--- title: "Oops: Colleges Are Already Canceling In-Person Classes" description: "This week, two more universities, University of Notre Dame and Michigan State University announced they're moving classes online for two weeks." date: "2020-08-19" modified: "2020-08-19" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/oops-colleges-already-canceling" categories: - "Developments" - "Health & Medicine" tags: - "college" - "coronavirus" - "covid19" - "university" --- # Oops: Colleges Are Already Canceling In-Person Classes ![This week, two more universities, University of Notre Dame and Michigan State University announced they're moving classes online for two weeks.]() *\Image: Victor Tangermann\* It's almost as though US universities have been living under a rock for the last six months. Sure, they're limiting in-person classes and telling students to stay quarantined inside their dorms — but, at the same time, many are welcoming students back to campus. Unsurprisingly, countless clusters of new coronavirus cases are cropping up at institutes of higher learning across the entire country. This week, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill had to [shut its in-person classes down]() in light of the virus. Over a hundred students were put in isolation, while many hundreds more were put in quarantine, [according to *CNN*](). Then two more name brand universities — the University of Notre Dame and Michigan State University — announced they're moving classes online for two weeks in light of a steady increase in positive coronavirus cases, [*NPR* reports](). Student newspaper the Daily Tar Heel called it out for what it is: "UNC has a clusterfuck on its hands," read the headline on a [Monday editorial](). UNC reported [130 positive cases]() out of just 954 between August 10 and 16. Duke University also [recorded 11]() cases out of 5,765. Iowa State University [reported 175]() positive cases, about 2.2 percent of those tested during move-in. John Jenkins, president of Notre Dame, [acknowledged]() a "steady increase in positive rates" and that "the virus is a formidable foe." An August 16 update by the university called out cases linked to "an off-campus party held August 9" and that "our contact tracing reveals that there is a ring clearly associated with those who attended each of these off-campus events." Officials were also concerned of an "ongoing party" during football season at an Alabama college, as [*CBS News* reports](). The situation will likely remain unchanged for the foreseeable future. [Almost a third]() of all US colleges are choosing to offer remote classes or a mix of both in-person and remote. ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()