The modules are mandatory viewing for both students and employees on all of our campuses and properties as you return over the next several weeks. Remaining on campus and utilizing university resources while practicing social distancing - remaining 6 to 8 feet from other individuals is preferred. Coordinated through the COVID-19 Response Team, updates to the Path Forward: Fall 2020 have been added to the universitys COVID-19 website. Mehta says that while traditional in-person school can be exhausting for students required to be "on . Today, we are announcing rebates for the spring semester, for eligible students, as follows. Events beyond April 3 may be addressed now out of an abundance of caution so there is ample time to prepare alternative plans. Connect with your friends in small groups, outside (where the ventilation is good), and with masks on. Again, for those students who are unable to implement their personal evacuation plans know that we are committed to working with you to find a solution. Please review the updates that include information about PPE, plans for symptom tracking and testing, hygiene practices and disinfecting protocols, face covering requirements and adaptations for both classroom and co-curricular spaces, including dining and residence halls. Active cases within the student population will be monitored through the Student Health Center under guidance from the Center's medical director. Read the descriptions of high-level categories for course delivery: By looking up course attributes in Banner, students will be able to craft a fully remote schedule for the fall semester if that is their preference. A cloth face covering will be used immediately before and after instruction and when interacting with others and unable to maintain 6 physical distancing. . Through education and regular public health messaging across campus, we will reinforce that everyone must follow the guidelines for mitigating risk during this time of pandemic, including mask wearing, physical distancing and handwashing. Teachers work hard from August to the end of May and during May is when we get to celebrate and see how much our kids grow and change and tell them were proud of them and celebrate with them and were not really getting to do that together.. I also understand that COVID-19 has drastically hurt chances to see your friends and to get more involved; just stay positive and things will be back to normal soon. It is imperative that we all hold ourselves accountable for keeping our campus and neighbors safe: For those unwilling to follow the necessary health and safety protocols, it is important to be clear that there will be consequences for violations. Five coordinated teams will focus on short-term solutions for mission-critical areas of the university: curricular flexibility, operational resilience, how we might de-densify campus spaces, how we might expand career pathways for graduating seniors and recent alumni. Here are three examples: "When I introduce an assignment, I allow students to choose a breakout room. PPE for faculty and staff and cleaning protocols for instructional spaces. For Uniform purchases, please go to our Uniform Shop page. Wed love to share your messages to students during COVID-19 school closures. Participating in prevalence testing is a condition to which we have agreed in order to work, study or receive on-campus services at William & Mary under the Healthy Together Community Commitment. Safety measures being taken in the area of Campus Dining were detailed in Sam Jones. Please note that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention requires COVID-19 laboratories to provide certain medical information on individuals taking tests. That is the territory we are in now, together. Student Affairs will provide details about the winter break transition and spring semester arrival by the week of November 2. All tests will be conducted at Kaplan Arena, which has ample room for testing stations, safe physical distancing and free, short-term parking for this testing in the Compton Lot. Students who experience symptoms over the course of the semester should make an appointment with the Student Health Center for a clinical assessment and testing if necessary. UNICEF. During the Summarize phase, teachers and students share, discuss, and refine strategies and conjectures as a whole-class discussion. Nothing is more important than the health and wellness of our community. The use of remote proctoring does not diminish, in any way, the Honor Code or students pledge to uphold it. Now, you can provide your immediate feedback to critical questions through the new text app we will be piloting called W&M&You. We will continue to add to this calendar overview so all students have the dates that are most critical to planning for fall. Youre crazy amazing. Proctoring protects the integrity of the testing process, thereby maintaining a level playing field for all students. Those who did not make a selection by that date were automatically enrolled in the Gold 19 plan. One common theme of emails to me this week: there is overwhelming support for postponing decisions on Commencement 2020. The August on-campus move-in dates for the following groups of students are not affected by this adjustment. Our largest expenditures are on salaries for the faculty and staff who support teaching, learning, researchand our varied university operations, from student financial aid specialists, to career services, to facilities. Staff throughout the university are offering many services virtually and also ensuring that our campus remains safe and ready for our return. Thank you for helping to safeguard the health of your fellow W&M students, as well as faculty, staff and members of our neighboring community. Teaching and learning at a distance for the remainder of the semester will pose challenges, some we can anticipate and others we will encounter as we go. More answers about W&Ms approach to testing may be found on our website; questions about Kallaco and Opteo may be found here. Graduate schools will be in direct contact with students by the end of October regarding spring break days and other academic calendar considerations. We are especially grateful for the partnership and shared purpose of Student Assembly President Kelsey Vita 20 and the entire SA leadership team. Our neighbors,parentsand friends have pulled together to support this community through words of encouragement, guidanceand continued investment. Yet much is in our control that promotes resilience: creative adaptations