APRIL 2 Update: COVID-19
Video Update from Interim President Laurie Quinn for On-Campus Students, Their Families, Faculty & Staff
Dear Students, Faculty & Staff:
I am writing to you today with both a video message and a written summary of several important announcements.
Key Announcements:
- Remote learning and work will continue through the end of the Spring 2020 semester.
Due to the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 health crisis, remote learning and remote work will continue through the end of the semester. The registration and advising timeline for Summer and Fall 2020 have been revised; please see the full Academic Calendar here. Additionally, the grading policy for the Spring 2020 semester has been revised to include alternatives to letter grades. Complete information is available here. - Commencement will take place virtually on Saturday, May 9. Graduating students and their families are invited and encouraged to share their ideas for virtual Commencement here.
We have made the difficult, but necessary decision to hold a virtual commencement event. This is not a decision made lightly. The safety of our students, their loved ones, our faculty and staff must be our highest priority. We understand that Commencement is a time of celebration, recognition and closure and our virtual ceremony will reflect these important goals.
We are also very committed to an in-person celebration in the coming year, as soon as we understand what will be possible in the context of the current public health crisis. Plans for that celebration will be forthcoming. We look forward to the opportunity to gather on-campus in recognition of your accomplishments. - We are actively developing plans to allow students to gather their belongings from residence halls. Please, do not, under any circumstances, return to campus until Champlain announces residence hall safe move-out plans.
The College is actively developing plans to allow for students to return to campus to gather their belongings. However, under the guidance of the Governor of Vermont, we are unable to allow students to return to campus from any location at this time. Under no circumstances should anyone return to campus without specific permission from the Office of Housing and Residential Life. We recognize that you are eager to gather your belongings and we will share our plans with you as soon as we are able. Our highest priority is for the health and safety of the Champlain community. - Housing and meal plan credits and refunds
With our decision to continue remote learning through the end of the Spring 2020 semester, we are able to finalize plans to provide refunds and credits for housing and meal plan costs. We recognize that the specifics of these plans are important to students and families and we are working to provide this information as quickly as possible. Please expect to receive a full communication on refunds and credits in mid-April. - Payment of student employees
We know the ability to earn student job income is important to making a college education possible. Therefore, we are making a commitment to paying all student employees through the end of the semester. Continued pay will apply to students whose job is under a Federal Work Study award as part of their financial aid package and also those student workers who are paid directly by the College in non-work study employment. The College is gathering data from student supervisors and developing plans for payment; details will be released as soon as possible. - Virtual Office Hours with Interim President, Dr. Laurie Quinn
During this time of remote instruction, virtual office hours with Interim President Quinn will be available via Google Meet, which can be scheduled here. These times are available on a first come, first served basis and we will schedule additional office hours in the coming weeks.
Thank you for taking the time to watch the video and read the announcement summaries. I appreciate your patience as we work diligently through details and processes. Please know that we have your best interests at the heart of all we do and look forward to sharing more concrete information very soon.
Take care,
Laurie Quinn, Ph.D.
Interim President
