Dear parents and families,
I hope this email finds you well and that you and your family are safe. This has not been the semester any of us had hoped for and I know this has been an extremely challenging time for you and your student. As we look ahead to the next few weeks, we continue to live in a world of uncertainty. At the same time, I’ve been inspired by the flexibility, resilience, and grace of our students, faculty, and staff.
The entire WashU community has come together in many inspiring ways. More than
200 university volunteers
helped to pack and ship 2,000+ boxes of books, medications, and other essential items to students. Alumni, parents, and friends have asked how they can help support the community during this extraordinary time leading to the creation of the
WashU Crisis Response Fund
. And
medical campus students
have stepped up to provide critical support to the St. Louis area. I remain inspired by the WashU community and know that together, we can weather this storm.
Over the past few weeks, you and your student have received several messages from the university. We are trying to be as transparent as possible in sharing information with students and families. I also wanted to highlight two university resources that may be helpful when looking for information:
- The families website hosts a page with Messages from the University. All university-wide announcements to families can be found there.
- Emergency Management has a robust list of information regarding the university response to COVID-19 including a detailed FAQ page with information about housing, online instruction, student information, and more.
As we look towards the close of the spring semester, you may be wondering how you can best support your student. Here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Your student may have a work and sleep schedule different from your own. Depending on your time zone, they may have synchronous class activities very early or late in the day. They may continue to have study group or small group meetings late into the evening.
- While their classes have moved online, they may take as much, or perhaps more time than they have in the past. Many classes are asynchronous and require your student to set their own pace and productivity.
- The university’s resources are still available to your student.
c. Academic advisers are available to discuss current courses and understand how
COVID-19 academic policy changes
regarding pass/fail and add/drop deadlines may benefit them.
d. The
Career Center
is available for advising appointments and has developed a resource for how students can utilize their spring and summer 2020.
e. We are committed to meeting demonstrated financial need for all admitted students. The university will also continue to review and adjust aid to support students and families whose financial situations change during the course of their undergraduate enrollment at the university. Please contact
Student Financial Services
for additional information.
We know for our seniors, this has been a particularly disappointing end to their final semester. On March 17th,
Chancellor Martin announced
the difficult decision to cancel the Commencement ceremony that had been scheduled for May 15th. He has appointed an
Alternate Commencement Committee
to recommend how the university can celebrate the Class of 2020 virtually this spring, as well as in person when it is safe to do so. The
Commencement Office
will share more details as soon as they are available.
Please continue to stay connected with us and reach out if you need assistance or additional support. As always, you can reach me at
rob.wild@wustl.edu
.
Sincerely,
Robert M. Wild, PhD
Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Transition and Engagement & Dean of Students
