UPDATE: TCU extends spring break, cancels all on campus activities through April 3rd

FORT WORTH, TX — TCU made the announcement Wednesday afternoon that they would be extending Spring Break through the week of March 16 – 20 and will move from in-person instruction to online classes beginning March 23 – April 3.

This move was made as a precautionary measure as cases of COVID-19 spread rapidly throughout the globe, reaching Tarrant County in the last few days. The university made clear that there were no cases of COVID-19 on the campus or directly impacting anyone associated with the university at this time, “the move is being made due to the rapid spread and unpredictability of the disease.” Professors are being given the extra week to prepare to move their classrooms to a virtual space with instruction expected to resume on March 23rd.

“TCU’s highest priority is the health and well-being of our community and these measures are being put in place to secure that as best we can,” Chancellor Victor Boschini, Jr. said. “We have a responsibility to each other, our campus and the greater community to help ensure good health, decrease the potential impacts of COVID-19, and to prevent its exposure to vulnerable populations.”

According to a press release, “students who have been away from campus for Spring Break are asked to hold on returning to campus until they receive further instruction. All large meetings, conferences and on-campus events are canceled through April 3. TCU business operations will remain open the week of March 16, as well as March 23 - April 3. TCU community members are asked to check their campus email and tcu.edu/coronavirus for the latest campus updates and information.”

With on-campus events being cancelled, the future of athletics over the next three weeks is being brought into question. This would first impact TCU Baseball, who was planning to host Maryland this weekend. As a non-conference opponent, the cancellation of this series is a likely possibility. No announcements have been made at this time from TCU Athletics regarding this weekend’s baseball series or any other athletic events on or off campus.

This comes on the heels of the NCAA announcing that all March Madness games for both men’s and women’s tournaments would be played in venues without fans, allowing only critical personnel and a limited number of family to be in attendance. Professional sports leagues are also considering making a move to fan-free events, or delaying their seasons altogether.

UPDATE MARCH 11, 2020: 6:30 PM

From a press release issued by TCU Athletics, “In following university policy of no public events on campus due to the evolving COVID-19 situation, and consistent with recent Big 12 and NCAA decisions, all TCU home athletics events until April 3 are closed to fans and available only to essential personnel and a limited number of family members of participating student-athletes. Essential personnel are student-athletes, coaches, trainers, team and medical personnel, game officials, operational and administrative staff, student-athlete families, credentialed media and TCU recruits.”

The affected contests include the following:

Baseball

Maryland, March 13-15

Sam Houston State, March 17

Oklahoma, March 27-29

Men’s Tennis

Columbia, March 21

Oklahoma State, March 27

Oklahoma, March 29

Women’s Tennis

Kansas, March 27

Kansas State, March 29

Baylor, April 1

Beach Volleyball

Houston Baptist, April 3

Pepperdine, April 3

Track and Field

TCU Invitational, March 21

Additionally, the March 28 open spring football practice and scrimmage has been canceled, while the dedication of the Legends Club & Suites will be rescheduled.

The March 13 and March 28 baseball games versus Maryland and Oklahoma, respectively, will be televised on FOX Sports Southwest Plus, while the March 29 Oklahoma contest can be seen on ESPNU. Non-televised baseball games are available through a free stream on GoFrogs.com and the Riff Ram app.