Campus waits for news on coronavirus following professor’s email

Update: Since this article was published, the college officially and indefinitely suspended all on-campus classes. Check out our update here.

A campus-wide anxiety has ensued following a widely circulated email that said Middlebury will suspend all in-person classes starting this Friday, March 13 as a response to the Covid-19 viral epidemic. The email was sent by Héctor J. Vila, associate professor of writing and rhetoric and a member of faculty council, to students in two of his classes.

The college has not yet sent out an official statement about plans for suspension. The Campus is waiting for confirmation of the statements in the email, which explained that students will have a two-week spring break and classes will resume remotely beginning Monday, March 30. Vila and the college will not comment before the college's official email is sent out.

Most students are required to leave campus “until further notice,” the email read. Those who cannot — including some international students and domestic students who will be at a greater risk in their home community — can petition to remain on campus, during which they will take classes digitally.  

Colleges and universities across the country have been taking steps to contain the virus. Many are moving students off campus and switching to remote instruction. New England schools that have acted accordingly include Amherst College and Harvard University. A list of schools that have taken action, curated by Campus Editor at Large Benjy Renton ’21, can be found here.

This story is developing and will be updated accordingly.