Our testing and other public health protocols are based on ongoing epidemiological modeling being developed by VCU, UVA and VT as Virginia's academic medical centers. If this kind of virtual conversation proves welcome, well continue it in the coming weeks. If you receive a notification of prevalence testing in error, because you will not be attending or visiting any William & Mary properties within the next six weeks, please contact [[COVIDResponse]]. This year's National Teacher Appreciation Week is happening under the unprecedented hardships that the COVID-19 pandemic has imposed on us. In response, W&M will not shorten the spring academic calendar. Because we are solidifying plans and attending to critical logistics on a daily basis, you will continue to receive communications and updates from W&M between now and mid-August when the semester begins there is more to come. Expanding W&M's reach, educating for impact and evolving to excel. Instructional design support for technology-enhanced instruction. What is the least-visited state park in Texas? If you intend to select Pass/Fail, you must do so in Banner during the extended withdrawal period, which now ends on Monday March 30 at 11:59 pm. In the past two months, we have all witnessed the staggering impact of COVID-19 on our nations public health and economy. As you know, whether courses are delivered on campus or online, there are a range of ways to assess student learning. Updates will include information about prizes & award nominations, diploma mailing, the timeline for ordering regalia, and registering for Octobers ceremony tickets. Integrity is one of William & Marys core values and a hallmark of this community. Any unused Dining Dollars from fall meal plans will roll forward for students who retain a spring meal plan; for students who do not maintain a spring meal plan, unused Dining Dollars will expire on November 25, 2020. At this time room selection for returning students for the 2020-2021 Academic Year will proceed on schedule online, including Priority Housing. We must continue to do all we can to keep our community healthy. During the first lockdown in Spring 2020, teachers, students and parents had to face the challenge of maintaining learning processes via remote schooling in Germany, as in almost all European countries ().Short-term modifications without sufficient experience were necessary and forced all providers and . All residential students also have agreed to adhere to specific Covid-19 Health and Well-Being Policies as part of theirhousing contract. On nearly a daily basis, new reports emerge from institutions around the country of behavior that endangers the health of entire communities. The deadline for student training has been extended to Friday, Aug. 28. All testing and distancing protocols will remain in effect. Virginias Phase 3 of reopening began July 1. As we anticipate this final phase of move-in before the start of in-person classes on Tuesday, I write to share several important messages for those who have chosen to be on campus to live and learn this fall: We cannot let up. It has been moving, and heartening, to listen as this unprecedented shift has taken place. Each person will schedule a ten-minute slot for their test. W&M leadership will continually evaluate our path forward in light of those changes. Many of these institutions took different approaches to testing, campus density and/or required conduct. Their actions have resulted in sanctions, which in some instances include removal from campus housing and/or separation from the campus community. Socially: collaboration accelerates the creation of new knowledge much faster than solo effort. Each person will schedule a 10-minute slot for their test. Earlier today, Dean of Students Marjorie Thomas shared with all students W&Ms Fall, An introduction to the Healthy Together commitment, COVID-19 and its prevention, A tutorial on mask use and requirements at William & Mary, A review of proper preventative hygiene, including hand washing, the use of sanitizer and the difference between cleaning and disinfecting spaces, Tips on how to handle situations in which peoples behavior diverges from our shared commitment to health, A conclusion that reinforces the main points and offers additional resources. The university remains open with modified academic operations. Note: Students are limited to registering for 16 credits until add/drop begins. I hope they are still having fun and being silly despite the craziness going on in our outside world. Starting next week, we will begin a program of prevalence testing, beginning with an initial sampling of 5% of the student body and 2% of the employee/contractor population. At present, all new expenditures have been unallocated. I am especially grateful to the students who have been on campus for several weeks already and who are modeling the way. All students are required to be tested before the fall semester. By establishing a care network, we hope to lessen the complications of navigating the university system as you work to remain well or recover. This baseline training, designed for students, faculty, staff, contractors and vendors, introduces skills to promote the health of yourself and others. Research advances, music performances continue and students and teachers are coming together to explore the affordances of distance education, aided by our Studio for Teaching and Learning Innovation. Currently, we project losses ranging from $13 million to $32 million through August 2020. Knowing how rapidly public health conditions can change, William & Mary will continue to move forward in a phased way, using the best information we have and consistent with public health guidelines. The five most-mentioned feelings among all teachers were anxious, fearful, worried, overwhelmed, and sad. Emergencies. We wish you all the best in the remaining weeks of the semester and during the exam period. Katie is a first-grade teacher. As this world faces our greatest shared challenge in living memory, its humbling that so many of you are asking how to help William & Mary. Group Gatherings. An enormous amount of work has taken place to prepare our campus community for a successful fall and that work continues in earnest. If so, you will be notified by email and will be given instructions for making a testing appointment. William & Mary has held onto our pride in those qualities even as we have moved expeditiously