NORFOLK, Va. — In an update to students and faculty Tuesday night, Old Dominion University President John R. Broderick announced the remainder of the spring semester will be done through online teleworking.
"I understand there is disappointment and frustration, but I can assure you a dedicated group of faculty, staff and students has performed admirably in the last week to prepare for any scenario," Broderick wrote in his announcement.
ODU had already extended spring break by a week in response to the coronavirus pandemic, and that originally school would resume for two weeks online, from March 23 to April 6.
Broderick's announcement now extends that plan for the remainder of the semester.
"Like colleges and universities across the world, we had no playbook to work from in facing this dreadful and unpredictable virus," Broderick said. "But your safety and health have always been at the forefront of the actions we have taken. All members of this Monarch community are in my thoughts and prayers as we once again stand together, albeit for something most of us never envisioned."
Mariah Broderick, a student on campus, said Wednesday that she understood the decision but was struggling with disappointment.
"On one hand - on the mature side - I understand, because this is a pandemic," she said. "We need to enact the whole social distancing thing. But on the other hand, this is a huge adjustment to my life and this is not what I paid for."