The university has announced its plan to begin the winter semester with online instruction due to concerns over the increased spread of COVID-19. The following is the entire press release detailing the school’s plan for the beginning of the winter semester.

In light of the continuing spread of the COVID-19 virus, most of Oakland University’s Winter 2022 courses, including hybrid and in-person classes, will start in an online only format on Wednesday, January 5. Barring a further need to respond to pandemic conditions, classes will return to their previously scheduled delivery formats on Tuesday, January 18.

A small subset of Winter 2022 courses – such as labs, lab-based research and field experiences may meet in person starting on January 5. Students enrolled in such courses should contact their instructors for additional direction.

“We are proud of the health and safety measures our campus community has taken over the past two years,” said Oakland University President Ora Hirsch Pescovitz, M.D. “We are grateful that the campus community compliance rates are very high. That said, we also understand that we have to continue to actively work to maintain our health and safety as we go into the Winter semester and the new year.”

With the risks posed by the rapidly spreading Omicron variant, and with so many of the campus community members traveling over the holidays, this is a prudent approach to begin the winter semester in a remote learning environment. This two week period also allows for quarantine time for any students who might have been exposed to COVID-19 over the break.

“We are fortunate that our faculty has had experience and success in adjusting rapidly to online learning in past semesters and think this decision will go a long way in keeping our campus as safe as possible when we transition back into traditional classroom learning the week of January 17, beginning with our annual Martin Luther King Jr. Keeper of the Dream scholarship celebration,” Pescovitz added.

Oakland University’s Kresge Library will operate on limited hours – from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays only during the first two weeks of January. Scheduled athletic events will take place as planned and other auxiliary university services will operate on their normal schedules unless otherwise posted. The Graham Health Center on campus will also be offering scheduled appointments for Moderna vaccines and boosters.

“All campus community members are strongly encouraged to get fully vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus if not already, as well as to receive booster shots as advised by the CDC,” said Pescovitz. “All other infection prevention practices and expectations in place for students, faculty and staff will be maintained into the winter semester. This includes the mask mandate inside campus buildings.”