Heidelberg moves to online instruction

Heidelberg University announced Thursday it will be extending its spring break and moving to online instruction until further notice. Heidelberg is to extend its current spring break two days — March 16 and 17. Classes are to resume on March 18 online only, according to a release provided by the college. The release said students are permitted to return to campus from spring break. All academic resources, such as the library, residence halls and dining facilities, athletic and recreation facilities will remain open. In accordance with recommendations issued by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on Tuesday, all events on campus are suspended through March 27. This includes concerts, performances, meetings and student activities. Outdoor athletic competitions will continue at this time, per the governor's recommendations. There are no indoor athletic competitions scheduled for the remainder of this semester, according to the release. Events such as the "Furry Friends: Benefit Concert," Community Music School's "Willy Wonka Jr.," Symphonic Band guest concert with Mirari Brass, are cancelled. In addition the Education Summit scheduled for next weekend has also been cancelled. "As we monitor the evolving developments with coronavirus, we know that avoiding large group interactions will be one of the most effective measures we can take in preventing its spread," Beth Schwartz, Heidelberg provost, said in the release. In addition to these precautionary measures, Heidelberg has suspended all student travel until further notice. Schwartz said in the release, the university is encouraging all students, faculty and staff to practice social distancing and preventative health on a regular basis. "Going forward, all of our decisions will be re-evaluated continuously by Senior Leadership and key personnel and adjusted accordingly as new information and guidelines emerge," Schwartz said in the release. "The health and safety of our campus community remain our highest priority, and we remain in close communication with local and state government and health officials in order to do what's best for our campus." Heidelberg has created and is maintaining a special webs pag,www.heidelberg.edu/coronavirus, for information, resources and updates as they become available. The following is a list of Tiffin University March 2020 event cancellations: • March 14 – TU Band and Choir Concert • March 18 – Arts Scholarship Day • March 18 – Poverty Simulator • March 18 – Junior Achievement in a Day • March 19 – BIT Training • March 20 – Forensic Psychology Open House • March 20 – ProMusic Showcase Concert • March 20 – Seneca County Youth Leadership • March 21 – Tiffin Arts Scholarship Open House • March 25 – The School of Business "Summit to Success" • March 27 – TU Kids Choir Concert • March 28, 29 – International Dinner • March 31 – Women's Leadership Conference All money paid will be refunded.