The universitys Path Forward: Fall 2020 lays out our commitment to highly engaged and close connections between teachers and students; that commitment underpins the effort to return to in-person experiences as appropriate under pandemic conditions. While the governor loosened some restrictions, William & Marys requirements remain in place, to minimize spread of the COVID-19 virus: So far, your compliance with these basic requirements has resulted in a limited number of positive cases in the community. As many of you know, Sam Jones retired at the beginning of December after an exemplary career at William & Mary, capped by his able leadership of the COVID-19 Response Team. Based on these discussions, I write to share the following answers to the most frequently asked questions. If your child will play baseball or softball this spring, youll need to stock up on appropriate clothing and equipment. The Emergency Management Team will share additional details and guidance related to that action later today; please stay alert for that and please check our growing FAQ daily. It seemed so specialI miss you so much. We will continue to add to this calendar overview so all students have the dates that are most critical to planning for fall. Students must comply with mask expectations. PPE for faculty and staff and cleaning protocols for instructional spaces. 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.). As teachers close out the school year without the hugs, the in-person celebrations and even without the physical walk across the stage, one thing remains: the vision and hope from teachers to their beloved students. "One child, one teacher, one pen and one book. The university is providing support for the online instructional, remote learning and technology needs of faculty, students and staff. For students, case managers will serve as a point of contact throughout the isolation period, helping with the transition to isolation or quarantine housing as needed, and arranging for cleaning and disinfecting of campus spaces, among other assistance. The Student Health Center remains open to students by appointment only. Here are just a few examples: In this historic moment, each of us has an extraordinary opportunity to reimagine our purpose, pursue new passions and explore new modes for creating community. Thank you for your patience and support as we move through these challenging days together. Teachers hope students take the time to figure out what they love and find out more about it. The COVID-19 Response Team is pleased that health metrics in Hampton Roads have improved over the past few weeks. Teacher, Natalie Wieland, holds up the medals she plans to gift her students when they finish their AP exams. - George Burns. There can be no large parties this fall. 1. As we move through this summer and into the fall semester, the COVID-19 Response Team is providing guidance regarding the required use of face coverings on campus from now through the end of the calendar year (July 15-Dec. 31, 2020). Testing frequency and population percentage may vary based on campus trends and available testing methods. This has been a very difficult year for us all. William & Mary employees are preparing for students to return to campus in early August. William & Mary will continue to do our part to protect our healthcare workers and safeguard the health of our community. Graduate schools will be in direct contact with students by the end of October regarding spring break days and other academic calendar considerations. All residential students also have agreed to adhere to specific Covid-19 Health and Well-Being Policies as part of theirhousing contract. At-home testing for students before arrival ensures that those testing positive can self-isolate at home and not unknowingly bring the virus to campus. A total of 1,717 COVID-19 cases were reported in Massachusetts schools in the last week. And, in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, we are missing being physically together on our beautiful Williamsburg campus. Our Wonderful Students: I hope this message finds you and all you love doing well. Graduate students residing in university housing. "Don . Here Are Messages to Students During Covid 19 From Teachers Topic: School Culture & Colleagues, Supporting Students Life & Wellbeing Here's What I Want My Students to Know When We're Not Together We miss you, we miss you, we miss you. I have cautious good news to share about our return-to-campus testing positivity rates so far, which are very low. The video concluded with a final comforting message: "When it rains, look for rainbows. The timing of initial testing depends on when a student arrives on campus: If you are an employee, how and when will testing occur? 101 JFK Parkway | Short Hills, NJ | 07078 | (973) 921-5500. In addition to the Healthy Together Community Commitment, every student at William & Mary is accountable to theStudent Code of Conduct. Pandemic conditions require William & Mary to adapt how we teach, learn and work in order to mitigate health risks for our community. 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. They are merely waiting in the wings until its safe enough to be back in the classroom. Students are strongly encouraged to return home or stay home. The pace at which employees return to work on campus is outlined in those plans. 