to advance the three-part mission we cherish: teaching, learningand research. Division I Athletics will operate within the policies of its governing bodies, the CAA and NCAA, and be subject to university health protocols. Help our educators and teachers come alongside our students in this moment of loss, fear, and crisis. We continue to invite your questions and comments at COVIDResponse@wm.edu as we implement the Path Forward: Fall 2020 plans. We are working to identify and support any students who might have equipment, connectivity or other assistance needs in accessing online instruction. For the limited number of courses that require proctored exams, W&M will use Honorlock. Every member of the William & Mary community should take pride in the way that students, faculty, and staff embraced the responsibility to protect one anothers health and support one anothers learning and work under extraordinarily difficult circumstances. Walk slowly through your neighborhood or in your backyard and discover what Spring looks like. Cindy K. Its easy to feel helpless in situations like this, but we can make small differences. To support that effort, yesterday, Provost Agouris shared temporary adjustments to grading policy for this semester that provide options to undergraduate students in different situations. William & Marys response to the pandemic and reopening follows Commonwealth guidelines. We will continue to add to this calendar overview so all students have the dates that are most critical to planning for fall. There can be no large parties this fall. Day one of on-site testing is Tuesday, Sept. 8, and well continue with testing daily through Friday, Sept. 18. Indeed, nothing is more important than the health and safety of our community. Avoid interactions with others, maintain at least 6 feet of physical distance and wear your face covering. Amid pandemic, there is no place that individual choices are without consequence to the health of the William & Mary community. And we will pick up right where we left off!! William & Mary has faced profound adversities before and flourished. All rights reserved. Here are two web resources that provide additional information: Connecting remotely to campus IT resources. The following have three themes in common: 1) They speak to parents and teachers. 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. Students will receive a self-administered, mail-in test kit prior to coming to campus. Introduction. And remember: We're not gonna' let COVID-19 beat us. Try these tips to help you create custom messages to share with your guests. Supervisors on the main campus and VIMS campus will be communicating with employees this week, confirming that they will be working on campus, remotely or in a blended fashion as students begin returning to campus, as well as schedules for those modes of work. Prevalence testing (initial sample of 2% of the employee/contractor population) will occur at least every two weeks. Watch: Teachers Share Uplifting Messages to Students Amid Coronavirus In these trying times, this school staff has gone the extra mile to make sure their students know they are missed. Here are three examples: "When I introduce an assignment, I allow students to choose a breakout room. In other words, asymptomatic students will await test results wherever they live. I hope you lift people up. The upcoming tests will also be processed by William & Marys partner lab, Wisconsin Diagnostic Laboratories, facilitated by VCU Health System. 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. These funds will be posted to your student account no later than Friday, April 10, and applied to any outstanding balance owed to the university. They stand ready to support students, faculty and staff in this transition. I look forward to seeing you all again and working with you. The students were tearful that even though we couldnt all hug each other in real life the connection among the students and with their faculty member was as in many ways as strong as it would have been in person, she said. I am especially grateful to Williamsburgs Mayor and City Council in joining me to affirm how deeply we value our international graduate students, undergraduates, professional students, visiting faculty and staff honored members of our community whose presence strengthens William & Mary in every way. Accountability for W&Ms Healthy Together Community Commitment and behavioral guidelines, and consequences for not complying. Additionally, if you have questions directly related to the impact of COVID-19 in the Williamsburg/Peninsula area, state and local health authorities have set up two Call Centers: Pass/Fail Expansion. It will be glorious. Please mark your calendars. International Students will receive specific testing instructions in the next week to 10 days. Self-quarantine and testing schedules will be updated to reflect new return dates. Tests will be sent based on your anticipated return date, according to a predetermined schedule arranged with W&Ms health care partners. 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. Students scheduled to move in on January 30 will receive a $100 rebate and those arriving February 6-7 will receive $200. Glue/tape recycled things together to make a sculpture. You are required to wear a face covering when in a classroom, lab or other instructional space. But my kids are trying and were doing the best that we can to get the needs met of the kids.. 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. Faculty will be flexible about academic materials (textbooks and the like) that you do not have access to. We write to share W&Ms plans for both in-person and virtual celebrations. The ability to physically distance within a space does not eliminate the above requirements. no outside visitors, limitations on gatherings, social distancing and mask-wearing both inside and outdoors. During the period of time where the university and its campuses are not open to the public, we will continue to provide essential services as best we can. Students should call ahead to schedule an appointment. Our goals have been, and continue to be: to safeguard this communitys health and wellbeing, to the best of our ability so that students can continue to learn and live together and faculty and staff can continue in the work they are passionate about. You will make the best memories at SHU; your friends, your professors and classes, everything. 