Ohio State declares a university state of emergency shortly after Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s enactment of a formal stay at home order Sunday.| Credit: Lantern file photo
Ohio State declared a university state of emergency following Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s enactment of a formal stay at home order Sunday.
The state of emergency was issued to formalize adjustments that the university has already made in response to COVID-19, such as an extension of the tenure clock, University President Michael V. Drake wrote in a universitywide email. The declaration allows leaders at Ohio State to use Disaster Leave (Policy 6.28) and gives the university “flexibility in making a variety of financial decisions over an extended period if necessary,” the email said.
The declaration will be revisited on a weekly basis, according to the email.
“We are all in this together. Please continue to do your part in this collective effort. The Ohio State spirit is strong, and we remain dedicated to one another and the communities we serve,” Drake said in the email.
The university will remain open but with restrictions, including classes being transitioned to online, all administrative and classroom buildings closing, and students no longer being permitted to live in university housing, except when granted an exemption.
At the time of publication, there were 351 confirmed cases of COVID-19, 83 hospitalizations and 3 deaths across 40 counties in Ohio, Dr. Amy Acton, director of health at the Ohio Department of Health, said at a press conference with DeWine Sunday. The first two cases at Ohio State were announced Wednesday.
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