SAN ANTONIO — UPDATE: UTSA announced that they will be extending spring break for a week due to coronavirus concerns. When students return on March 23, all classes will be taught online.
In the full announcement, university president Taylor Eighmy said that the school is encouraging social distancing, asking groups to cancel or modify gatherings of more than 50 people. Campus will remain open.
The announcement comes after an online petition for similar measures gained steam on Wednesday afternoon.
Original story:
A petition to temporarily cancel in-person classes at the University of Texas at San Antonio has garnered over 3,700 signatures on change.org.
The petition expresses concern that 32,000 students will be returning to campus after spring break, and many students and faculty traveled during the break, creating the potential for exposure to coronavirus.
Given the number of students, the petition claims it would be impossible for the school to enforce the suggested self-quarantine.
"By keeping students and staffers off campus for 2 weeks after break, they can effectively quarantine themselves at home in the event that they start showing symptoms of the virus without fear of being penalized for missing classes or getting behind on work," the petition says.
This isn't a ploy from students to cancel classes entirely. The petition calls for classes to be held online while students and faculty make sure they don't have COVID-19.
