Laila Blair’s 23 points helped power the UH women’s basketball team past Tulsa. | Esther Umoh/The Cougar

The Houston women’s basketball team put on a dominant display in its first big test of conference play as it knocked off Tulsa 80-67 at Fertitta Center on Saturday.

The victory extends the Cougars’ winning streak to six games while handing Tulsa only its second loss of the season.

UH tipped off the game with an early 4-0 followed by multiple series of exchanged free throws before the Cougars led 9-6 at the first timeout of the game.

Tulsa blew the game open with the first big momentum swing as it rode a 10-0 run before UH responded with a 5-0 run of its own to cut the deficit to 16-14 to end the first quarter.

The second quarter proved to be one of the Cougars’ best quarters of the season, sparked by two quick 3-pointers to extend the first-quarter run to 11-0 as the Cougars regained the lead by four.

Excellent defensive displays held both teams to limited scoring near the midway point of the second quarter at 26-23, yet the Cougars would break through again on a 12-0 run as they extended the lead to 38-23.

A strong close to the first half by the Cougars saw them lead 47-25 at halftime with sophomore guard Laila Blair leading in scoring with 14 points.

The Cougars outscored the Hurricane 33-9 in the second quarter and outrebounded them 25-9 in the first half.

To open the second half, all momentum going in the Cougars’ direction had stalled as both teams scored a combined 12 points by the midway point of the third quarter.

Nearing the end of the third quarter, Tulsa found some momentum and went on a 15-0 run to cut the deficit to single digits before a last-second layup by junior guard Britney Onyeje ended the run and preserved the lead at 54-43 heading into the fourth quarter.

Tulsa outscored UH 18-7 in the third quarter as it pushed to continue closing the deficit in the fourth quarter.

Both teams continued to battle on the court early in the fourth quarter, but the dominance on display by the Cougars in the second quarter dug the Hurricanes in too deep of a hole to crawl out of.

Tulsa made several efforts to come back in the game but the Cougars were too much and held on to win its second conference game of the season. 

Blair finished the game with 23 points for her fourth 20+ point game of the season, while also posting seven rebounds and three assists.

Three other Cougars recorded 10 or more points on the night.

Junior guard Tiara Young finished the game with a team-high nine rebounds and 14 points.

sports@thedailycougar.com

—
“Dominant second quarter powers UH women’s basketball past Tulsa” was originally posted on The Cougar

NCAA updates COVID-19 guidelines

U.S. Secretary of Defense/File

( U.S. Secretary of Defense under CC BY-SA 2.0)

On Thursday, Jan. 6, the NCAA updated its COVID-19 guidelines for all winter sports and student-athletes. Most notably, the guidelines account for vaccine booster shots in their definition of a “fully vaccinated individual.”

As stated, individuals are considered fully vaccinated if they are within two months of having completed the primary series of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine; within five months of having completed the primary series of the Pfizer vaccine; or within six months of having completed the Moderna vaccine. Furthermore, fully vaccinated status also accounts for anyone following a booster vaccine beyond two months of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine or beyond five or six months of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.

Quarantine and isolation guidelines are also outlined. For unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated individuals who have come within close contact with an infected individual, the recommended quarantine period is five days. For vaccinated individuals who have come within close contact with an infected individual, no quarantine period is required. Instead, masks are encouraged to be worn for 10 days after close contact.

All COVID-19 guidelines and policies outlined by the NCAA can be expected to be applied to Cal Athletics games and events. As it currently stands, fans are still allowed to attend indoor sporting events with proof of full vaccination or test results.

Ryan Chien is the sports editor. Contact him at rchien@dailycal.org, and follow him on Twitter @RyanChienMedia.

The Daily Californian

USC will extend remote instruction until Monday, Jan. 24 from the scheduled Jan. 18 return, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Charles Zukoski and Chief Health Officer Dr. Sarah Van Orman announced in a communitywide email Friday.

The University encourages students to delay returning to campus during the two weeks of remote instruction, although University housing will remain open. Schools will update graduate and professional students about program-specific instruction. 

“Current modeling indicates the next few weeks will see a continued high positivity rate and high level of community spread, until we pass a peak point and cases begin to decline,” the email read. “A variety of projections indicate that may happen in the latter half of January.”

