The campus will remain closed until 12 noon Thursday, 02/13/25. Students should log into Canvas for specific class information from their instructors. Please contact event organizers for information on specific activities. Normal operations will resume at 12pm on Thursday.

Coronavirus concerns prompt LTU to postpone Commencement, teach online through May

March 18, 2020
LTU’s May 2019 Commencement was the first ever held on its Southfield campus. –LTU file photo

 

SOUTHFIELD—Lawrence Technological University will move to online education for the balance of the Spring 2020 semester and has postponed its scheduled May 9 Commencement ceremony to December.

Lawrence Tech President Virinder Moudgil announced the moves in an e-mail to students, faculty, and staff Tuesday night, in response to growing concerns over the Coronavirus pandemic.

The actions affecting LTU’s Southfield campus and its Detroit Center for Design and Technology are as follows:

  • All in person, face-to-face instruction is being replaced by online instruction through the end of the semester May 15.
  • All courses currently delivered online will continue as scheduled.
  • Students residing in campus housing are asked to return home by Sunday, March 22. Students with internet connection issues at home may work out individual issues with professors. All LTU undergraduate students are already provided with state-of-the-art laptops loaded with all software required for their courses as part of their tuition.
  • The May 9 Commencement will be postponed until December. “We sincerely regret the unprecedented need to postpone this ceremony that celebrates such an important life accomplishment,” Moudgil said in the email. “However, for the safety and health of our graduates and guests, we are following the guidelines of health officials who warn against large gatherings in that time frame.”

Added Moudgil: “Your campus leadership is meeting and talking daily to manage the University’s response. We are following guidance from local, state, and federal public health agencies with one goal: to keep Lawrence Tech students, faculty, staff, and guests safe and healthy. We are also pledged to assure that you complete the Spring Semester with as few obstacles as possible, even though this may require altering ‘business as usual’ and completing requirements in new and sometimes innovative ways.”

LTU’s Don Ridler Field House and its LTU Café cafeteria remain closed, with limited pick-up service for students with dining contracts. LTU’s library and Academic Achievement Center will feature full online assistance from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily through March 20, with hours after that date to be announced shortly.

The athletic organization in which LTU competes, the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), has already called off the spring sports season for all teams.

Moudgil also announced the University would deep-clean and disinfect all campus facilities during the closure. Many classrooms and other spaces will then be locked to prevent potential contamination.

Faculty and staff will continue to report for work as usual. Also, all international travel by faculty or staff remains prohibited without permission.

» Document Viewer

Use Your Cell Phone as a Document Camera in Zoom

  • What you will need to have and do
  • Download the mobile Zoom app (either App Store or Google Play)
  • Have your phone plugged in
  • Set up video stand phone holder

From Computer

Log in and start your Zoom session with participants

From Phone

  • Start the Zoom session on your phone app (suggest setting your phone to “Do not disturb” since your phone screen will be seen in Zoom)
  • Type in the Meeting ID and Join
  • Do not use phone audio option to avoid feedback
  • Select “share content” and “screen” to share your cell phone’s screen in your Zoom session
  • Select “start broadcast” from Zoom app. The home screen of your cell phone is now being shared with your participants.

To use your cell phone as a makeshift document camera

  • Open (swipe to switch apps) and select the camera app on your phone
  • Start in photo mode and aim the camera at whatever materials you would like to share
  • This is where you will have to position what you want to share to get the best view – but you will see ‘how you are doing’ in the main Zoom session.