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. Custodians had started cleaning, the walls in her classroom were bare and there were all kinds of things in the hallways. Its been tough, and she said an added challenge for her students is having the equipment to connect with her virtually, whether its because of not having the means or not having internet access . As always in these uncertain times, we will adhere to Virginias public health advisories to ensure the safety of all participating in and supporting events in the coming year. Verified disregard for mask-wearing, social distancing and other practices will not be tolerated. I just really miss them. Cory L. I hope you are all safe and healthy. Research has shown this; the challenges of learning under quarantine prove it by direct experience. The reasons educators gave for these stress-related feelings could be divided into two buckets. At the end of the day, our students ability to sustain these commitments will determine our capacity to be together safely. As with the fall semester, students are expected to quarantine eight days prior to returning to campus to minimize potential exposure to COVID-19. 1. If you have tested positive for COVID-19 within the 90 days prior to your return, please fill out the form at, As COVID-19 vaccine testing and deployment accelerates, the Virginia Department of Health is developing a protocol to administer inoculation across the Commonwealth. Some of you have sought to understand better our decision not to keep any dorms open, especially for international students. On June 12, 2020 William & Mary released its planning process for the coming semester the Path Forward: Fall 2020. I miss the opportunity to be with you and learn together. Children will look at you and learn from the skills you use daily to deal with stressful situations. Residence Hall check-in will take place by appointment. IT, maintenance, dining, library staff, etc.) With the exception ofOctober 19, when well start at 9:00 AM, testing will be available for students from 7:30 a.m. 4:00p.m.each day. Below are some additional resources that you may find helpful as you transition to our new online educational environment:, The departments of Health & Wellness have created a Virtual Health & Wellness site. Wherever you decide to give, your contribution, especially right now, will make a tremendous difference. If you are unable to move out completely now, we will offer another window in May to come back and collect your belongings. We know our graduates and families want to be able to gather freely, in large numbers for everything from the Candlelight Ceremony and Walk Across Campus, to our formal exercises themselves. KNOW THE SYMPTOMS OF COVID-19. The theme of my message is simple: You're amazing! Come and share in our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook. Seeing people wearing their masks on campus and in the surrounding community hearing faculty and staff talk about connecting to students in Williamsburg and around the world I feel pride and hope as the semester comes alive. Based on these discussions, I write to share the following answers to the most frequently asked questions. Take care of yourself and each other (from a safe distance of course). And, in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, we are missing being physically together on our beautiful Williamsburg campus. Our fall calendar anticipated a winter surge and the urgent need we face now, nationally, to minimize every path of transmission for COVID-19. It is imperative that we learn from them. Spend the free time you might have during our shelter in place to nurture and start new relationships and then take care of them as the years go by, she explained. We will work with students (and their faculty as appropriate) to be sure they are in a position to be successful this semester. Please reach out to the graduating students around you and support them. Questions About COVID-19 Response. Words are not enough to thank you for your strength, courage, and dedication. Based on these determinations and the most recent federal and state guidelines, Family Weekend 2020 will be re-imagined as a fully virtual event. We ask the community to be aware that the public health context and VA directives will continue to change in the coming weeks. Instead, approach lower grades with compassion, and help kids find intrinsic motivation. William & Mary students brought the resourcefulness our university is known for, in navigating the pace of a compressed semester. In this effort, we have good partners. The provost and deans offices will coordinate this transition for all academic programs. As William & Mary moves into the Fall 2020 semester, the COVID-19 Response Team provides the following summary of the universitys testing protocol for students and employees. Dear William & Mary Community, At our first weekly Community Conversation, I invited our far-flung William & Maryfamily to learn how the Alma Mater of the Nation is responding to the coronavirus pandemic. Do not be the reason that valued W&M employees are furloughed or lose their jobs. We will have more general information about Summer 2021 later this summer. November 18, 2021. For more information on meal plans, please visit, June 25-July 7 -- Registration for undergraduate transfer students, July 8 New student housing assignments announced, July 8, 5 p.m. Meal plan selection deadline, July 15 Details about orientation, residence hall check-in, and move-in process announced, July 15 Listing of fall course delivery available (including delivery mode designations), Week of August 3 Continuing students and new transfer students can make changes to schedules, Aug 8-11 Returning Students Phase I move-in (returning students with a need to arrive early), Aug 12-14 New Student move-in (freshman, transfers, Joint Degree Programme), Aug 13-18 Returning Students Phase II move-in (all other returning students). Do not be selfish your actions impact the entire community. For a close-knit community that treasures our ceremonies, Commencement stands out as among our most cherished. Employees were advised of their units in-person or remote requirements the week of July 20. Dear W&M Community, So much feels different about this spring semester. 