0420 COVID - 19 - v2 - FINAL_Pages 4 / 24 / 20 4 : 46 PM Page 2 , 7 2 Y R A U R B E F N O during their time off campus . More than 10,000 West Chester University President Chris responded , and 3,000 suggested they would be travel - Fiorentino was having breakfast with a col - ing on a plane , train , or some other form of mass league who happened to have a background in mi - transit , and 400 said they would be traveling overseas . crobiology . Their conversation touched on several “ We had a group working on a series of scenar - topics , including a mysterious and wildly contagious ios , and one was to extend spring break and see what respiratory virus that seemed on the verge of spiraling happens , ” Fiorentino says . “ In our meetings I asked , out of control on the other side of the world . ‘ Does anyone sitting here think that with 3,000 of our “ He told me he’s 99 percent sure that by April we over the country and students and faculty traveling all would have to close the university , and I looked at the world , does anyone believe no one is going to him like he was crazy , ” Fiorentino recalls . “ But he’s a bring this [ virus ] back to campus ? ’ ” scientist , so I walked away from that meeting with Everyone agreed the chances of emerging that thought in my head . ” unscathed were slim at best . The U.S . government implied the virus would not He then asked a follow - up question : “ Once we be a serious threat to those on American soil , but a decide to extend spring break , what would have growing chorus of alarm in the media suggested oth - to happen to cause us to be confident to bring stu - his staff erwise . Over the next 10 days , Fiorentino and dents back ? ” started having precautionary meetings about how the No one had a good response . So , on March 10 , university would adapt if the virus — COVID - 19 , also relatively early into what would become a full - blown known as the novel coronavirus — did , in fact , imperil nationwide health and economic crisis , Fiorentino the United States . made a bold decision : to essentially “ reinvent ” the In advance of the university’s spring break , the university by shifting its educational model solely to registrar’s office had reached out to the university’s “ remote delivery , ” utilizing online technology such as 17,000 students and asked about their travel plans Zoom , for the remainder of the semester . ? S U B U R B A N L I F E M A G A Z I N E | A P R I L 2 0 2 0 | S U B U R B A N L I F E M A G A Z I N E . C O M | 2 1