Both of Butler County's colleges advanced precautionary measures Monday to address the coronavirus outbreak.

Around 1:30 p.m. Monday, Slippery Rock University officials announced the school will extend spring break by two weeks while preparing to move instruction online for the foreseeable future due to concerns over Novel Coronavirus 2019, also known as COVID-19.

Butler County Community College sent an alert Monday before evacuating and shutting down its campus.

BC3

“As a coronavirus precautionary measure, main campus and all sites are closing today, March 11 at 2 p.m. through Sunday, March 15,” the BC3 alert said.

The closure includes the cancellation of all classes and events through at least Sunday.

School officials sent the alert after learning that the spouse of a BC3 employee became ill following a trip to a country where there were confirmed cases of coronavirus.

“I cannot underscore this enough,” said President Nick Neupauer. “There are absolutely no reported or confirmed cases of coronavirus on BC3's main campus or our additional locations.”

Joe Wells, editor-in-chief of the student-run newspaper The Cube, said he received the alert closing campus.

He said he didn't understand why students and staff were given such short notice of the closing. The alert issued at 1:54 p.m. said campus was closing at 2 p.m.

Wells said he had not heard about any illnesses on campus.

Neupauer said the move was a proactive decision to ensure the safety of the students, faculty and staff, whose health is his top priority.

“Rather than delay anything, we reacted immediately after we had received the information. It was totally proactive,” he said. “I will make no apologies for moving forward with an overabundance of caution.”

BC3 future concerns

Other BC3 students said they are concerned, but not alarmed about the coronavirus.

Silas Bruno of Rural Valley, Armstrong County, and Jacob Humenik of West Sunbury, who are finishing up their freshman terms in the parks and recreation management program at BC3, said they are concerned, but not panicking about the virus.

“A little, kind of worried,” Bruno said, as he, his friend, Hunter Pegg, and Humenik were preparing to leave the main campus in Butler Township after the campus closure was announced Wednesday.

Bruno said he isn't worried about catching the disease because he exercises, eats healthy food, rarely gets sick and has faith.

“I also put my trust in God,” said Bruno, who works at the YMCA in Butler when he is not in class.

He said he could live in the woods if necessary to avoid contact with others if the virus becomes widespread.

Humenik said the virus is a serious issue, but the extent of the problem is being blown out of proportion by media and social media.

Both students said they haven't heard of anyone being sick on campus.

Neupauer said college officials have maintained focus on the issue since January and have updated their students through their website.

He said he and other officials will use the rest of the week to consider their risks and options moving forward.

“This decision that we made certainly buys us time,” he said. “It'll allow us time to re-evaluate.”

He said he is aware of other institutions that have moved toward online instruction to keep students at home.

“That's something we'll be using at this time to evaluate that and make an informed decision over the weekend,” Neupauer said.

SRU

President William Behre said university officials discussed their approach over the past week.

“This was not an easy decision,” Behre said. “When you look at issues of quarantine and overwhelming the local community, we decided to err on the side of caution.”

Behre said SRU would present an ideal place for a virus like this to grow.

“Picture a cruise ship on land,” he said. “In many ways, that's what we are. A group of people packed together closely.”

He said if someone were to get sick at SRU, CDC guidelines would require quarantine on campus.

“We're really not built for that,” Behre said. “At that point, we would risk overwhelming local medical systems,” Behre said.

Professors will reach out to students by March 25 about specifics regarding online classwork moving forward.

Online instruction will start March 30, and students can still expect to finish April 20 for a 12-week course and May 4 for a 16-week course. Final exam week will still be May 5 to 9.

Students who are involved in a clinical program, internship or student teaching can continue as long as their host allows it.

Students will be allowed to return to campus to retrieve essential items, and those living in the Slippery Rock area have been advised to use their best judgement.

The campus is open for basic business operations only. All typical ancillary facilities, including Bailey Library and the Aebersold Recreation Center, will be closed.

Some students who have nowhere else to go may apply for special permission to stay on campus.

“There are going to be people who are critical and think we're adding to the hysteria,” Behre said. “I get it, but when you look at the alternatives, this was the most reasonable alternative.”

Impact on SRU

Behre said it has already been decided that the bills for some students will be adjusted to reflect the situation, especially those who lived on campus.

“There will be some sort of adjustment to the students,” he said. “We're just figuring out what that could be right now.”

Behre said switching students to fully online instruction will cost the university millions of dollars.

He said the university received a preview of this impact when they cancelled spring break trips.

He said since that decision, university officials have been negotiating with vendors involved with those trips, which will ultimately cost the university.

“Fortunately, Slippery Rock (University) is in a strong financial situation already, so we'll be able to endure the impact,” he said. “The health of our students and our community is more important right now.”