EAST LANSING, Mich. — Two weeks before classes start Michigan State University says all undergrads planning to live on campus will now need to stay home and learn remotely.
The school’s president sent out the notice today saying it takes effect immediately and now some students are rushing around trying to find new housing.
“I was moving in on the 28th.” Teegan Ggoss said. She was supposed to live on campus in Brody Complex.
“Yea, I had like everything ready, everything’s in the back of my car right now ready to move in, so it was like pulling the short end of the stick I guess.”
Those move-in plans quickly changed on Tuesday when she got an email from the university’s president.
“I opened it right away.” Goss explained. “There was a bolded paragraph about halfway through. I read that first before reading the whole thing. It pretty much just said like, ‘all undergrad students effectively immediately will be off campus’.”
Within 30 minutes she submitted her lease to an apartment.
“No I was like shaking. I called everyone immediately and was like, what do I do, my knees are shaking like I can’t stand up.” Goss told FOX 17. “I was… blindsided.”
The notice from doctor Stanley says despite their best efforts it’s unlikely the school can prevent widespread transmission of covid-19 between students if undergrads come back to campus.
There will be exceptions though for the colleges of Law, Medicine, Nursing, Osteopathic Medicine, and Veterinary medicine, as well as all graduate programs.
Research initiatives will continue too.
The school is working with international students on visa statuses and those needing labs, studios, and performance-based classes that are required for graduation.
“It’s just really upsetting because I look back on my freshman year, I had such a great time living in the dorms,” Grace Bielby, a junior at MSU, said. “It’s such a huge part of your Michigan State experience, it’s a great way to make friends, I feel bad. It’s like another year being taken away from these incoming freshmen.”
“And not to mention their senior year ended so poorly and now probably for most of them looking at their freshman year of college it was so exciting, something to look forward to, and now that’s completely ripped away too,” another MSU junior, Kaylee Forbush, told us.
Dr. Stanley’s announcementacknowledges it’s going to be a tough transition, so they’ll make sure students have access to mental health support, student services and financial aid.
“I know this is the best interest for people to not be on campus because of how fast it spreads and everything so I understand that.” Goss said. “Just trying to calm myself down after everything.”
Refunds or credits will be issued to people who have already paid for the fall semester.
