INCOMING FAMILY NEWSLETTER |
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We hope this newsletter finds you and your family well. We are grateful William & Mary's beautiful campus survived Hurricane Isaias and we are now officially and safely open. Helpful information regarding the Path Forward has been shared this week, so we have collected it here for easy access. This week's Family Friday will feature Lauren Garrett, the Director of First Year Experience, who will be answering your questions about Orientation and move-in.
As we approach the beginning of the fall semester, details will continue to emerge regularly so we encourage you to keep an eye on your email and the Path Forward website for updates. See below for the link to this and other helpful sites.
Remember, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out!
Sincerely,
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S. Mark Sikes, Ph.D.
Vice Dean for Student Success
William & Mary
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Heather Deere, M.S.
Assistant Director of Parent & Family Programs
William & Mary
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Adjusted Phased Return to Campus |
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On Tuesday, July 28, Gov. Ralph Northam announced new restrictions on private and public gatherings in the Hampton Roads region and Peninsula, which includes Williamsburg. These appropriate measures aim to slow spread and reduce incidence of COVID-19, which had risen at the end of July. In light of this evolving public health context, we are adjusting our phased return to campus correspondingly, so as to mitigate risk to the health of students, staff, faculty and neighbors.
Here are key points:
- Undergraduate courses will begin on August 19 as planned. Graduate courses will also begin as planned by the respective schools;
- We will slow the pace of student return to campus through August, to Labor Day Weekend, so as to minimize density and reduce circulation on/off campus;
- We will delay the start of in-person undergraduate instruction until after Labor Day, so as to ensure consistent experiences for all students (on and off campus) during a more extended return to campus;
- Deans will communicate details in each school, appropriate to the instruction plans already in place, which had anticipated the need to adjust throughout the semester.
Specifics for students:
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The August on-campus move-in dates for new students are not affected by this adjustment. All testing and distancing protocols will remain in effect.
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Student & Families Town Hall: Tonight! |
Please join us for another Town Hall tonight from 6:00 pm-7:00 pm EST. Come hear answers to the most pressing questions from students and families about the beginning of the semester and the return to classes. University administrators will address more detailed questions about the operational shift announced on July 31 and its impact on the fall 2020 semester.
This Town Hall will feature:
Dr. David Dafashy, Medical Director and Staff Physician
Maggie Evans, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Director of Residence Life
Eric Garrison, Assistant Director, Office of Health Promotion
Amy Sebring, Chief Operating Officer
Marjorie Thomas, Dean of Students
Moderator: Mark Sikes, Vice Dean for Student Success & Senior Associate Dean of Students
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Family Friday- Know Before You Go! |
Join us for Family Friday! Feel free to pop in as you are able to meet with Parent & Family Programs staff for Q&A time. This week a representative from First Year Experience will be joining us to answer Orientation and Move-In related questions.
We hope to see you on Friday between 4-6 PM!
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William & Mary has developed a testing protocol in partnership with the VCU Health System that requires students to test for COVID-19 before arriving on campus, and provides employees optional testing services partially subsidized by the university.
Please visit the Path Forward website to review a list of frequently asked questions related to testing before arriving on campus. These FAQs are listed under the "Living & Working" section of the website.
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Personal Information Questionnaire - Action Required |
Each semester all students are required to update and validate their personal information with William & Mary. Information verification ends on August 9, 2020. All students enrolled, regardless of status, are required to complete the PIQ. Any active student who does not complete the PIQ will have an administrative HOLD placed on their student account preventing registration, ability to move into the residence halls or begin classes this fall.
We updated this system to include the Healthy Together: A Community Commitment statement, which is required to be affirmed by all active students. Also included is an updated version of the emergency evacuation plan, which includes a short-term and a long-term evacuation plan.
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Tribe Guide Checklist - August |
August is nearly upon us, so be sure you're checking the Tribe Guide to make sure your July to-do list is complete and that you are on top of August's deadlines. Some important upcoming ones include:
- Fall eStatement
- AlcoholEdu
- Tribe Card Photo
- eServices Refund Set-up
There's also a checklist just for you, families! Be sure to review your checklist for to-do's and resources.
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Parent & Family Orientation |
Parent & Family Orientation will be held virtually the afternoon of Sunday, August 16 due to limited campus access for parents and families during the move-in process. Breakout sessions will be offered on August 17 & 18 for a choose your own adventure orientation experience.
