I understand that some students may wish to return home during this period of all-online instruction. That is perfectly acceptable, but to reiterate, the residence halls, cafeteria, computer labs and the rest of campus will remain open so that students will be able to keep up with their studies. Because the campus remains open, there will be no refunds for room and board.
I also understand that some members of the faculty and staff may have unique situations that will require an accommodation. I encourage you to discuss those issues with the HR department as soon as possible.
Friends, this is really uncharted territory for everyone in the world, and especially on college campuses. This will not be easy. Building online classes typically takes several months of work and we have only had a few weeks to get ready for this. I have taught graduate and undergraduate classes online in the past, so I know how hard it is for instructors and students alike. I ask that we all consider that as we move forward. Let’s be patient and empathetic with each other. Let’s speak calmly with each other when something is not working so that we can work toward a solution as quickly as possible. Let’s be sure to communicate regularly and often, especially in the first couple of weeks moving forward.
I know that many of us are very anxious about transitioning to all-online instruction. Most of our faculty members never imagined teaching a class online in their career as recently as a month ago, so this is very new to us. Many of our students have online class experience, but there is understandable anxiety about how the transition will affect their grades and their learning outcomes.
We are all members of a pack and we need to lean on each other as we move forward. I am grateful for how well we have worked together so far. I am very proud of our campus community.
Best,
Kelly
