CMU freshman move-in, students go online-only for first week

PITTSBURGH — Carnegie Mellon University is taking no chances when it comes to student and staff safety.

The first week of class for undergraduates will be entirely online.

And this year, university officials are preparing for a lot less students on campus.

The university is expecting roughly half of its student population to complete the semester entirely online and outside of Pittsburgh in a remote setting.

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The campus was eerily empty Wednesday, as freshmen students moved into their dorms. Their move-in times were scheduled and staggered.

First-year students were given free asymptomatic COVID-19 tests to make sure they weren’t spreading the virus to fellow classmates and staff.

CMU recently announced classes will start online Aug. 31 for the first week of school and then transition to in-person learning on Sept. 6, if all goes as planned.

Students are eager to get started.

“Definitely the University seems to be taking the online format really well. I’ve been in contact with the professors that work here virtually and it seems to be the standard format of having a regular class but online,” said Erin Gorman-Stack, CMU freshman.

Once settled in, CMU undergraduates must do a mandatory 14-day quarantine if they’re coming from out of the area before they can head to in-person classes.

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Cox Media Group