The University of California system recently extended remote instruction periods. UCLA, Berkeley, Riverside and Merced announced extensions Friday until Jan. 31, and Davis, Irvine, Santa Cruz and San Diego announced extensions Thursday. Schools within the California State University system also pivoted to begin the spring semester online, with nine of the 23 campuses opting for remote starts.

USC recorded a 13.4% student positivity rate and 13.3% employee positivity rate from Dec. 26 to Jan.1, with 505 student cases and 68 employee cases. The highest student positivity rate during the fall semester was 0.5%. 

The seven-day average positivity rate in Los Angeles County is 22.56%, the highest rate since the beginning of the pandemic. 

Shortages and coronavirus cases may impact staffing levels and campus operations, according to the email. Testing will remain a “priority resource” as students return to campus, though increased demand may cause delays in scheduling testing appointments and receiving results. 

The email cited booster shots, which the University will require for the spring semester, as effective at reducing coronavirus spread.

“A higher number of boosted individuals provide less ‘fuel’ for transmission to burn through in our community,” the email read. “Reaching a higher rate of boosted vaccinations provides greater protection for all of us, and a better chance of a faster end to the current surge.”

The post USC extends remote instruction to Jan. 24 appeared first on Daily Trojan.

Photo Courtesy of the Georgia Institute of Technology

Emory University President Greg Fenves announced days before the new year that the spring semester would begin with virtual classes due to a nationwide spike in COVID-19 cases caused by the Omicron variant. In addition to online classes, Emory’s new policies include reduced extracurricular activities and a strongly discouraged option to return to campus. For students who choose to return, the University will operate at a limited capacity with a 25 person limit to nonacademic gatherings, nonessential virtual events, a prohibition on indoor dining and a continued mask mandate. 

Despite high national caseloads and the emergence of the Omicron variant, Emory’s decision to shut down and switch to virtual learning was a mistake. The University should return to a normal operating standard as soon as possible. 

Emory, like many other universities, cites the highly transmissible Omicron variant as an extraordinary circumstance necessitating the University to make operating changes. However, Omicron is also less likely to result in hospitalization and death. Individuals who received a booster shot, which Emory has mandated, have thus far shown substantial immunity from severe outcomes from the Omicron variant. Emory students as a whole are thus at low risk of severe illness and hospitalization even without multiple vaccine doses. Professors who are at higher risk can make decisions about whether to hold their own classes online. A blanket edict barring in-person classes is a disservice to both students and professors. 

In his announcement, Fenves stated “all [students] are encouraged to delay their return to campus … to help reduce on-campus density during the surge.” If the goal of this policy, as Fenves suggests, is to lessen caseloads during the Omicron surge, virtual learning is not the answer. Virtual learning has proven to be inferior to in-person learning; students learn less, cheat more and suffer toiling consequences on their mental health. Virtual learning is not even a worthwhile mitigation strategy: According to Emory’s own website, there is no evidence that in-person classes resulted in a single transmitted COVID-19 case last semester. Under Fenves’ new policy, students will still be able to come to Atlanta and contract COVID-19 from roommates and off-campus social events, while getting a sub-par online education. In other words, moving classes online is ineffective and detrimental to the student body. 

The emergence of new variants over the coming months and years is inevitable, making it critical for institutions to change their response. The scientific community largely believes COVID-19 will become endemic, which means the virus will be ubiquitous but no longer cause severe illness and hospitalization. Instead of feeling alarmed, we should remember that we are equipped to face the virus. Tools like vaccines and antiviral treatments make today’s COVID-19 spikes a different game compared to the early days of the pandemic. It is unreasonable for the University to force students to shift to online learning every time a new variant emerges. Conditional on future variants continuing to present a low risk to students, we should learn to live with them and resume “normal” life as we’ve come to know it. 

Any plan the University has to get out of a purgatory of restrictions is hindered by its continued lack of transparency. Emory has provided no parameter to determine when in-person activities will be safe to resume, only stating that classes will be in-person after a three week remote period “should conditions permit.” The burden should be on administrators, not students, to explain the reasoning behind their decisions. Students now face the same uncertainty returning to campus that they did when universities shut down in March 2020. 

Students should not be expected to pivot every time COVID-19 cases increase. Over 98% of students are vaccinated, and protocols such as mask-wearing help prevent transmission. Emory owes students transparency and a guarantee that COVID-19 will no longer be detrimental to their education, because education should be the last thing that is compromised in a pandemic. 

