes will begin on March 23, when students were scheduled to come back from spring break, until April 5 — when the policies will be reassessed depending on the scale of the outbreak at that time, Eisgruber said. 

Rowan University in Glassboro said Monday it is adding a week to spring break, which starts March 16. Students will return to class on March 30 instead of March 23, to give professors an extra week to make changes to courses. 

"We now are preparing for the possibility that academic operations may be disrupted, including students' ability to attend class in person," Provost Tony Lowmansaid in an email to staff. 

Iona College in New Rochelle, New York, also announced Monday that is it closing school four days early before spring break. Classes are scheduled to resume on March 23.

"Out of an abundance of caution, Iona College will start Spring Break four days early, canceling all in-person and online undergraduate and graduate Arts & Science classes effective 10 p.m. on Monday," the school announced on its website.

Fordham University and Colombia University, both in New York City, have taken similar measures. 

Columbia canceled classes on Monday and Tuesday to prep for remote classes the remainder of the week, after a university community member was exposed to the coronavirus, university President Lee C. Bollinger said on Sunday.

Fordham will also begin remote classes on Wednesday and canceled all on-campus events until at least March 29, the university announced. 

Princeton students were assured that they will still be able to meet their academic requirements if they choose to stay home.

International students comprised 25 percent of the total student enrollment at Princeton in the 2018-2019 academic year and nearly half of the graduate program, according to university data. 

Campus life activities and groups that require physical presence will continue but will be "subject to appropriate restrictions," the letter said. 

"We understand that these and other measures will cause significant disruption and inconvenience to the campus community," Eisgruber said. "But we strongly believe that actions taken now will have the greatest chance of decreasing risk and that the potential consequences of not acting could far outweigh these short-term disruptions."

On Monday New Jersey reported five new presumed cases of coronavirus, bringing the total to 11. 

The growing number of "presumed positive" cases in New Jersey came as New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency in that state, which has 105 confirmed cases, 82 of them in Westchester County.

Anthony Zurita is a breaking news reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to all the major news happening in North Jersey, subscribe here. To get breaking news directly to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter.

Email: zuritaa@northjersey.com Twitter: @AnthonyRZurita