Although in-person classes remain “paused” at Binghamton University, some classes have been considered exceptions to the mandate.

In a B-Line News Addition from Oct. 7, BU President Harvey Stenger informed the University community of a spike in COVID-19 cases. This spike was seen within both the University-affiliated population as well as the overall population of Broome County. As a result, Stenger ordered in-person classes to pause and moved them online, beginning Oct. 8. Stenger encouraged students to act with increased caution over the following two week period, Oct. 10 to Oct. 23.

However, Stenger did permit the continuation of in-person instruction for certain research labs, art studio classes and for-credit internships. Professors were instructed to use their discretion in determining the status of these programs and to weigh the harms and benefits of closure.

Anna Pyne, a sophomore majoring in integrative neuroscience, had her Biology 115: Intro Biology Lab moved completely online in accordance with the pause. She believes the online transition will last longer than two weeks but does not feel it will negatively impact the rest of her work in the course.

“I’m pretty sure we are going to be online for the rest of the semester … I would say that the adjustment to virtual labs, for my class at least, has not been that much of an inconvenience because we were able to finish most of our experiments before the pause began,” Pyne wrote. “The rest of [the] class is just analyzing data, which is not difficult to do over Zoom.”

On the other hand, Sigal Karasanti, a junior majoring in art and design, thinks the shift of her Arts 230: Sculpture 1 class to an online format will be difficult.

“The materials we’re working with require proper ventilation and equipment that can pretty much only be found in the studio,” Karasanti said. “Plus, since all the work is tactile, we really need to be in the studio.”

In response to the pause of in-person classes, certain facilities and programs are adjusting their hours to accommodate enhanced social distancing guidelines.

Off Campus College Transport (OCCT) is operating under a reduced schedule. The details of OCCT’s schedule change, which began Oct. 8 and will continue through the end of the shutdown, can be found on the OCCT website under “reduced weekday routes.”

Additional changes include takeout-only dining and the closure of the East Gym in order to abide by revised campus guidelines. However, essential campus operations — study spaces, libraries and medical services — will remain open with social distancing guidelines in place.

Since the shift to remote learning on Oct. 8, the BU community has seen a decline in COVID-19 cases. As of Oct. 18, BU has seen 23 positive tests during the Oct. 10 to Oct. 23 period. Karasanti said she is optimistic about returning to in-person classes soon.

“We’re definitely moving in the right direction,” Karasanti wrote. “As difficult as it’s been, I think we’ve all seen how much these new guidelines have done for the University.”