The University has failed to identify what it is trying to achieve with its COVID-19 policies. It is unclear whether Emory is trying to reduce case numbers, prevent hospitalizations, or stop the hotel from being overloaded with quarantine cases. If the University’s goal is simply to limit cases, that is quickly becoming a flawed and outdated metric as the virus is becoming less dangerous and more transmissible. Emory’s continued unwillingness to clue students into COVID-19 decisions is unacceptable. If the University opts to maintain restrictions beyond Jan. 31, it must explain what these measures are attempting to achieve and why compromising education is necessary.

The above editorial represents the majority opinion of the Wheel’s Editorial Board. The Editorial Board is composed of Rachel Broun, Kyle Chan-Shue, Sophia Ling, Demetrios Mammas, Daniel Matin, Sara Perez, Sophia Peyser, Ben Thomas, Chaya Tong and Leah Woldai.

The post University shutdowns are counterproductive. We need a long-term COVID-19 plan. appeared first on The Emory Wheel.

Throughout the week leading up to Friday night’s game against Michigan State to open up the second half of the Gophers’ Big Ten season, head coach Bob Motzko said that his team needs to play more consistently.

Minnesota has struggled on Friday nights, but they are starting the second half of the season, and 2022, on a good note.

Led by the “nine” line of junior co-captain Ben Meyers and freshmen Chaz Lucius and Matthew Knies, the Gophers defeated Michigan State in a 4-1 victory Friday night on the road to improve their record to 11-8 this season.

Meyers scored two goals in the game, including the game-winning goal for Minnesota, which came in the first period that saw three goals.

Meyers received a pass from Lucius in the neutral zone, then skated into the left faceoff circle, where he fired a low wrist shot into the back of the net with 5:12 remaining to give the Gophers a 2-0 lead.

Before Meyers’ game-winning tally, one of his co-captains in senior Sammy Walker, opened up the scoring 8:34 into the game after he sprung out of the penalty box.

Senior Blake McLaughlin received an outlet pass from junior Jaxon Nelson. Then, McLaughlin worked his way into the Spartans’ zone on the left side of the ice to create an odd-man rush, where he fed Walker a cross-crease pass, and Walker made no mistake burying the puck inside the back post.

The Spartans’ lone goal came from Nash Nienhuis, who scored his first collegiate goal, just minutes after Meyers’ game-winning goal.

Just before the halfway mark of the second period, graduate student goaltender Jack LaFontaine challenged a loose puck in the Gophers’ zone to prevent a breakaway. He collided heavily with Michigan State’s Jagger Joshua, but luckily for Minnesota, he did not get injured as a result.

Meyers scored his second goal of the game to give the Gophers a 3-1 lead with 3:16 remaining in the second period after he buried a one-timer in the slot from Knies.
Nelson left the game early in the third period after suffering an injury following a shot, which appeared to be an ankle injury. He later received help off the ice.

Lucius added the fourth goal for Minnesota with 3:41 remaining in the game, which Meyers and Knies assisted. Meyers leads the team with 21 points (seven goals, 14 assists) in 19 games this season.

The Gophers outshot Michigan State 36-25 and went a perfect 4-4 on the penalty kill. However, their power play that ranked second in the Big Ten coming into the game went 0-4.

LaFontaine looked back to form as he held a .960 save percentage after making 24 saves on 25 shots faced.

Minnesota is on the right track toward “more consistency” in their game, and a win Saturday night would help fuel them toward this goal.

The Gophers will wrap up their series against Michigan State when they take on the Spartans on Saturday, Jan. 8, at 6:30 p.m.

Walker Watch

The Edina, Minn. native needs one more point to reach 100 collegiate points. He has 42 goals and 57 assists in 124 games.

For the second consecutive game, Josh Carlton led the Cougars in scoring. The 6-foot-10-inch UH center scored a game-high 22 points to go along with 12 rebounds for his second consecutive double-double. | Sean Thomas/The Cougar

With Hakeem Olajuwon and Elvin Hayes, two of Houston’s all-time great big men, sitting courtside at Fertitta Center, the Cougars frontcourt dominated the paint, powering the country’s 12th ranked team to 76-66 victory over Wichita State on Saturday afternoon.

Once again, senior center Josh Carlton proved to be a force to be reckoned with in the paint, setting the tone early and causing problems for the Shockers all afternoon.

The Cougars clicked on both ends of the floor in the game’s opening minutes, knocking down shots and forcing Wichita State turnovers to jump out to an early 8-0 lead.

