VCUarts Qatar community allowed to relocate as classes move online amid escalating Middle East conflict
VENN
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) officials are allowing students, faculty and staff at the Qatar campus to temporarily relocate after classes moved online while the conflict in the Middle East enters its sixth day.
On Thursday, March 5, president Michael Rao, interim executive vice president and provost Art Saavedra and special assistant to the provost for VCUarts Qatar Carmenita Higginbotham, provided an update to the VCU community as the conflict in the Middle East continues to escalate.
In that letter, university officials said they have been in daily communication with students, faculty and staff and are working with the Qatar Foundation and other Education City partner universities.
"VCU leaders will remain in frequent and direct contact with VCUQ leadership and regional partners to support community members and provide resources," officials wrote in the March 5 letter. "The VCU community supports our friends and colleagues in Qatar during this time. The VCUarts Qatar campus is a vibrant and resilient place and we hope for stability as soon as possible."
RELATED: ‘It’s been chaos’: West End woman flies back to U.S. amid air strikes in the Middle East
This comes after a national emergency alert and a shelter-in-place order in Qatar was enacted on Saturday, Feb. 28, and remains in effect, requiring everyone to remain indoors. This caused VCU's campus in Qatar to move to online classes.
Classes at VCUarts Qatar were reportedly canceled on Sunday, March 1, per the VCU spokesperson.
University officials urge students in Qatar to email vcuqpdc@vcu.edu, and employees should access this link.
Those in Richmond are encouraged to contact the University Counseling team, Timely Care and the Office of Student Advocacy -- all of which can help the university community navigate any challenges.
Hundreds of thousands of travelers have been stranded across the Middle East amid the U.S. and Israel's war against Iran, which continues to escalate as strikes in the Gulf states cause flight cancellations and airspace closures. Americans, including a Henrico County woman, have been left stranded overseas waiting for a flight back to safety.
