NORTH ADAMS, MASS. — On Thursday, April 20, 2023, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts will hold the 21st annual Undergraduate Research Conference (URC) including 122 student participants.
President James Birge announced the decision to the campus community on Thursday morning, citing a national increase in COVID-19 cases that has been mirrored across the state and in our local community. Birge specifically mentioned the outbreak on the MCLA campus that prompted a stay-in-place order for residents in its Flagg Townhouses residence halls. Since March 22, MCLA has identified 28 students who have tested positive for COVID-19, for a 3.6 percent positivity rate among its student population. The impact in our residence areas is acute, Birge wrote. 6.1 percent of our resident students are now COVID-19 positive, and 18 percent are in . isolation or quarantine protocols.