UH continued to shoot the ball at a high clip, going 50 percent from the field in the first half.

The trio of graduate transfer guard Taze Moore, senior forward Fabian White Jr. and Carlton carried the load for the Cougars offensively in the first half, combining to go 13 of 15 from the field to account for 29 of UH’s 36 points.

Despite its slow start, Wichita State stayed within striking distance thanks to a group effort as eight different Shockers scored in the first half.

A pair of 3-pointers by White early into the second half grew the UH lead to 11.

The UH lead remained double-digits for the majority of the second half as the Cougars continued to shoot the ball at a high clip and cash in on easy points off Wichita State turnovers.

Wichita State had one final push, going on a 9-0 run to get within six points of UH but the Cougars weathered the storm, refusing to allow the Shockers to get any closer as sophomore guard Jamal Shead ended the Shockers’ run by intercepting a pass and turning it into a fast break layup.

Carlton led the way with his second consecutive double-double, scoring a game-high 22 points to go along with 12 rebounds.

Moore finished with 17 points and White had 15.

sports@thedailycougar.com

—
“Carlton has another double-double in No. 12 UH’s win over Wichita State” was originally posted on The Cougar

It might be hard to believe that a Zoom link ridden with potential technical difficulties can feel so special, but that’s exactly how it felt to join the Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company in cyberspace. On Dec. 16, the company showcased a performance of their “Meet the Choreographer” series with choreographer Stefanie Batten Bland. The series allowed the audience to ask questions and access the choreographer’s process, an opportunity that isn’t usually presented in live performances.

In Conversation With the World

Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company performed Bland’s “Look Who’s Coming to Dinner” — a timely and curious piece that asked important questions about the rituals and prejudices that accompany human interaction. In her opening remarks about “Look Who’s Coming to Dinner,” Bland said, “It’s about coming back to the table and the importance and the ideas that are surrounding this act of invitation — taking a seat, sitting next to someone who we don’t invite, who we decide to exclude from that option, from that participation.” For Bland, this exploration of how and why we interact with others the way we do is inevitably an exploration of “how we decide to accept love into our lives.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has made discussions about social gathering and inclusion or exclusion of invitations particularly relevant to the current moment, but the complexity of these interactions has been around for years before the pandemic. “Look Who’s Coming to Dinner,” Bland explained, is in conversation with “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner,” the 1967 film that brought attention to how colorism and genderism code the way we interact with others. Company dancers demonstrated these coded behaviors in moments when they reached out for a handshake only to be rejected, or when they mimicked beautifying practices like doing their hair and examining their face and legs. 

Changing the Meaning of Performance

“Look Who’s Coming to Dinner” challenged traditional expectations for stage set-up and props. The tables were not only sitting spaces but also doors and barriers. Props were moved around in front of the audience throughout the performance and there was no curtain to hide moments of transition. There is something about this approach to space that feels makeshift and expansive. The ever-shifting landscape of the stage makes physical space multi-dimensional and generative rather than a static backdrop. The relationship between dancers and physical space was intimate because the two were not separate entities but rather intertwined. Dancers demonstrated their physical closeness to objects in space when they climbed over and under the tables. 

The elements that make up performance — stage, props, dancers, music, lighting — begin to blur. What makes a performance? Is it all of these elements? Only some of them? “Look Who’s Coming to Dinner” not only complicates notions of what is essential to performance, it compels us to consider how performance might help us better understand the coded behaviors ingrained in each of us, as well as what changes we can make in our future interactions with others. The piece is an open-hearted exploration of human interaction, of the fine line between inclusion and exclusion. It’s almost as though the piece has a curiosity about itself, and this quality allows it to perpetuate and live inside the viewer. 

“Look Who’s Coming to Dinner” will be featured in Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company’s upcoming “Fill in the Blank” which runs from Jan. 27-29. To purchase tickets, visit the Salt Lake County Arts website. For live stream and on-demand tickets, visit Ririe-Woodbury’s website.

t.georgieva@dailyutahchronicle.com

@tervela_g 

The post Meet the Choreographer: Stefanie Batten Bland’s ‘Look Who’s Coming To Dinner’ appeared first on The Daily Utah Chronicle.

UH opts for a ‘soft opening approach, which will have professors choose between online, in-person or hybrid instruction formats. | Christopher Goodwin/The Cougar

The University has opted for a ‘soft opening,’ similar to what started off Fall 2021, to begin the Spring 2022 semester. The message comes from an announcement released by UH President Renu Khator on Friday.

