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Car rental company reduces age minimum for college students needing a ride home due to coronavirus

By Elizabeth Hurley | Community Editor | March 13

Enterprise Rent-A-Car has lowered the age minimum and waived the younger renter fee for college students affected by university campus closures due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to a release from Enterprise.

Charter Spectrum to offer free internet services to students affected by coronavirus closures

By Elizabeth Hurley | Community Editor | March 13

Charter Spectrum is offering free Spectrum broadband and Wi-Fi access for 60 days for households with K-12 or college students who do not already have a Spectrum broadband subscription.

Collegiate Hotel to offer discount to students looking for housing amid COVID-19 closures

By Elizabeth Hurley | Community Editor | March 13

The hotel will also offer discount student rates during this time frame.  

City cancels some spring events; public meetings will continue

By Elizabeth Hurley | Community Editor | March 13

Bark in the Park, Ride and Seek and several other events in the City of Auburn have been canceled after the Alabama Department of Health recommended canceling meetings of over 500 people.

Auburn City Schools close until April 6 amid COVID-19 concerns

By Evan Mealins | Editor-in-chief | March 13

Auburn City Schools will be extending its spring break until March 23, following concerns over the spread of COVID-19, ACS officials announced on Friday, March 13.

University directs Greek Life to move out of housing, suspend activities

By Tim Nail | Assistant Campus Editor | March 13

Greek letter organizations will need to move out of housing by Sunday, March 15. Organizations were also asked to suspend all in-person chapter activities and events.

Auburn retailers face hand sanitizer shortage

By Tim Nail | Assistant Campus Editor | March 13

As Auburn University announced plans to hold instruction online remotely, Auburn residents and students in town cleared out shelves of disinfectants and other products. 

University will allow some students to remain in dorms; most will need to leave

By Eduardo Medina | Editor-in-chief | March 13

Auburn University Housing will allow some students to stay in their dorms during the COVID-19 campus closure, but most will have to retrieve belongings in their room on Sunday March 15 between 12 and 4 p.m. and not return while campus is closed, per an AU email.

City to remain open amid coronavirus closures

By Elizabeth Hurley | Community Editor | March 12

The City of Auburn has plans in place to allow the City to continue to operate, Mayor Ron Anders announced in a video statement released Thursday afternoon. This comes after the Auburn University announcement to transition to online instruction following spring break. 

Auburn University transitioning to online classes until at least April 10

By Nathan King | Sports Editor | March 12

Auburn University will transition to online classes until at least April 10 over concerns about the spread of the coronavirus, per an email sent to students.

Auburn and the coronavirus: Live updates

By The Auburn Plainsman | March 11

Auburn and the coronavirus: Live updates

Quick facts to know about COVID-19, Auburn resources

By Eduardo Medina | Editor-in-chief | March 11

Here are quick facts to know about COVID-19, the disease caused by a new strain of coronavirus.

Patients to be screened for COVID-19 before entering EAMC emergency room

By Eduardo Medina | Editor-in-chief and Charlie Ramo | Community Reporter | March 10

East Alabama Medical Center announced Tuesday that before a patient enters the emergency room, they will be screened for COVID-19 symptoms. Auburn University's med clinic will follow the same procedure after spring break, according to EAMC.

Coronavirus task force member shares how AU is preparing

By Eduardo Medina | Editor-in-chief | March 9

“Getting a flu shot is the most important thing right now,” said Joanna Sztuba-Solinska, a member of Auburn University's coronavirus task force.

Faculty asked to teach one class online to test for coronavirus readiness

By Eduardo Medina | Editor-in-chief | March 7

Auburn is asking all faculty on campus to “deliver at least one class period remotely during the week of March 16” in order to gauge how well prepared the University is at handling a possible campus-wide closure caused by a potential spread of the coronavirus, according to an email sent by provost Bill Hardgrave and obtained by The Plainsman.

How the coronavirus is impacting Asian students at AU

By Jiajia Liu | Lifestyle Writer | March 7

Juliane Vo, freshman in pre-graphic design, is Vietnamese American. She said she’s noticing how the coronavirus is creating a boundary among some Asian students and American students in her classes.

EAMC prepares cities for potential coronavirus spread

By Charlie Ramo | Community Reporter | March 5

Officials from East Alabama Medical Center hosted a press conference Thursday morning to discuss how they're working with the cities of Auburn and Opelika and with Auburn University to prepare for a potential spread of the cornonavirus.

Auburn students abroad return home amid coronavirus concerns

By Jack West | Editor-in-Chief | March 5

A student who was studying abroad in Italy details what it was like to be forced to come back home amid a coronavirus outbreak. The University said students who were in Italy are required to be on a "self-imposed quarantine" and not go to campus.