to the structure and rhythms of our curriculum and adaptations to our physical plant, operations and modes of work that safeguard health. I should be coming in every day having my kids in my classroom, she explained. Heres what they said: Out of the hundreds of teachers who told us what they wanted students to know, 100% started by saying they miss them. The following have three themes in common: 1) They speak to parents and teachers. As we navigate cost-saving measures, our mission remains our north star. I take heart in the transformations we have accomplished in such a short amount of time. I just really miss them. Cory L. WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook. I have heard from so many of you over the last week and our sense of shared purpose is strong. We are working with real-time information, assessing current conditions and predictions for future trends with expert advice guidance from authorities in infectious disease, epidemiology and our regional public health partners. With great strength of purpose, William & Mary students and their families, faculty and staff embraced the work of safeguarding our community while ensuring that our learning and research mission remains strong. Take care of yourself and each other (from a safe distance of course). Above all, be assured that your alma mater is committed to your well-being, and to offering an educational experience that enables you to do your best work while sustaining momentum to your degree. All of our lives have been upended by COVID-19 and we will all be balancing competing demands for some time to come. Room and board costs will be adjusted accordingly. Employees or contract workers with positions that cannot maintain physical distancing, or where other work modifications to reduce virus spread are infeasible and impractical, will be tested prior to working with students. Do not be selfish your actions impact the entire community. No one should take these early results as license to relax our vigilance. Our mission calls us to convene together, and we have all explicitly committed to supporting that mission in this time. At the end of the day, our students ability to sustain these commitments will determine our capacity to be together safely. Additionally, we will have the capability of scheduling meetings with students remotely via phone or Zoom. We will have more general information about Summer 2021 later this summer. Group Gatherings. All in all, just make life spicy. This year's National Teacher Appreciation Week is happening under the unprecedented hardships that the COVID-19 pandemic has imposed on us. Building Hours. Any art. An archive of messages sent to William & Mary students about the university's plans and policies responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. As we embark on a new semester tomorrow, the importance of ourHealthy Together Community Commitmentcannot be overstated. 2) They support research in . Service is one of the universitys core values, and we have seen that in action throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. You are likely most infectious during these first 5 days.. Build a snow sculpture. I miss the opportunity to be with you and learn together. There is something here for all students (graduate and undergraduate), whether you live on campus, off campus or are studying remotely. Students will receive a window of time during which they can log on and select a check-in appointment. Social distancing protocols will be in place and we will require compliance with these actions. The pandemic has required us to adopt new behaviors, and we share in this challenge together. We will have a clearer picture of this impact when the state closes the books for this fiscal year and revises its revenue forecast later this summer. Other measures being taken to mitigate risks as students and employees return to campus this fall will be discussed at a community Town Hall scheduled for July 20. Next week we will update the campus on financial projections for FY21. Slots are first come, first served. If you are away from campus and have belongings in your room for which you have a critical need (medications, laptops) you must make plans to collect them by Wednesday, March 25, 5:00 p.m., as follows: If you need for someone else to retrieve your critical items for you: Email living@wm.edu from your official W&M email account and provide the following information: We will plan a full move out period from April 18-May 18, 2020. Specific resources and considerations for instructors can be found in this matrix and on the W&M Keep Teaching site. On Tuesday, July 28, Gov. Emergencies need to be directed to the W&M Police at 757-221-4596. You are required to wear a face covering when in university housing hallways, other shared spaces and hall baths (except when actively washing, brushing teeth, etc.). Hold one another accountable. International students will be notified by email about specific testing requirements. An archive of messages sent to William & Mary students about the university's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We know how challenging learning has been during the pandemic. On March 12, 2020, Virginias Governor Ralph Northam declared a state of emergency due to the coronavirus pandemic that is ongoing. Housing Rebates Students will receive a rebate based on their housing type as follows: Main Campus All Room Types $1,200New Campus Doubles & Triples $1,200New Campus Singles $1,350Single Buyouts $1,350All Graduate Housing $1,350Tribe Square $1,350. For more transparency, weve created a graphic that sketches these three strands of work and their relationship to each other. Your questions are helping us immensely as we strive to be clear and responsive during this global crisis. As we move into these last days of the semester, I am deeply grateful to and for you for your resilience, your creativity and your fortitude. 11-year-old Aaron. Back-to-School Quotes for Teachers 21. They become our families each year and we love them fiercely, even when they cant follow through or act out or dont do the work. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. Teachers all over the world have an obligation to educate not only their learners but the general populace on the dangers of the pandemic and the measures to take. Need a spark of encouragement? I have no doubt that we will emerge from this a stronger community and institution.With best wishes,John E. LittelRector. Day one of on-site testing is Tuesday, Sept. 8, and well continue with testing daily through Friday, Sept. 18. Many of you have reached out and expressed compassion and concern for your fellow students who may be in need -- please be assured that no student will be without shelter when the residence halls close on March 25. In some cases, due to student and/or course requirements, exams are proctored. We will continue to meet daily to evaluate the circumstances and decide no later than April 1 whether to continue these changes further. As denial moves to anger or frustration, bargaining, and depression, teaching and learning performance may dip, and both students and teachers may need guidance about how to cope with the grief and loss associated with the change and reassurance that circumstances will improve. Instructional design support for technology-enhanced instruction. You can read additional information for students and employees below and on our Path Forward website. Offices that have face-to-face interaction should arrange meetings by appointment and observe W&Ms requirements for the use of face coverings, physical distancing, etc. Each person will schedule a ten-minute slot for their test. Richmond Hall is also identified for housing any on-campus students with a positive COVID-19 diagnosis. That order responds to national public health projections that COVID-19 cases in VA may peak in late May. Teachers, in a non-coronavirus world, already had to deal with an array of student challenges, parents, and an unrealistic amount of standardized testing. In this effort, we have good partners. We have begun to see the positive effects of self-quarantine measures in flattening the curve of COVID-19 infection. It's a hive of human activity and constant, emotional interaction - buzzing with movement, noise, rapid changes, ups, downs and, in many cases, actual bells to tell everyone when to stand up and go. We are firm in our convictionsour actionswillbe swift anddirectfor those who arent following theguidelineswe have in place. If your child will play baseball or softball this spring, youll need to stock up on appropriate clothing and equipment. Socially: collaboration accelerates the creation of new knowledge much faster than solo effort. Do not test the resolve of this university to take swift action to prioritize the health and well-being of our campus and the Williamsburg community. Katherine Rowe President Ginger Ambler Chair, Commencement Committee and Vice President for Student Affairs. Social class juniors, seniors, and graduate students may request housing contract release without penalty. Amy SebringVice President for Finance and Technology. We anticipated a 72-hour maximum turnaround time in determining when to mail the test kits to you. We must continue to do all we can to keep our community healthy. Being away from our students has been a rude awakening, and were feeling all kinds of emotions. We must remain vigilant so that we can move quickly to identify positive cases and potential exposures. Other options shall be submitted to the COVID Response Team for approval. Teacher, Natalie Wieland, holds up the medals she plans to gift her students when they finish their AP exams. Touchless temperature stations placed strategically around campus will support self-assessment. It seemed so specialI miss you so much. Thank you for being our rock stars, everyday heroes, and for answering this call of duty. I wish you a safe and productive semester. And please download the W&M Wellness App to stay current on all events and resources., While William & Mary is operating on a modified academic schedule, all the departments of the Dean of Students Office are available via phone (757) 221-2510 and email. Large student gatherings of any kind both on- and off-campusare not permitted. If you are a student and receive a positive test result from William & Marys ongoing testing or from another health service provider: If you are a faculty or staff member and receive a positive test result from W&Ms ongoing testing or from another health service provider: William & Mary has established a network of case managers (all W&M employees) to help members of the community navigate living, study and work after a positive test result. We determined that the logistics company Kallaco and its CLIA-Certified lab partners, including Opteo, provided the best balance of things we needed: high-quality clinical testing laboratories (CLIA is the gold standard); volume of tests available for those laboratories, and turnaround times. The reasons educators gave for these stress-related feelings could be divided into two buckets. A similar message was sent to the UW Tacoma community. Below my signature, you will find a high-level view of our current operations under the pandemic and an introduction to our planning process for next year. A compilation of resources was created and shared last week with all students who had alerted us to their urgent need; the Dean of Students and Reves Center teams are following up with those students by phone today to determine what needs have yet to be met. We will continue to assess possible timelines in consultation with local public health officials, closely tracking the Commonwealths and our nations response. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major effect on nearly all aspects of life. forced to try different methods to see what worked best for them and for their students. Weve learned in the past six weeks that together, weve got this. I hope they are learning new things even if its not me teaching it to them. Laura D. One of the best ways to relieve stress and discover what matters to you is to get creative. This simply cannot happen at William & Mary, or we, too, will be forced to abandon the opportunity to live and learn together in person this fall. One key aspect of this program is COVID-19 prevalence testing, by which random samples of students and employees are chosen periodically to take COVID-19 tests so the university can rapidly assess potential community spread. William & Marys Public Health Advisory Team and the COVID-19 Response Team continue to closely follow local, regional, state and national developments during the pandemic. We hope you will participate willingly, but need to advise you that failure to follow testing instructions may result in disciplinary action. COVID-19 testing is required for ALL students returning to campus for the spring semester. Without your compliance, our fall semester on campus will be over before it starts. Wieland teaches sophomores, juniors and seniors in her Pre-AP and AP chemistry courses.