The decision to go through with a ‘soft opening’ comes amid the rapid spread of the omicron variant, which has left Texans with more than 300,000 new positive cases over the past week.

“After careful consideration, we have decided to implement a soft opening of classes, similar to the Fall 2021 semester, for the first two weeks of the spring semester,” Khator wrote in the announcement. “Our campus and offices, particularly student-facing services, will remain open. Residence halls are open and new residents will move in as planned. Classes will start on schedule, albeit in a mixed modality.”

The soft opening allows professors to use their discretion on how they choose to conduct class formats; whether it be online, in-person or a hybrid model.

Students were previously concerned about UH not making the switch to online, while the school continued to monitor the virus.

Khator added how this change of operations may be discouraging for some, but important for the health and safety of the UH community.

“We were all hoping to have a more normal start of the new semester but clearly that is not the case. I want to express my appreciation for your patience as we make these adjustments during this rapidly changing environment,” Khator said. “While it may feel like déjà vu from last January, there has been much progress during the past year: vaccines, boosters and new treatments are widely available; schools are open; and the city is not in a lock-down.”

news@thedailycougar.com

—
“UH opts for ‘soft opening’ to start Spring 2022” was originally posted on The Cougar

Then-junior guard Matt Schner dribbles past a University of Chicago defender on Feb. 7. Now a senior, Schner looks to lead the men’s basketball team to the NCAA Tournament. (Jackson Schneider/A&E Editor)

The Emory University men’s basketball team is adapting to the new reality in 2021 after no season in 2020. For much of the pandemic, it was hard for the players to find a basketball hoop or a fitness center to keep their games sharp. Nonetheless, seven games into the season, the team has acquired four wins, a promising start in non-conference play. 

Head coach Jason Zimmerman is in his 14th year as the Eagles head coach, but his 13th season during the pandemic brought intense challenges to the program.

“This last year has been brutal for everybody and our basketball program,” Zimmerman said. “It is challenging, but we’re back at it now. It still stings, it’s like a loss and it never goes away. But you learn and grow from it.”

Due to the lost season, the team is now composed of many different ages and skill sets. For the first years and sophomores, this season will be their first competition season, presenting obstacles for the program. 

“We have a good mix of veteran guys and new guys,” Zimmerman said. “Really, we have two freshmen classes.”

For first-year forward Cale Martens, the dream to play collegiate ball was met with a difficult recruitment process. The pandemic prevented Martens from showing off his skills in-person to coaches, which put playing college basketball into question for him. 

“It was really difficult to have coaches come watch me in person,” Martens said. “I had to promote myself over social media with game film. I did not end up meeting Coach [Zimmerman] in person until this summer.”

Despite the hurdles, Zimmerman likes what he sees from his squad on a daily basis, especially considering the circumstances of the last year.

“We’re competing and getting better,” Zimmerman said. “This year’s team is developing a story of its own, a character of its own.” 

This development has been in part due to a high-level of intra-squad competition in the fall leading up to the season. The players constantly played pick-up games and were in the weight room, competing and bonding as a team. Fifth year guard Matthew Schner, as a team veteran, emphasized the importance of this competition to his teammates.

“For us, it was all about competing as much as possible because we hadn’t competed in so long,” Schner said. “It was important for us to get that back in the fall. When we’re playing pick up games, it’s got to be competitive and taking every day and improving with it. That is something that we talk about every day and try to instill.”

Returning to some sense of normalcy has been satisfying, especially for the older players who knew what they were missing out on in the lost season. Fifth year guard Nick Stuck is excited to be back in the gym and competing for the first time in a long time.

“The training was back to somewhat normal,” Stuck said. “It’s just so good to be back. I can’t stress that enough.”

The depth of the team has positively impacted the preseason and early games. First years such as Martens have been able to learn from the more experienced leaders like Schner and Stuck. 

“The captains and the older guys did a really good job helping explain little details about the offense and defense,” Martens said. “That helped us prepare for once the season got rolling. I love all the older guys. They have been really welcoming and helpful. Not just in basketball but academically and socially.”

Schner has been one of the stars of the team since his first year. Over his career at Emory, Schner has averaged 13.8 and 15.5 points per game, respectively. This season, he is close to averaging a double-double with 20.7 ppg, 9.6 rebounds per game and 4.1 assists per game. Before the season, Schner was awarded a Preseason All-America Honorable Mention. Earlier in December, Schner was also named to the D3Hoops.com Men’s Basketball National Team of the Week.

