U-M Planning More Online Courses For Winter Semester

MICHIGAN — The University of Michigan on Friday announced it is not allowing as many students on campus for its Winter Semester, releasing a plan that opts instead for more remote courses, aiming to have fewer undergraduate students living on campus and increased testing for the coronavirus.

The university said undergraduate students who don't need to live on campus should remain at their permanent residences for the duration of the semester to reduce density in U-M residence halls. The school's plan also includes mandatory weekly COVID-19 testing for those living, learning or doing research on campus.

“We have engaged broadly across the campus to gather input from faculty, staff and students,” President Mark Schlissel wrote in an email message to the campus community. “Our plan for the winter term reflects the best of what we learned and what we’ve heard that you hope to achieve going forward.”

Students who do need to remain on campus during the winter semester can request housing based on certain needs, such as health or financial concerns, the school said. Students will be assigned one student per room housing.

Students at the university previously were asked to stay-in-place for two weeks following a 14-day order issued by the Washtenaw County Health Department. That order was lifted at 7 a.m. Tuesday.

When the local stay-in-place order was issued Oct. 20, the health department said more than 60 percent of Washtenaw County's COVID-19 cases were associated with U-M students, and case investigators and contact tracers were unable to keep up with the sharp increase in these cases.

U-M student cases now represent about a third of local COVID-19 cases, officials said, although local cases overall remain high and resources for investigating and tracing cases are still stretched.

As of Friday morning, nearly 198,000 cases of the coronavirus had been reported in Michigan. The day has shattered records for single-day increase of new cases on Wednesday and Thursday.