March 17, 2020
Dear
Coll
eagues,
As we navigate our rapidly changing environment, I write to share the latest available information with you. The health and safety of our students, employees and community are paramount as we work to find solutions to the challenges of remote work.
All campuses will remain closed through
Sunday, March 29
;
this is a change from our previous plan to have staff return after Spring Break. We will be in communication next week if this date is extended. We are following Gov. Wolf’s directives for Institutions of Higher Education.
Remote instruction will resume March 23, unless individual faculty members need additional time to prepare instructional materials. I deeply appreciate the collaboration among faculty in making this shift; I know it is not easy in a short time frame.
Please remember that the college itself is not closed; we are all just working remotely. A few essential, pre-approved staff may be asked to be on campus for a short time to complete tasks that cannot be done remotely as we try to maintain business continuity. Please do not come to campus without prior approval from your division’s Cabinet member.
If you supervise work-study students, please direct them to submit their time based on the average hours they worked in the last two pay periods. They will be paid on our next payday, whether they are able to work remotely or not.
We are continuing to develop resource pages on our website, especially for students, both current and prospective. The enhanced student resource site should be available later today or tomorrow. We have also created a
response form
,
for our campus community to request answers or additional information.
Most campus resources will continue to be available to students, from tutoring to accessibility assistance to advising. Some external community resources, such as free internet from Comcast, will also be posted. If your students have questions, please direct them to these resources on our website.
I have heard from some students who are anxious about continuing with remote instruction. Please encourage them to stay enrolled and give these new formats a chance. There is still time to withdraw should that be necessary.
We are actively recruiting, advising and registering students for March modular, Summer, and Fall semesters. Students can order books for March modulars
online
with free shipping from our bookstore.
Many employees received an email about some required training, from the college via Everfi. If you had difficulty signing in, that glitch has been fixed. Particularly if your workload is limited while we are remote, this is something that you can complete online.
We will be putting into place an Emergency Leave Policy, designed for employees unable to work due to COVID-19. I will be sending that policy information separately, so please watch for it.
I’m sure many of you, like me, still have unanswered questions. The uncertainty surrounding what comes next can be disquieting. Please know that I will communicate any new or changing items as soon as I am able. Support each other as we all work to serve our students and get through this challenging time together.
Sincerely,
Dr. Stephanie Shanblatt
President
