April 2, 2020
Dear OU Community,
As the global COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, so too does our response. I am incredibly proud of how our community has come together and adapted to an environment full of uncertainties. We have made many adjustments to how we educate and operate, and every single student, faculty, and staff member has played a significant role in ensuring that we continue to fulfill our sacred mission. At every turn, we continue to keep the safety and well-being of each of you in mind. Please read on for an update on our efforts to continue slowing the spread of the virus as it relates to summer classes, events, and housing.
OU Norman Campus Summer Classes. Norman campus summer classes will be offered exclusively online. Students who have already registered for summer session will be contacted in the event their enrollment needs to be modified. Students wishing to enroll for summer session may do so by visiting ou.edu/summersession. A full schedule of classes is available for consideration. Students are encouraged to visit ou.edu/learnanywhere for further information and resources on attending classes online. Faculty may visit ou.edu/teachanywhere for instructional resources. Our student support services remain available and ready to assist students from wherever they are learning. Services like OU Libraries, the Writing Center, Student Learning Center, and Information Technology, have gone to great lengths to assure that students will be seamlessly served virtually.
OU Health Sciences Center Summer Classes. Students enrolled in Health Sciences Center programs have received or will soon receive direct communications from their colleges about online instruction and modifications to clinical and community-based instruction. Students in these programs with questions should contact their colleges directly. Additional information is available at students.ouhsc.edu/coronavirus.
OU-Tulsa Summer Classes. Norman-based programs (Colleges of Architecture, Arts & Sciences, Education, and Engineering) will offer classes online for the summer session. HSC programs have received or will soon receive direct communications from their colleges regarding both classes and clinical rotations.
University-related Events. All in-person events on all three campuses are suspended through at least July 31. This restriction includes events that are not University-sponsored as well, including conferences, camps, symposia, and social gatherings. This does not preclude small internal meetings, where social distancing should be practiced. The OU Athletics Department has suspended all athletics competitions, as well as all out-of-season practices and workouts, until further notice. More information on athletics events may be found at soonersports.com.
Norman Campus Residential Housing. On-campus residential housing will be closed for the summer until August 1. This does not apply to Kraettli and Traditions apartments. The University will continue to support and assist those students who have no other housing option and need to remain in on-campus housing.
Our faculty and staff worked tirelessly to prepare for our current model of online learning, and their diligent work puts us in a strong position to continue offering distance learning for the summer. While we wish we could return to normal classroom operations, we have already seen great successes from our transition to virtual education and we’re confident that those successes will continue this summer. Our profound thanks go to the faculty and staff who have adapted their instructional methods, and to our students who have shown a great deal of flexibility and patience.
We eagerly anticipate the occasion that we will be together, once again, in the classroom. Until then, thank you for doing all you can to support our efforts to keep our community safe.
Sincerely,
Joseph Harroz, Jr.
Interim President
