Gone virtual: Some programming available to the remote student

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Illustration by Carly Schulman

Just chilling in a Zoom meeting. Via this video conferencing platform, you can start your Northwestern adventure.

Emma Edmund, Summer Editor

As you wait to start your Northwestern adventure, you have a choice previous students didn’t: to attend NU virtually.

No one at NU expects this fall to be like any other, but for students who wish to stay off campus entirely for this quarter, the administration recently released further guidance on what would and wouldn’t be available.

First and foremost, Wildcat Welcome, NU’s orientation program, will run remotely from Sept. 6 to 15, with personalized schedules sent out in September. Some select Wildcat Welcome programs will be geared toward students studying remotely.

“We’ve got you and are ensuring we can still get you items like your class shirt, and programs that will help you build your network here!” states NU’s Wildcat Welcome page.

According to a recent email from NU administrators, most classes are expected to be remote, and most hybrid classes will offer a fully remote option. Academic services such as advising sessions and The Writing Place will be available remotely, while many student services — including AccessibleNU, Counseling and Psychological Services, the Office of Equity and Northwestern Career Advancement — will also have remote options.

Some major campus events, most notably Homecoming and the Student Organization Fair, will also be entirely remote, and many student organizations will host virtual meetings.

“Northwestern has long been an institution focused on balancing a robust academic education with a vibrant and engaging student experience,” read an email from Interim Provost Kathleen Hagerty and Vice President for Student Affairs Julie Payne-Kirchmeier. “This is still true, even during this global pandemic.”

If you choose to stay off campus, you can rest assured knowing that the campus experience will come to you.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @emmaeedmund

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