Thursday, March 28, 2024

Coronavirus update: Multiple MSU campus events have been cancelled

March 12, 2020
<p>The third floor of the MSU Library is clear of people after MSU halted in-person classes due to the coronavirus on March 11, 2020.</p>

The third floor of the MSU Library is clear of people after MSU halted in-person classes due to the coronavirus on March 11, 2020.

Photo by Jack Falinski | The State News

Multiple scheduled events on Michigan State University's campus have been cancelled or rescheduled following the decision to suspend in-person classes due to confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Michigan, including one individual linked to campus.  

The university also will not schedule any new events with more than 100 people in a confined space until April 20, according to a statement.

“We will provide more information soon and urge everyone to consider the health implications of large gatherings and evaluate the essential nature of the events,” according to the statement. 

MSU Model UN Conference (MSUMUN) is one of the events that was cancelled. MSUMUN is a conference where high school students and undergraduates could learn about the United Nations in collaborative committees. It was originally scheduled for Friday, March 13 through Sunday, March 15.

“My initial reaction was certainly disappointment,” Andrew Carpenter, international relations senior and MSUMUN general of development, said. “We’ve been putting in work to make this conference happen for the past year now. We have 111 staffers on Michigan State’s campus that have worked tirelessly to make this happen. This was going to be our 20th anniversary.”

The MSU Spring Career Fair, originally scheduled for March 11 and 12, was also cancelled on Wednesday. The Spring Career Fair is an annual event hosted by MSU Career Services Network to give students an opportunity to connect with potential employers. 

MSU Career Services plans to reschedule the Spring Career Fair and move it to a virtual platform. The exact time and date are unavailable at this time.

Other event cancellations include:

  • Several MSU Honors College First-Generation Honors Association's (FGHA) events have been cancelled, including the Womxn History Month Dinner (March 29) and open study nights (April 14 and 16). FGHA has also rescheduled their open meeting to March 25 and their Finances 101 session to March 17 via Zoom.

  • MSU Greek Week events from March 24-31, including the kick-off, blood drive, Greek Day of Service and Greek Games.
  • All University Activities Board events until further notice, including their weekly open mic nights on Wednesdays and their Night at the Planetarium event, scheduled for March 12. 

MSU initiated the cancellations following The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations, which said to “put distance between yourself and other people if COVID-19 is spreading in your community.”

In addition to social distancing, students, faculty and staff are encouraged to wash their hands, avoid touching their face with unwashed hands and stay home if they are sick to limit the spread of the virus.

To stay up to date with MSU's response to COVID-19, more information can be found at https://msu.edu/coronavirus/.

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