Coronavirus Information and Updates for the Widener Law Commonwealth Community

Widener University and Widener Law Commonwealth are actively monitoring the Coronavirus, also known as COVID-19. Law school information and updates about developments with the illness, Widener Law Commonwealth’s response to it, or any impact on law school classes or operations will be available here. Additionally, links will be provided to Widener University's coronavirus webpage and communications.

Important Information for Widener Law Commonwealth

Fall 2021 Return to Campus FAQs

WHEN WILL WE RETURN TO IN-PERSON CLASSES?

We are excited to welcome you back to campus for in-person classes for the fall 2021 semester.

WILL MASKS BE REQUIRED ON-CAMPUS?

The University is firmly committed to following CDC and Pennsylvania Department of Health guidance. Until the Department of Health lifts its recommendation for wearing masks, masks will be required on campus. Further, we will follow this guidance in determining what class size or classroom modifications may be needed in order to make our campus community as safe as possible.

WILL I BE REQUIRED TO GET THE COVID-19 VACCINE IN ORDER TO RETURN TO CAMPUS?

We hope that all members of our Widener Commonwealth community will choose to be vaccinated. The greater the number of our community members who are vaccinated, the safer all of us will be. Some colleges and universities across the country have begun announcing mandatory vaccination requirements for their students. At this time, Widener University is not mandating vaccinations but is carefully studying this issue.

WILL THE LAW SCHOOL BE OFFERING AN ON-CAMPUS VACCINATION CLINIC?

After exploring the possibility of an on-campus clinic, we learned that vaccinations are widely available in our region. Thus, an on-campus clinic is not needed. If you are interested in getting the COVID-19 vaccine, please check the Rite Aid and CVS websites. In addition, Penn State Health, UPMC, and Vaccinate Lancaster have reported that they have open availability for vaccine appointments for individuals who register on their websites. This includes UPMC’s drive through mass vaccination clinic located at the Harrisburg Area Community College, which is a short 10-minute drive from campus.

WILL THERE BE A REMOTE OPTION AVAILABLE FOR STUDENTS WHO DO NOT WISH TO RETURN TO IN-PERSON CLASSES?

If you are unable to return to campus for health reasons, you may apply for a medical accommodation through the University’s Student Accessibility Services office. If your approved accommodation requires remote participation, we will make that option available to you.

WHY CAN’T ALL STUDENTS HAVE THE OPTION OF CHOOSING TO PARTICIPATE REMOTELY?

We do not have the authority to unilaterally offer a fully remote option to you. Our law school is accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) and must comply with its standards. Because we are not an online Juris Doctor program, we cannot provide a fully remote option to all students without obtaining a specific waiver from the ABA. Over the past year, the ABA has been flexible in providing the waivers, but as vaccines become widely accessible, we expect that those waivers will no longer be granted.

WILL WE BE PERMITTED TO HOST IN-PERSON STUDENT ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS?

We are hoping to transition to more “normal” operations both in the classroom and with extracurricular activities this fall. As noted above, the University is firmly committed to following public health guidance and we will have as many extracurricular activities as allowed this fall.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF A STUDENT IN MY CLASS CONTRACTS COVID?

If you or a classmate contracts COVID, we will work with you and the University’s Student Health Services office to determine what mitigation and contact tracing efforts are needed. This is how we have effectively managed similar situations this semester with our Civil Law Clinic, which has been operating in person without the need for closures.

Positive COVID-19 Cases by Campus

The information on this Widener University webpage reflects weekly and monthly data on the number of individuals who have reported positive test results for COVID-19. All students and staff must report symptoms and positive test results to Student Health Services at 610.499.1183 or [email protected]. 

Spring 2021 Update

November 6, 2020: Widener University Commonwealth Law School Interim Dean Michael Hussey provides updates to students on the Spring 2021 semester.

Fall 2020 Update

July 28, 2020: Widener University Commonwealth Law School Interim Dean Michael Hussey provides updates to students on the Fall 2020 semester.

Selected Email Updates from Dean Teplitz

Review selected past email updates from Dean Teplitz.

Health & Safety Plan for PA Dept of Education

The Pennsylvania Department of Education requires Pennsylvania postsecondary education institutions to publish a “Health and Safety Plan” before resuming in-person operations. Widener's plan will be communicated to students, faculty, and staff and is available online as well. See Widener's Health and Safety Plan.

Contact Information

Registrar:  [email protected] or Teams Chat:  CWREG
Financial Aid: [email protected] or Teams Chat:  CWFINAID
Career Development:  [email protected] or Teams Chat:  ELMANDRELL
Law Library:  [email protected]
Media Services:  [email protected]
ITS Help Desk:  [email protected]
Dean of Students:  [email protected] or Teams Chat:  RBTEPLITZ
Campus Safety:  717.541.1911

University Communications

All Widener University (main campus) communications are available at widener.edu/coronavirus. We encourage all members of the Widener community, including faculty and staff, to monitor widener.edu/coronavirus for important updates that may pertain to them. 

Additional Resources

Links are also available at widener.edu/coronavirus.

Last Modified: This page was last updated on April 15, 2021 at 8:22 AM