April 2020
"Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord,
'He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.' ”
- Psalm 91:1-2
Dear Concordia Alumna/us,
 
The peace of The LORD be with you.

How’s your “shelter-in-place” going? Last month, I was writing to you from my office on the second floor of our historic Earhart Manor. Today, I’m writing to you from my home office, which also happens to be my conference room, indoor gym, and, oh yeah…my bedroom!

Now, ask the question with Psalm 91:1 in mind. No matter what our situation, we are invited to shelter-in-place with the Most High and rest in the shadow of the Almighty. Here is the entire text in case you would like to further meditate:  Psalm 91

Do you have an unusual “home office” story, or comforting scripture verses you’d like to share with your fellow alumni? Maybe you’re planning a virtual Easter gathering with your loved ones? We would love to see it! Please send your stories, videos, and photos to: alumni@cuaa.edu

May your Easter celebrations fill your hearts and lives with joy!
 
God's blessings,
Linda (Schramke) Sproul ‘92
Director of Donor and Alumni Relations
CUAA living out its mission
CUAA recently donated paper towels, toilet paper, and craft supplies to Wolverine Human Services , a child welfare agency the provides treatment services to children and families of Michigan.   We delivered extra art supplies from our 2D Studio and pallets of toilet paper and paper towels that had been purchased for the residence halls this spring. In addition, o ur School of Nursing donated PPE (personal protective equipment) to the Covenant Community Care Clinic , which serves the homeless in Detroit and is one of our clinical partners.
Student loan help during the pandemic
We wanted to share this important update related to student loans based on the CARES Act bill passed by Congress on March 27, 2020.

Congress has enacted protections for borrowers with federally-held student loans for the time period from March 13 to September 30, 2020. During this time, payments to federally-held student loans will be automatically suspended, and no interest will accrue during this time. This does not apply to privately held student loans.
What do I have to do?
Nothing. Your loan payments will be automatically suspended for any federally-held student loans. Please be aware that many loan servicers are struggling to incorporate these changes, but they will be made and will be retroactive to March 13, 2020.
Can I still make payments?
Yes. Payments you make during this time will be applied to any outstanding interest that accrued before March 13, and the remainder will go toward your principal.
How does this affect PSLF?
If you are pursuing Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF), you will not have to
make payments to your federal student loans from March 13 to September 30, 2020. During this automatic payment suspension for federal loans, your $0 payments will count as qualifying payments towards your PSLF progress, as long as you continue to meet all other PSLF requirements during this time (for example: full-time employment with a qualifying employer).
If you would like more information on student loan news, consult your loan servicer website.
Attention, Choir alumni! We want you for a virtual performance
Hey, all you alumni singers of all ages! We are creating a virtual choir recording of the Bach Chorale, “Now Rest Beneath Night’s Shadow” as a tribute to send to Doc Foelber, CUAA’s choir director from Day One until his retirement in 1990. Even if you weren’t in Doc’s choir, please join us in this project. Click on The Free Lutheran Chorale Book for the words – we will be singing verses 1, 8, and 9. Sing the words in your voice part for all three verses.

Have a device ready to play this recording while you sing along: Now Rest Beneath Night's Shadow. Use your phone’s camera to create a selfie video. Don’t turn the audio up too loud. In fact, if possible, use headphones so we don’t hear any background music. You will need to be able to follow along to this version of the song so it will work.

We don’t need professional singers. We want to hear YOU and will layer all of our voices together.
After you are done, email your recording to judyoverway@gmail.com no later than May 1. If the file is too large, send as a Google Doc link.

By emailing your video, you are giving us permission to use the video and recording that will be broadcast later on the Internet, and giving us full global license to use your recording in whatever way we need or wish. Please note that we are not going to make a bloopers reel, this is going to be used for a heartfelt project that will mostly be viewed by fellow Concordia alumni, faculty, and staff.

Thank you for participating!
Wisconsin campus uses resources in pandemic
Our campus in Wisconsin is also doing their part to help out during this crisis. With the largest 3D printing capacity of any nonprofit in the state of Wisconsin, CUW has sprung into action to fill the production gap of one of the most necessary medical supplies for professionals combating the novel coronavirus. Read more about it here.
What Zoom style fits you?
The concept of online meetings and learning is not a new phenomenon, but because of the coronavirus outbreak, it has become the safest practice for many of us who now find ourselves working at home. Like many other institutions, CUAA prefers  Zoom video conferencing. So while you could say ‘everybody’s doing it,’ we wanted to show how we all Zoom a little differently. Click here to read this fun blog and to discover, which style fits you best.
5 ways to manage your time
With so many people currently working from home, we thought we would share this blog written by Tori Negash, director of our Academic Resource Center. If you’re wondering what you can do to better manage your time, check out these tips for practical ideas of how you can stay on top of your work. While this was originally written for students, there are some great ideas to keep us all organized!
CLJC Class of 1970:
Rescheduled to next year
May 15-16, 2021
Due to the pandemic, the CLJC Class of 1970 reunion committee has decided to postpone their 50th reunion until next May. Our Class of 1970 will join the Class of 1971 for a weekend full of incredible fun and fellowship. Please watch future newsletters and other communications for more information.
Join us virtually
for daily Chapel
Campus Pastor Randy Duncan is holding chapel live daily from his home. Alumni (and the rest of the Concordia family) are invited to attend via Zoom. Chapel takes place at 10:30 am. Use this Zoom link to join.
#HeartsTogether
We have some pretty incredible alumni, and we know YOU are making a difference during this critical time by sharing the love of Christ where you live! Please share your stories with us… You can inspire others to help. If you are posting on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, use the hashtag #HeartsTogether so we can see what you are up to! If you are not on those platforms, always feel free to email us at alumni@cuaa.edu .
Live from Versailles! Kind of
We asked some of our faculty how they are adapting to online instruction.
From Dr. Mark Looker: " On a lighter note, my CCE110 class yesterday was discussing the 17th century French playwright, Moliere. I decided it would be appropriate for me to conduct the Zoom session in a tuxedo from the Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles." For those unfamiliar with Zoom, you can change your virtual background to any photograph.
CEAPsakes Corner
( Career Engagement Activation Programming )
This month, CEAP shares a video of its first virtual Take 20 from March 26. In this episode, Tori Negash, director of the Academic Resource Center, talks about tips and tricks for learning in the virtual world. To watch, click here .
Help them learn and serve
Please consider an unrestricted gift to CUAA. Your gifts will make an impact where we need it most to keep our mission going! Click here to give. Questions on how to give? Contact Linda Sproul, 734.995.7491 or via email.
Thoughts from
Campus Pastor Randy Duncan
Each morning during the school year, our campus pastor, Randy Duncan, sends out an email full of inspirational thoughts, concepts to ponder, scripture, and prayer requests. We thought we would share some of his thoughts with you each month for us to contemplate.

Final thought: You are a carrier. Is what you are sharing worth catching? Let’s share the love, hope, and promise of salvation in Jesus Christ with everyone we meet.
Save the date
Due to the uncertainty brought to us by the coronavirus, please stay tuned to our event listing on the CUAA website for updates regarding upcoming events.