Lake Forest College announced Wednesday that all course instruction during the Fall 2020 semester will take place remotely.
Wednesday's announcement comes just two days after the Midwest Conference, Lake Forest's multi-sport league, announced the suspension of all conference competition through the end of the calendar year. The Forester golf (St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference), hockey (Northern Collegiate Hockey Association), and handball teams will also wait until 2021 for their next contests. Decisions about spring semester athletic activity for fall, winter, and spring teams will be made at a later date, likely well into the fall semester.
"This was an extremely difficult decision for the College, but ultimately the right one for the safety and well-being of our students and campus community considering the rapid spread of COVID-19 across the nation," began Vice President for Athletics and Career Advancement Jackie Slaats. "We are deeply saddened for all of our Forester students who were looking forward to returning to campus this fall and, for our student-athletes in particular, their inability to reunite with their coaches and teammates."
Now that the College has decided to pivot to a remote semester, there will be no in-person athletic meetings, practices, or competitions through December 31, 2020. Coaches will keep in close contact with their athletes and arrange for virtual connections via team meetings, skill development, strength and conditioning coaching, etc. In addition, the Athletic Department will continue to provide leadership and professional development opportunities for student-athletes.
"Despite this development, we remain committed to providing the most meaningful athletic engagement possible for our student-athletes via virtual platforms," explained Interim Director of Athletics Blake Theisen. "We also continue to work with conference colleagues to make plans for participating in fall and winter sports during the spring semester."
"I have great confidence in our coaches and athletic administrators to continue supporting our student-athletes through the fall," commented Slaats. "The exceptional leadership and work ethic we have throughout our department and teams will enable Foresters to continue to develop in every aspect of life and return to campus in January even stronger, smarter, and more resilient. I am already looking forward to what has the potential to be an historic and action-packed spring semester and to the continuation of our 'Tradition of Excellence' in Forester Athletics."