St. Bonaventure University will offer online-only instruction from March 16 through March 27, President Dr. Dennis DePerro announced this afternoon.

Students can choose to remain on campus or return home.

All online classes will start no later than Wednesday, March 18, although some could start as early as Monday. Faculty will reach out to students to explain scheduling. All in-class instruction is suspended until March 27.

St. Bonaventure’s campus will remain open. Faculty and staff are expected to report to work as usual to maintain services for students who choose to remain.

Food services, the Student Success Center, Friedsam Library and the Wellness Center will operate on their regular schedules, with limited availability in the Richter Recreation Center

“After several meetings during the course of this unprecedented week, we came to the conclusion today that this compromise was the best solution for us at this time,” DePerro said. “Students who feel safer staying on campus — and many have indicated that to myself and colleagues — can do so. I’ve received many messages from parents expressing the same sentiment.

“At this moment in time, offering students the flexibility to return home and continue their studies if they desire is prudent.”

The university hopes to have all students back on campus to resume in-class instruction on March 30, DePerro said, “but I will meet regularly with senior management to evaluate the situation to determine if an extension is necessary.”

Students were asked to consult with their parents in choosing which option was best, and required to fill out an electronic form to indicate if they were staying or returning home.

In doing what it can to stop the potential spread of COVID-19, the university implemented precautionary measures earlier this week to restrict campus visitors, cancel events and suspend extracurricular activities. Those measures will remain in place.

The university, in concert with the Atlantic 10, also cancelled all spring Division I sports.

Updates on the university’s coronavirus plans can be found at www.sbu.edu/coronavirus.

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About the University: The nation’s first Franciscan university, St. Bonaventure University is a community committed to transforming the lives of our students inside and outside the classroom, inspiring in them a lifelong commitment to service and citizenship. In 2019, St. Bonaventure was named the #1 regional university value in New York and #2 in the North by U.S. News and World Report.