Florida A&M University’s daily schedule has shifted drastically in less than a year, thanks to COVID-19. The administration at FAMU has said it is working hard to make sure the university and its students continue to sustain their excellence through these unprecedented times.
FAMU began HyFlex classes last week, and President Larry Robinson and the senior leadership team held a virtual State Of the Student address and Town Hall on Thursday to talk about how the spring semester will be conducted.
Robinson began his remarks with warm words of gratitude to the staff and students for their dedication and hard work.
“The biggest threat to our welfare as a university as people is the COVID-19 pandemic,” Robinson said.
Several hours after the town hall, FAMU’s dean of students noted the FAMU community that the university is imposing yet another curfew for all students living on campus. It is the third such curfew FAMU has imposed this academic year.
As for COVID-19, FAMU is the most effective testing site in this region, Robinson added, with over 218,000 administered testsat its site at Bragg Memorial Stadium.
Robinson explained how FAMU has maintained its record of success and discussed plans to ensure the future excellence of Florida A&M University.
Following Robinson, SGA President Xavier McClinton and SGA Vice President Carrington Whigham addressed their achievements in the fall semester along with future plans for this spring.
These achievements entail advocating for a $50,000 increase in next year’s budget to make sure FAMUs Rec Center ids able to keep itsdoors open longer.
Along with working closely with FAMU’s office of government relationships, the Florida student association wants to make sure that FAMU’s state funding isn’t negatively affected by projected COVID-related state budget cuts. McClinton said.
He said he wants SGA to stage seminars with financial aid to help answer questions and provide transparency on how students’ dollars are being disbursed.
Beyond the COVID-19 talk, Provost Maurice Edington revealed that spring commencement has not been confirmed to be virtual or in person. He said that an announcement will be made in March.
“I wanted to commend the students on their persistence.” Edingtonsaid.
“FAMU Towers will be come a freshman residence hall along with Sampson and Young, while Polkinghorne Village will become an upperclassmen residence hall,” housing director Jennifer Wilder said.
Edington reiteratedthat spring break is canceled. The semester will end a week earlier than the original plan.
FAMU also invested thousands of dollars in faculty training so that teachers can adapt to the remote teaching environment and there will be additional training this summer to prepare for the fall semester.