In the wake of the Marshall fire and a growing number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Boulder County, on Friday, CU Boulder Chancellor Philip DiStefano announced the university will begin the spring academic semester on Jan. 10 with a remote learning period until Jan. 24.
The announcement cites the several hundred CU Boulder faculty, staff and students whose homes were affected by the recent fires surrounding Boulder as a reason for starting the semester remotely.
“By delaying our in-person return until Jan. 24, we are doing our part to support the community,” DiStefano said.
According to DiStefano, the remote start to the semester will aid the university’s efforts to, firstly, provide support for the population of the university community that was impacted by the fires and, secondly, provide resources in support of the community-wide recovery efforts.
In his announcement, DiStefano addresses the surge in the omicron variant which has led to higher confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Boulder area and encourages out-of-state students to stay home during the remote learning period.
“Because of the impacts of the fires, in combination with concerns about the COVID-19 omicron variant, the broader Boulder area is not in a position to welcome back thousands of students over the next week,” he said. “In order to further support our community during this time, students living in off-campus housing are strongly encouraged to delay their return to the Boulder area until Jan. 21, in advance of the start of in-person classes.”
Residence halls on CU Boulder campus will remain closed until Jan. 21 and the university will compensate the affected students by reducing room and board rates and pro-rating other fees, according to the announcement.
Students who have been impacted by the fire or who are experiencing other unique circumstances which lead them to need on-campus housing sooner should email [email protected].
The university is expected to return to in-person instruction on Jan. 24 for the remainder of the semester.
DiStefano concluded the announcement by encouraging everyone to get a COVID-19 booster shot and offering updates on the CU campus community in early January about any new vaccination requirements.
