SMU Moving Classes Online For Remainder Of Spring Semester

SMU announced this week that the university is moving all classes online for the remainder of the spring semester.

SMU President R. Gerald Turner also announced in a letter this week that the university moved to essential personnel only status until April 3 to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Employees will be contacted directly by their appropriate vice president or athletics director with guidance on their individual units’ operating plans, according to the letter. University officials say all faculty and staff, whether salaried or hourly, will continue to be paid during this period.

Students who had planned to return to their residence halls by April 6 will now need to make arrangements for retrieving and/or storing their possessions.

Students will receive detailed information from Residence Life and Student Housing by Friday, March 27, the university said. Students are asked not to come to campus to retrieve their belongings until they receive this guidance.

SMU officials say they’re determining the best approach for prorating refunds for certain charges such as residence halls and dining. The refund process is under development and will be resolved by no later than the end of the semester.

The Dr. Bob Smith Health Center will be open during normal business hours. Students who feel ill are asked to contact the center by phone first at 214-768-2141.

Turner wrote in his letter that a decision about the May 16 commencement will be made at a later date.

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Rachel Snyder

Rachel Snyder, former deputy editor at People Newspapers, joined the staff in 2019, returning to her native Dallas-Fort Worth after starting her career at community newspapers in Oklahoma. One of her stories won first place in its category in the Oklahoma Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest in 2018. She’s a fan of puns and community journalism, not necessarily in that order.

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