Links to join will be coming soon. We will be recording and sharing all of the sessions online for those who are unable to join live. We can't wait to see you!
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As you are preparing to bring your student to campus we would encourage you to consider packing your student a "go bag" in case they need to spend time in Richmond Hall for quarantine. Items to consider packing:
- Clothes for 7 days
- Phone/Laptop charger
- Textbooks
- Toiletries
Richmond Hall will have sheets and towels, pillows, trash cans, mini fridge, microwave, lamps and wifi. Faculty will work with students isolating in Richmond Hall to ensure flexibility for completing course work. Meals will be delivered to students in isolation in Richmond Hall.
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The Office of First Year Experience has provided detailed information regarding residential move-in. Details around packing, arriving on campus, navigating to your residence hall, unloading zones, and more can be found online.
Students should keep an eye on their W&M email and this website for additional details.
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The start of a semester can cause anxiety for both new, returning students and parents, and recent events have added reasonable concerns about health and safety in the wake of the global pandemic that altered the way we live, work and learn.
William & Mary Dining is taking a cautious, measured approach that gives students the confidence to enjoy meals on campus, as well as the flexibility to choose the dining options that make them feel most comfortable.
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Download the W&M Mobile app and select New Students & Families for a custom app experience — access orientation information including move-in maps and schedules, key app features including Tribe Card, Transit and Academic Tools, and receive important notifications and updates from the First Year Experience office. |
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Tribe Pride & Digital Downloads |
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We know this is an exciting time for both you and your student - and you want to share this excitement with others! Visit the link below to find templates for yard signs to show how proud you are of your W&M student!
Take any of these designs to your local printer and be sure to tag us in photos of your yard sign!
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Learn about how The Path Forward is created |
Last night, President Katherine Rowe and other university leaders discussed the decision-making process for W&M’s Path Forward and how we use data to inform those decisions. Panelists talked through W&M’s public health protocols and plans for safeguarding campus and the Williamsburg community, and talked about the idea of "knowing your number."
You can catch up with this town hall at any time online.
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W&M Leads Collaboration on New Virtual Tool |
William & Mary led a collaboration with universities throughout Virginia to develop a virtual tool to support the health and wellness of students, faculty and staff this fall.
W&M’s tool, called the Daily Health Check, will be part of its Healthy Together module available via the university’s mobile application and website. The module includes several features to help users account for healthy habits and monitor their physical health during the COVID-19 pandemic
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343 W&M Student-Athletes Named to CAA Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll |
The William & Mary Athletics Department had a league-best 343 student-athletes named to the Colonial Athletic Association Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll on Wednesday, recognizing achievement in the spring semester.
When combined with the award-winners from the fall semester, the Tribe had a program-record 648 athletes honorees in at least one semester this past school year. Congrats to our athletes!
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Giving back, one mask at a time |
As of the last week of July, Anna Mroch, William & Mary's Director of Planning and Assessment, had turned some 48 spools of thread and 102 yards of fabric into more than 1,300 face masks that have been distributed to friends, colleagues and business or civic organizations throughout 10 states.
As the pandemic continues, Mroch plans to keep her small assembly line rolling. “I will go until there no longer is a need,” she said. “I just want to make sure others can be safe and healthy.”
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Parents and other family members play a key role in providing our students with the academic and personal tools that allow them to flourish, especially during this difficult time. Among the many ways to serve William & Mary students, the Parents Fund benefits Student Affairs and its mission to prepare students to learn, lead, and live with integrity and purpose. The Parents Fund and the Division of Student Affairs promote initiatives within five thematic areas:
• Campus Living
• Career Development
• Health & Wellness
• Student Engagement and Leadership
• Student Success
Among the important initiatives supported by the Parents Fund are stipends that allow students to pursue unpaid internships; Wine, Dine, and How to Act Fine events, where students learn important etiquette tips and manners for mealtime interviews and meetings; stipends that allow students to travel on trips to Wall Street or the Silicon Valley to learn about careers in finance and technology; and other parent-sponsored experiences. Thanks to the Parents Fund, the Cohen Career Center can help students navigate their next steps into the professional world. These resources provide essential job, internship, and professional workshop opportunities, along with one-on-one guidance to succeed beyond their time at the university. Your generosity makes these activities and others possible.
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P.O. Box 8795
Williamsburg, VA 23187-8795
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