Due to complications of the COVID-19 pandemic and the sudden shift to online classes, university administration has approved the credit/no credit grading policy petitioned by the student body. In an email sent to the student body on April 17, President John Pistole outlined the details of this decision. “Faculty reviewed the student petition for a pass/fail option for Spring 2020 and voted this week to approve a temporary grading policy that will allow undergraduate students to opt for … [Read more...]
Seniors discuss impact of COVID-19 pandemic
For AU's class of 2020, many of their “lasts” came a lot sooner than they thought, and some didn’t even come at all. Along with the news on March 18 that the remainder of the semester would be online, seniors learned that commencement would also be canceled. Senior biology major Ellen Doss decided to take initiative and create a petition to share on social media in hopes that a commencement held at a later date could happen. “This, already on the top of the list of ‘lasts’ the … [Read more...]
President Pistole answers students’ questions
As students adjust to AU’s mid-semester switch to online classes, they have found themselves with numerous unanswered questions. Although many questions still remain a puzzle for students and administration alike, President John Pistole offered some clarity on several points of confusion and concern. “I realize that this is a stressful and in some ways scary time for our students and families,” said Pistole. “So much is unknown at the moment.” One of those unknowns is the topic of room and … [Read more...]
Tri-S trips canceled amidst growth of COVID-19
AU, along with countless other organizations and colleges, has recently had to cancel various planned events, trips and programs to counteract the growing COVID-19 epidemic that is rapidly stretching across the world. The growing concern over the virus has forced AU to declare numerous unexpected changes to students’ and staff’s spring break plans, most notably AU’s planned Tri-S trips. The Iceland trip, the Antigua and Barbuda trip and the Costa Rica trip were all canceled in accordance with … [Read more...]
AU spring athletes come to terms with cancellations
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Anderson University announced Wednesday spring sports are canceled for the remainder of the semester. “We know this makes a significant impact on student-athletes,” AU athletic director Marcie Taylor said. “There is such a limited time to compete in college. We are particularly heartbroken for our seniors and empathize with our student-athletes and coaches who have worked so hard to prepare for their spring sports season.” The NCAA announced it … [Read more...]
Worries about potential software crashes arise amid COVID-19 pandemic
Amid the worldwide COVID-19 outbreak, countless institutions are moving online—schools are shifting to E-Learning, universities are reconfiguring syllabi to accommodate “online-only” courses and workplaces are encouraging their employees to work from home. The quick and exponential growth of users relying on software such as Google and Canvas has led to widespread worry about the ability of these software to accommodate the increasing number of users. Executive Director of AU’s … [Read more...]
Coronavirus pandemic halts campus arts and performances
As students head home and adjust to the schedule change due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the arts on campus are coming to a halt. Musical theatre, cinema and media arts, dance majors, faculty and many others are figuring out what to do next amid these unfortunate circumstances. “The AU dance department is already looking into how to deliver online instruction for a dance course," said assistant professor of dance Erich Yetter. “This is not a highly developed area due to the experiential … [Read more...]
Athletic season suspended amidst national COVID-19 outbreak
“All athletic competition (conference and non-conference) at HCAC member institutions is indefinitely suspended, effective immediately,” read a statement released by the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) on March 13. With this statement, the busy season of AU Athletics came to a halt. Among the affected sports are men’s and women’s lacrosse, tennis, baseball and softball. “Sadly our season has come to an end with the growing concern of the COVID-19 Pandemic,” said Head … [Read more...]
Professors prepare to go online
AU will be shifting all classes to an online format the week following spring break, university administration announced on March 11. While students are wondering how this switch will be possible for some of their hands-on-learning-oriented classes, professors are finding unique ways to ensure that students will still receive proper instruction. Although she has never taught a course entirely online, Professor Deborah Miller-Fox of the English department has begun the process of … [Read more...]
Tri-S trip postponed due to coronavirus outbreak
With her suitcase packed, her week off of work secured and her sight-seeing planned, junior Public Relations major Macy Jent was eagerly awaiting the Tri-S trip to London for which she would embark in four days. Just like the other students who signed up for the trip, Jent had planned and fully paid for the long-awaited spring break getaway. On March 9, an email was sent out to all students signed up for the March 13 London trip announcing that the trip would be postponed until May. The … [Read more...]