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.
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 the following groups of students are not affected by this adjustment. All testing and distancing protocols will remain in effect. These students should closely track EMT messages regarding Hurricane Isaias.
- New students (freshmen and transfers)
- Graduate students residing in university housing
- International students
- RAs and Head Residents
- Orientation Aides and Assistants
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All other students should delay their return. We anticipate bringing sophomores, juniors and seniors back to campus in early September. We are aiming for Labor Day weekend.
- Room and board costs will be adjusted accordingly. Additional details will be shared early next week.
- Self-quarantine and testing schedules will be updated to reflect new return dates.
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Student Affairs will consider exceptions for students who have extenuating or special personal circumstances for returning to campus as part of the initial group in August. Please contact care@wm.edu for assistance. Documentation may be required.
- Deans and faculty will ensure personal engagement for all students, including those who live on and off campus, through the start of in-person classes.
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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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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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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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We want to be sure you have these important and updated dates, they will be here before we know it!
- Week of August 3: Schedule changes, continuing students
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August 8-18: Phased move-in for select students
- August 17: Classes start in the Law School
- August 18: Add/drop begins at 1 p.m.
- August 19: Classes start for undergraduates, Graduate Arts & Sciences, VIMS and School of Education
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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! |
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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. All 19 teams that compete in the CAA (including football) had numerous athletes honored after achieving a GPA over 3.0 in the spring 2020 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.” We are so grateful for staff like Anna Mroch! |
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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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