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. Thank you for the questions you have submitted through the Path Forward website and via email. Additional information about testing plans and protocols will be shared later this month. As we head into the weekend, I write to those of you who continue to act in selfish ways thatput our in-person semester at risk. Student tuition and fees make up our biggest source of revenue. Many of the outbreaks to date have resulted from large gatherings of young adults, without masks and physical distancing. And remember: We're not gonna' let COVID-19 beat us. These include final papers, individual or collaborative projects, and cumulative exams. So over the coming weeks, W&M will be repeatedly stressing the new rules via regular guidance, online training, signage and more. During the social distancing of COVID-19, we have been looking for ways to stay in close contact with you. We want to hear your voice and believe this app will help us better stay in touch with student opinions as we plan ahead. Testing is a critical part of the commitment we make to mitigate risks associated with COVID-19. As we continue making decisions with the best information available, adjustments like the ones announced today will be part of the semester. So its important to be clear that W&M will be holding student groups and individual students accountable, as appropriate, when they do not comply. Emergencies. She has 15 years of classroom teaching experience and a master's degree in literacy education. I am deeply grateful to them for their tireless and resourceful partnership. As we move through the many decisions that we face individually and as a community, our top priorities remain to keep teaching, keep learning, and keep helping each other to stay well. Please read through all information, which includes: We recognize that this fall semester will feel very different for us all. School is important but so is your health. Graduate courses will also begin as planned by the respective schools; We will slow the pace of student return to campus through August, to Labor Day Weekend, so as to minimize density and reduce circulation on/off campus; We will delay the start of in-person undergraduate instruction until after Labor Day, so as to ensure consistent experiences for all students (on and off campus) during a more extended return to campus; Deans will communicate details in each school, appropriate to the instruction plans already in place, which had anticipated the need to adjust throughout the semester. As we begin to plan for next year and ways in which we can flatten the curve of financial impact for our community, the Board and administration concurred that freezing tuition and mandatory fees for all students at the current years level was critical, as were other prudent decisions to freeze new hiring and limit other costs.What has been especially evident to us is the very thoughtful and capable manner in which the university community has responded to this emergency. By opting-in, you will receive periodic texts from campus administration asking what you think, how you feel or what you want related to a particular question. Touchless temperature stations placed strategically around campus will support self-assessment. We are in wholly new territory and will learn as we go, together. It will be glorious. We are here with you. For students living in off-campus housing: given the lack of services on campus and out of an abundance of caution, we ask that you return to your family residence. Working in five small squads, this planning group will identify strategies to advance curricular flexibility and operational resiliency, help de-densify campus, create career pathways for our graduates and engage the wider W&M community in broad calls to service to support the most vulnerable in our communities. The reasons educators gave for these stress-related feelings could be divided into two buckets. If you do not wear a mask and physical distance or if you host or attend large gatherings that violate the Healthy Together Commitment, Students and other members of the W&M community are encouraged to report violations of the Healthy Together Community Commitmentusing the. The global pandemic has created immense financial vulnerability. Even when faced with an unprecedented situation like the COVID-19 outbreak, teachers across the world have. Please keep sending your questions our way, since they give us a better understanding of how to support you to the best of our collective ability. Whenever possible, we will seek opportunities to enable some events through virtual means and platforms. Entry will be restricted to these doors. Any remaining credit will be disbursed to you. Our youth do not have the years of wisdom many of their teachers, counselors, and educators have from living more life on this earth than they. Thank you for your patience as we work through the details that will allow us to navigate the extraordinary challenges wrought by pandemic. More information on privacy can be found on. After discussion with Student Assembly leadership, we are also emphasizing the following for this coming week: Thank you again for taking the necessary steps to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 on our campus and in the local community. Group Gatherings. Thank you all for working so hard to protect your own health and that of the community this semester.