SU suspends global partner programs in Australia
Photo/Mark Nash
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Syracuse University has suspended its global partner programs in Australia amid the coronavirus pandemic.
SU students in the programs should return home no later than Wednesday, said Erika Wilkens, assistant provost and executive director of SU Abroad, and Seth Tucker, global safety and support director, in an email to students in the program Thursday.
The university considered the suspensions of in-person classes at its Australian partner schools when deciding to end the programs early, Wilkens and Tucker said. The University of New South Wales, SU’s partner school in Sydney, Australia, announced it will move classes online Friday until further notice in a campus-wide email Thursday.
“We are deeply sorry for the necessity of this action, but the current situation allows for no other option,” Wilkens and Tucker said.
The novel coronavirus causes COVID-19, a respiratory disease that has infected more than 242,000 and killed over 9,000 globally. Australia has confirmed 565 cases of the virus. Two UNSW students have tested positive for COVID-19 this semester, but both individuals were not on campus while contagious.
SU announced Monday that it will suspend in-person classes on Main Campus and transition to online learning. Students returning from Australia should follow their partner school’s guidelines for finishing courses online, Wilkens and Tucker said.
Alternative assessments, which may include online or take-home exams, will be provided in place of midterms and final exams at UNSW Sydney, university officials said in a campus-wide email Thursday.
Students who lack access to technology needed to finish classes online should contact the student and staff hotline, the officials said.
“The rapidly changing COVID-19 situation has caused unprecedented disruption to the learning and workplace environment at UNSW,” the officials said.
The university suspended all global partner programs in Europe last week after the U.S. announced it would implement a 30-day ban on travel from most European countries. SU has also suspended all of its study abroad programs.
“We very much regret the current circumstances and the need to recall you home,” Tucker and Wilkens said. “We will do all we can to make your return to the United States as smooth as possible.