Mount Allison is going online for the rest of the fall semester.

The move was announced in a letter to students, faculty and staff on Thursday evening, from the university’s senior administration.

The letter doesn’t explain why the change is being made, except to say that it’s, “in the interest of safety for the entire Mount Allison community.”

Mount Allison Students’ Union president Jon Ferguson is welcoming the move. In an email to CHMA, he says that “the collapse of the bubble has left many students from all four provinces in a variety of complicated situations.”

Ferguson says that when PEI and Newfoundland pulled out of the Atlantic bubble, many students made the decision to go home immediately to visit family. And some Nova Scotia students were also making travel plans in anticipation of a similar move from their home province. There are also those who, because they only have classes once or twice a week, spend time regularly out of province.

All were affected by the New Brunswick government's announcement that the province would pull out of the bubble as of midnight Thursday.

Ferguson says the New Brunswick announcement meant that many students couldn’t make it back to finish classes and exams in person.

Exams start next week, and anyone returning to New Brunswick will now be required to self-isolate for 14 days.

To make matters more complicated for students in residence, they are not permitted to self-isolate in their dorm rooms, while neighbouring those who are not self-isolating.

The self-isolation that Mount Allison coordinated in August, and that planned for January, involves entire residence buildings, not single dorm rooms.

“It has to be everyone at residence at once, or no one,” says Ferguson. “That was part of the plan public health approved.”

“Contrary to popular belief, the hybrid model of learning means we are simply not all (physically) here in Sackville to begin with,” says Ferguson.

“Between students rushing back, and students rushing away, everyone’s situation is different,” he adds. “We completely applaud the Mount Allison administration’s decision to move online.”

Ferguson adds that MASU was pushing for the decision as soon as the border closed.

The letter from Mount Allison says they will have a further update on other aspects of university operations later today.