CU Spring Break Update
Dear Cheyney Community:
Over the past few weeks, we have been closely monitoring the news about the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Meanwhile, members of our Executive Team have been actively meeting, as well as interacting with our colleagues throughout PASSHE, to discuss how it could impact our Cheyney community—our students, staff, faculty, on-campus partners, and vendors. During these meetings, we discussed various scenarios and have developed contingency plans to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 spreading on campus. It is important to note there are no known coronavirus cases at Cheyney at this time. We want to continue to ensure the health and safety of our community.
Based on our evaluation, we have decided that Spring Break will be extended by one week for Cheyney students only. We currently anticipate that in-person classes will resume on Monday, March 23, so students should plan to return to campus on that date—unless you are notified otherwise. Faculty and staff will report to work on Monday, March 16. Next week, we will determine whether courses will be conducted in-person or remotely for the rest of the semester. Should circumstances warrant that courses be taught remotely, we will notify the Cheyney community. Until that point, we are operating under the assumption that classes will be taught in-person. All current online courses will continue as normal and will resume on March 23.
Specific Guidance
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Students: You should plan to return to campus on Monday, March 23. You are strongly encouraged to use the extra week to familiarize yourself with D2L and Zoom, in the event that your courses will be conducted remotely through the remainder of the semester. You will receive a separate email later today with instructions and links to tutorials on how to use D2L and Zoom.
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Faculty: You are to report to work on Monday, March 16. You will be able to use next week to prepare for teaching student courses virtually via D2L or Zoom for the remainder of the Spring semester—in the event that your courses will be conducted remotely. You will receive a separate email with instructions on expectations and requirements for next week.
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Staff: You are to report to work on Monday, March 16. Your supervisor will work with you to develop plans in your specific area to minimize the risk of any adverse impact on student and campus services over the coming weeks.
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All: Everyone is asked to continue healthy practices (e.g., washing hands, staying home if you are sick, etc.). Also, effective immediately, we are placing a moratorium on all university-funded travel to and participation in conferences. As you are likely aware, conferences in Philadelphia, in Pennsylvania, and throughout the country are being cancelled as a safety precaution.