3. Even as we benefit from sharing wisdom with peer institutions in the Commonwealth and around the country, our decisions will reflect William & Marys unique culture and educational model. Nothing makes me prouder than the wonderful things our teachers do for their pupils. "Thank you very much for doing that video. As William & Mary finalizes plans for the spring, I will be in touch with additional updates and details. The universitys goal is to prioritize safety while offering as much in-person instruction as possible. We know we can help by providing as much clarity as we can, as soon as we have it. If you are sick or symptomatic when you are randomly selected, please contact the Student Health Center for evaluation and further instructions; do not make an appointment for prevalence testing if you are ill. Should a student test positive for COVID-19, they will be contacted by the Student Health Center. Both the Provosts Office and Student Affairs want and need your real-time input concerning questions related to planning for the fall semester and beyond. If you see something, say something. A successful on-campus fall semester depends on intentional acts of caring and respect for each other and for the community as a whole. Student must maintain a 6-foot physical distance when interacting with people other than those with whom they share their immediate living unit. Honorlock is an online remote proctoring service that allows students to take exams from home. Next week we will update the campus on financial projections for FY21. Dear William & Mary Faculty, Staff & Students. Pandemic conditions require William & Mary to adapt how we teach, learn and work in order to mitigate health risks for our community. 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. Whether you have been here in Williamsburg or are studying remotely, we would not be where we are this semester without you. Changing near-term plans and longstanding habits requires time, effort and patience. For members of the Class of 2020, this reality is especially keenly felt as we approach the time of degree completion in May. Wieland, also a half marathon runner, treats her classroom as a training site as well with her students progress. These 4 Inspirational Letters From Teachers to Students Will Ease Exam Pains By Jovita Aranha March 9, 2018 These beautiful letters by teachers have been immensely helpful for not just students but also their anxious parents. Your kids must be feeling overwhelmed, restless, anxious, and agitated with the sudden change in environment. It is recommended to Post them in the hallways or on the wall of the classroom. Yet it is one thing to plan for hypotheticals and another to make decisions in real-time, under ambiguous circumstances, adjusting as new information arrives hourly. We will continue to share updates as new information becomes available, create opportunities for feedback and find ways to connect virtually. In an email to you Aug. 21, Dean of Students Marjorie Thomas reiterated the importance of the Healthy Together Community Commitment. COVID-19-induced anxiety can make learning and information retention difficult. Students must comply with mask expectations. You are likely most infectious during these first 5 days.. Compliance with these requirements keeps our campuses safer through the summer and into the fall. While we are apart, learn with your familylearn some family history with a photo album, go on a nature hike and appreciate the world outside together, read with a family member. Kristen W. Being home means school time is a lot shorter. ET. Our live programs will be recorded to be used at your convenience. No one may accompany you into the building. The Commencement Committee will send additional, detailed communications in the coming weeks to degree candidates and families. Programs or events sponsored by the university or student groups will continue to be limited to 50 people, with required masks and physical distancing. Now, you can provide your immediate feedback to critical questions through the new text app we will be piloting called W&M&You. W&M will be significantly increasing its capacity to provide access to healthcare on campus. Next week will be the first week of prevalence testing at W&M. In the spirit of both/and, we will honor them in both May and October, both virtually and in person, in ways that are traditional, new, and joyful. School outbreak. Additional information about testing plans and protocols will be shared later this month. Ginger AmblerChair, Commencement CommitteeVice President for Student Affairs. COVID-19 Messages to Students (2020) | William & Mary An archive of messages sent to William & Mary students about the university's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In these trying times, this school staff has gone the extra mile to make sure their students know they are missed. If you are experiencing dire financial need this semester, the university may be able to help. Against the unpredictable environment of COVID-19, we will do everything we can to continue to provide as much certainty as we can. Please note that intentional submissionsof false reports are subject to disciplinary action. The frequency and population percentage will evolve based on campus trends, evolving science and available testing methods. And it matters to our surrounding community, as a time when many Williamsburg neighbors celebrate living in a university town. 8. Katherine A. Rowe, PresidentGinger Ambler, Vice President for Student Affairs. We strongly discourage all personal travel, domestic or international, and may require employees who do travel to self-quarantine upon return. Fully-embraced, these habits of care and respect will have a direct impact on the trajectory of W&Ms fall semester. As we prepare to change our instructional delivery modes starting next week, we are expanding the pass-fail option for Spring 2020. We understand that a positive test result is by its nature distressing. We take this seriously, especially since the stakes for everyones health and safety are so high. In barely more than a week, William & Mary faculty and staff in every school reinvented their spring semesters, adapting long-standing habits and materials into new platforms. That I will do my best to continue to support them and their families as we wade through uncharted territory. Teacher, Natalie Wieland, holds up the medals she plans to gift her students when they finish their AP exams. Teachers hope students take the time to figure out what they love and find out more about it.