Asbury President Dr. Kevin Brown announced through email March 17 that all classes will be held in online format for the rest of the spring semester. The decision came from the president’s cabinet and university-organized COVID-19 response team, created to handle action plans and questions from the campus community.
By now the coronavirus has impacted almost every life across the globe in some manner; as lifestyles and plans adjust, universities must take into consideration more than just class requirements, but also housing, food, athletics and their own travel policies.
Asbury’s first email regarding COVID-19 went out to campus on Monday, March 9 in response to the rise of the virus in Kentucky. The email contained information on how to prevent getting sick as well as address travel plans for spring break the following week. The university created a travel registry the following day and required students to list their intended destinations before March 13.
The second major update came Wednesday, March 11 announcing that spring break would be extended to two weeks, with in-seat classes resuming on March 30. Students were encouraged to bring home as much as possible in the event of not being able to return to campus for an extended period of time; anyone needing to stay on campus during these two weeks had to apply for permission to remain.
If students are diagnosed with COVID-19 or come in contact with someone who is, the university requires them to quarantine off campus before returning from spring break; if students who were granted permission to stay in residential housing come in contact or are diagnosed with the virus, they must call the university switchboard operator to arrange for off-campus housing options.
Asbury’s official COVID-19 response statement included that the university “does not have the capacity to provide space for those who need to quarantine. Students will not be allowed to return to residential housing on campus during the quarantine period.”
While Asbury’s Health Services will be closed March 16-20, it will reopen March 23; food services also reopen the second week on March 22. However, unless students live in the Aldersgate apartments, many don’t have access to meals for the first half of the two-week shut down period.
The school established an alternative method for keeping students fed; dinners are distributed in the evening to students staying on campus, and Student Development is organizing a food drive to compile snack bags to distribute to students.
The school is planning to finish the spring semester and graduate the class of 2020, and on March 16 announced an extended undergraduate class withdrawal deadline to April 1. Information regarding commencement, internships and practicums, refunds and the retrieval of belongings left on campus during break has yet to be addressed.
While Asbury athletics announced March 12 activities would be suspended in accordance with the River States Conference ceasing athletics through March 31, the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics announced March 16 that all spring 2020 sports are canceled.
“As a team we are all really heartbroken,” said junior Elle Crossman, who plays lacrosse at Asbury. “It’s been a tough season for us for various reasons but this past week we finally found our groove as a team and as players.”
The lacrosse team found out about their season’s halt on March 12, the day of their last game, and “we all had a feeling that Thursday’s game might be our last of the season, so we all played really hard,” said Crossman. The women held a final team meeting the following day to celebrate the senior on their team, Ashley Byrd, before heading home.
“Because we’re so close and such a small team, I think most of our heartbreak is generating from knowing [Byrd] won’t get her senior day and that she didn’t get to finish the season the way she wanted,” said Crossman.
Asbury University also canceled all school-sponsored international trips through May 8 and domestic travel through March 30. This presents specific issues for students attempting to complete their Cross-Cultural Engagement requirements.
Senior Colin Toth has planned on participating in World Gospel Mission’s trip to Honduras over spring break. “I was very disappointed because I was genuinely excited to go to a new place and push beyond my comfort zone,” he said. “I was very worried when I first heard about the cancellation; I thought I wasn’t really going to graduate.
Students with concerns or questions about completing their CCE have been instructed to direct questions to Shannon Montgomery, Cross Cultural Engagement coordinator.
“I spoke with Esther Jadhav, and she reassured me that there are alternate options being created for seniors who had trips cancelled,” Toth said. “Right now I’m just trusting I’ll be able to complete those options before graduation as the specifics haven’t been communicated yet.”
Stateside, the Contemporary Art Seminar’s annual trip may be the first impacted by the university travel ban after spring break. Scheduled for April 2-6, the class explores the art world first-hand through visits to major city’s galleries, museums and working professionals. This year the class is headed to Chicago, though there has yet to be an official announcement about whether or not the trip will run.
For the university’s official COVID-19 statement, visit https://www.asbury.edu/covid19plan/. Questions pertaining to Asbury’s response and plan for the coronavirus can be emailed to covidquestions@asbury.edu.
Updated March 17, 2020 at 5:52 p.m.