DATE: March 20, 2020

Welcome Back Students

As we prepare to return from Spring Break on Monday, we wanted to reach out with some important updates and resources. This is a long email, so please read to the end.

We hope that you have seen the emails from UMB, the Office of Field Education, and Dean Barth describing the changes we are making in response to COVID-19 and public health efforts to reduce community transmission. To summarize, for the remainder of the semester all classes will be held online and all field placement activities will be remote and not in person. In addition, in-person commencement and convocation have been cancelled, and the SSW is exploring ways to hold a virtual ceremony. 

We know that these changes are disappointing, and are causing stress and confusion. Everyone at the SSW and UMB is adapting and working hard to make sure that students are able to complete their courses and field work. We hope that you will communicate with your course instructors and your field instructors/field liaisons about anything that may prevent you from completing your assignments or participating each week. We also ask you to be flexible with yourselves, and with your instructors and field placements - this is a big change for everyone, and there may be some hiccups along the way. 

Here are some changes we have made to allow greater flexibility and give you additional time to figure out the best way for you to finish the semester. 

1.  Extended drop deadline: We have extended the drop deadline to April 17th in order for you to better understand how the change to an all online learning platform will impact your ability to learn.
2.  Option of choose pass/ fail grades: We will offer students the option of standard letter grades or pass/fail. All students will default to standard letter grades unless you complete this form requesting to change to pass/ fail by April 17th. A pass is equivalent to 70% or better. The decision to choose pass/ fail will be final. If you would like to take advantage of this option, please complete this form:  https://umbforms.wufoo.com/forms/mkjy9dt0ks8pmy/

We will continue to offer supports to students, though by phone or online instead of in person. These include:

1.  Office of Student Services: https://www.ssw.umaryland.edu/student-services/
2.  Writing Center: https://www.umaryland.edu/writing/
3.  Counseling Center: https://www.umaryland.edu/counseling/
4.  Academic accommodations for students with a disabilities (via Educational Support and Disability Services): https://www.umaryland.edu/disabilityservices/

Students at the Shady Grove campus also have access to a variety of resources, and we recommend you read your email from Dr. Joan Pittman that was sent out on March 20th describing how to contact these supports.

If you are having challenges, or struggling with your coursework or fieldwork and not sure who to contact, we are here to help. You can email us at dshafer@ssw.umaryland.edu and alehning@ssw.umaryland.edu . While we may now be working from our living rooms instead of our offices, we remain committed to supporting students and making sure you are getting the skills and knowledge you need to become social work practitioners. 

Finally, SSW will host a Student Town Hall on Monday April 23rd at 1pm via an online platform .

Wishing you the best,

Amanda Lehning
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs

Dawn Shafer
Associate Dean for Student Affairs