Coronavirus: Wheaton College Closing Norton Campus To Classes

NORTON, MA – Wheaton College students are being told not to come back to the Norton campus from an extended spring break as the school shifts to online courses starting March 23. Wheaton President Dennis Hanno announced in a letter to the school community on Wednesday that this plan is being implemented for the duration of the spring semester.

"We have been prepared to take action steps based on guidance and recommendations from city, state and federal officials, and a state of emergency was declared in Massachusetts (Tuesday)," Hannon said. "Based on this guidance, we know that now is the best time to take action to slow the spread of the virus, mitigate its possible effects and protect our entire community. Thus, we will be altering our operations and enacting new policies and protocols based upon the concept of social distancing."

Wheaton is the latest New England school to move classes online, and either partially or fully close campuses, including Harvard University, Amherst College, MIT and Bryant University.

All Wheaton students are expected to leave the campus by March 22 at 5 p.m. and not return until further notice. Hanno said his office is developing a financial policy to address the disruption in room and board services, and that students will receive information on that soon.

Students who are not on campus this week, but have supplies there, are asked to return only to pick them up by March 22. Residence halls will be closed as of March 23. Those who have not picked up their items by March 22 will have to arrange to pick them up by the end of the semester on May 9.

Students who do not have alternative housing options can submit a housing petition by March 18 at 1 p.m. If granted under extenuating circumstances, students will be allowed housing and dining on campus only.

Decisions on practices and games for the spring athletic season will be made in conjunction with the New England Men's and Women's Athletic Conference. All college-sponsored travel has been suspended until further notice and anyone tickets are reservations planned should be canceled.

Decisions on end-of-semester events such as Senior Week, Wheaton Class Reunion and Wheaton Commencement will be made at a later date.

"It is difficult to have to take these measures," Hannon said. "We know these decisions pose real and significant challenges for all of us and we will work with each of you to best move forward and ensure academic continuity. As I have seen firsthand, I know our faculty and staff will be creative and innovative in supporting our students and I know our entire community will work together collaboratively through this unprecedented time."

(More on the coronavirus can be found in this fact sheet from the CDC.)

Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that include the common cold as well as much more serious diseases. The strain that emerged in China in late 2019, now called COVID-19, is related to others that have caused serious outbreaks in recent years, including severe acute respiratory syndromes (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was on Jan. 21.

The disease, which apparently originated in animals, is now transferring from person to person, although the mechanism is not yet fully understood. Its symptoms include fever, coughing and shortness of breath, and many patients develop pneumonia. There is as yet no vaccine against COVID-19 it and no antiviral treatment.

According to the CDC, the best way of preventing the disease is to avoid close contact with people who are sick, to avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands, to wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, and to use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available. To avoid spreading any respiratory illness, the CDC recommends staying at home when you are sick, covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue and throwing the tissue in the trash, cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched
objects and surfaces.

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