Miami University will receive $12.9 million from the federal government as part of the CARES Act, a novel coronavirus economic stimulus package. Half of those funds, about $6.5 million, must go directly to students.
Four days after classes went online, an unofficial Miami GroupMe chat with 156 members and counting was born. Junior Jannie Kamara started the chat on March 17, a day before she was elected president of Associated Student Government (ASG). Since then, the “OxVegas forever” chat, with its daily barrage of messages, has served as a source of support and entertainment for its members.
When Miami University President Greg Crawford decided to move classes online for the rest of the semester on March 13, the Miami community was thrown into a state of uncertainty. Because the current situation is unprecedented, both students and faculty have had to navigate the world of online learning on their own. Needless to say, the transition has been easier for some than others.
This Tuesday, Miami University’s Associated Student Government (ASG) will hold its first online all-senate meeting since the university closed due to novel coronavirus concerns.
For many Christians, Easter Sunday is a day to come together to celebrate with their church community with large services, egg hunts and other festivities.
Miami University President Greg Crawford sent out a university-wide email announcing the decision to move all face-to-face instruction online for the rest of the spring semester on Friday, March 13, due to the threat of the novel coronavirus. Three days later, Dean of Students Kimberly Moore sent out an email with the message, “We strongly urge you to promptly leave campus while you are able to do so.”
The streets of Oxford are quiet. Uptown no longer bustles on Friday nights. High Street businesses that stay open late are closing earlier and, in some cases, closing up shop all together until Governor Mike DeWine’s stay-at-home order is lifted. But still, some Miami University upperclassmen remain in Oxford, living in the homes they rented through the end of the semester. For students living in apartment complexes, the stay-at-home order means restricted access to amenities they’ve already paid for.
Current Miami University students have faced a variety of struggles due to the spread of the novel coronavirus, such as switching to online classes and having to say goodbye to their friends and return home. But today’s students aren’t the first to live through a pandemic. There have been four influenza pandemics since the beginning of the 20th century — the most deadly being the Spanish flu of 1918.
With the constant barrage of novel coronavirus news updates, it can be hard to stay informed. Here’s a list of some important coronavirus related questions The Miami Student has answered over the past month:
Oxford is normally quiet without Miami University students on campus. But this time, it’s different. The small college town usually simmers into a lull once students leave for both winter break and summer vacation. But with classes being moved online for the rest of the semester and Governor Mike DeWine’s stay-at-home order, many students decided to leave Oxford to be with family. For seniors, though, this decision meant walking away from the place they’ve called home for the last four years.
In Oxford, local owners and managers struggle to keep their businesses afloat while city officials scramble to pass a stimulus grant proposal into law. The college town, which depends on revenue from the Miami University student body — most of whom have left campus, hopes to avoid the worst of the virus’ economic consequences. But at this point, it’s unclear if it will.
Sushi Nara, a popular Japanese restaurant in Oxford, has closed after its building was sold. The restaurant’s owner informed his employees of the closure Monday, April 6.
Miami University will not renew the contracts of a number of faculty members next year, as the university is expected to lose tens of millions of dollars due to the novel coronavirus and is preparing for greater budgetary shortfalls.
Miami University named Beena Sukumaran as the new dean of the College of Engineering and Computing (CEC) last week.
An unclassified Miami University employee who works in Campus Services has tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
Miami University’s Department of Chemistry contributed 125,000 masks and 750 pairs of safety goggles to be donated to the Cincinnati Children's Hospital and Butler County Health Commission as cases of the novel coronavirus continue to grow in Southwest Ohio.
Miami University will be forced to spend tens of millions of dollars on refunds for housing, meal plans and study abroad programs due to campus closures caused by the spread of novel coronavirus, according to an email sent to the faculty from Provost Jason Osborne on March 19.
Miami University’s Division of Student Life announced several policy changes and extended deadlines regarding course credit options on its Instagram story Wednesday. Students are now able to take a grade of incomplete — “IU” for all undergraduate courses and “IG” for all graduate level courses — at any time during the spring 2020 semester. The deadlines to withdraw from undergraduate classes and the deadline to elect for a credit/no credit grading option were also moved to April 17. This is a change from the original February deadline.
After 13 years of operation, the Confucius Institute at Miami University (CIMU) is closing due to budget cuts.
Miami University President Greg Crawford announced in a university-wide email Wednesday that a member of the Miami community has tested positive for the novel coronavirus.