Stuck is also contributing heavily, leading the team in assists with 5.4 per game and ranking second in scoring and steals with 12.6 ppg and 0.9 steals per game. The six-foot-two guard is definitely a playmaker for the Eagles as his game complements Schner’s. Together, they are and continue to be a great one-two punch for Emory on both sides of the court.

On top of their on court talents, Schner, Stuck and other older players have taken on heavy leadership roles this season. As a role model for the team, Schner has felt the pressure to set the standard for the younger players. 

“It’s a big leadership role for me and for the other guys that have been around,” Schner said. “That’s been a challenge, and it’s been something that’s been good for us throughout the fall and continuing into the season. You have to lead by example: you have to be the first guy in the gym and the last one to leave.”

The skills and leadership have been solidified through Zimmerman. He has helped the team adjust through the pandemic and the new season despite all the obstacles. 

“This is year five with Coach Z,” Schner said. “We have a great trust for each other. We both understand that we are incredibly committed to the program and we respect that about each other.”

Even with solid team chemistry and a competitive drive, the Eagles know they have a tough road ahead for competition play. The Eagles stand at 7-3, and while they hold a winning record, the team knows they are not up to their full potential yet. After a loss against Randolph-Macon College (Va.), the number one team in the country, Zimmerman got a better glimpse at how the team fared against the highest-level of competition.

“We were prepared as we could be for our guys,” Zimmerman said. “It was a great game to see where we are right now for the country. It was also a great game to see where we are individually. We will use that as a springboard for the rest of the year.”

After time off for the holidays, the Eagles will open conference play in the University Athletic Association (UAA). However, Schner is aware of how different conference play may be from the past. 

“Normally we have a better idea on who we are going to play against,” Schner said. “It’s a two-year gap. I don’t recognize the names that I usually do year-to-year. This is going to be a big adjustment.”

Ultimately, the Eagles look to make a run in the NCAA tournament. Emory has made eight consecutive NCAA Tournaments; however, the Eagles this year not only want to extend their streak to nine, but also want to go farther than ever before. 

“I want to take this program to places we have not been before, and for us that is the Final Four,” Schner said. “We are a long way off from doing that. It’s a big challenge but that is something that is always in the back of my head so we can leave the jersey in a better place when we leave.”

There is a lot to be impressed with from the Emory men’s basketball team. Led by an outstanding coach and experienced veterans, the team is looking for success this year, despite the challenges the pandemic brought. Their outlook on the rest of the season is bright, and all signs point to a great run in the UAA and NCAA tournaments.

The men’s basketball team opens up UAA competition on Jan. 8 at the University of Rochester (N.Y.) and hosts Washington University in St. Louis (Mo.) for their home opener on Jan. 14.

The post ‘Good to be back’: Emory men’s basketball shooting high this season appeared first on The Emory Wheel.

UC Berkeley announces remote instruction for 2 weeks amid COVID-19 surge

Erica Cardozo/Staff

As a result of the rapidly spreading omicron variant, UC Berkeley has decided to hold its first two weeks of instruction fully remote for the spring 2022 semester.

UC Berkeley announced plans to start the spring 2022 semester with two weeks of fully remote instruction before returning to in-person instruction Jan. 31.

The decision was made after discussions with the campus’s Public Health Committee, students and faculty, according to an email from Chancellor Carol Christ. Due to the rapid spread of the omicron variant, campus expects many students, faculty and staff to be unable to return to campus.

The email noted that some courses, including lab sections, studio and clinical courses and graduate seminars, may still be taught in person during the two-week period. However, instructors must provide alternate arrangements for isolating students who cannot attend.

Campus will remain open for students, staff and faculty, with normal operations continuing despite potential disruptions from people unable to come to campus. The email also notes that all classes will be delivered as listed on the schedule of classes starting Jan. 31.

“We believe strongly in the importance of in-person instruction and in providing an in-person experience for our students,” the email reads. “We will use the two-week period of remote instruction to plan for how best to meet the operational needs of our campus.”

Additionally, plans could still change as pandemic conditions evolve.

Vani Suresh is a deputy news editor. Contact her at vsuresh@dailycal.org, and follow her on Twitter at @vanisuresh_.

The Daily Californian