Chaminade University announced today that it will use online instruction for the first three weeks of its fall term, which begins on Aug. 24, with hopes of resuming in-person classes after that.

“After months of preparation, unprecedented vigilance, new social distancing protocols and an overhaul of learning spaces for an in-person return, the University’s COVID-19 Task Force and I have made the difficult decision to begin the academic year fully online,” Chaminade’s president, Lynn Babington, wrote in a message to students.

“This will be in effect for the first three weeks of the term (Aug. 24–Sept. 11) as we continue to monitor the situation locally,” she wrote. “We are determined to resume in-person instruction as soon as we feel we are able to do so safely.”

Babington said the faculty had received intensive online training over the summer to enhance the interactive learning experience for students. Dormitories will reopen for boarders next week. Orientations for first-year and transfer students will be held as socially distanced small gatherings or virtually.

Meanwhile, Brigham Young University-Hawaii confirmed last week that it will teach online for its fall semester, as it announced in June.

“We continue to receive questions about when BYU–Hawaii will begin bringing students back to campus,” the university wrote in an Aug. 4 update on its website. “While we know many are hoping to come back soon, the university has not changed the directive that students should complete their fall semester courses at home.”

The BYU website reported, as of today, one case of coronavirus was confirmed in an individual either working or enrolled on campus during the summer break.