Dear Thiel College Community,

From its earliest days, Thiel College has been an adaptive community, supporting students to pursue their education while responding to new contexts and challenges. It is in that spirit that the College has decided to reduce activities on campus over the next three weeks while ensuring students the ability to continue their coursework. While no cases of COVID-19 have been identified on our campus or in Mercer County, we are taking pro-active steps to maintain the well-being of students, our campus and the larger community.

All of the following is effective Friday, March 13: All classes will be canceled Friday, March 13; Monday, March 16; and Tuesday, March 17. During this time, faculty will be preparing online instruction for the coming weeks. Students should check email daily for updates from their professors and the College. Students are expected to continue to work on material that was assigned prior to the cancellation and that might have come due during the canceled class periods.

· Unless approved to remain on campus, students should plan to depart from campus housing by 5 p.m., Friday.

· All classes will be held online from Wednesday, March 16 through at least April 3. The Thiel Solution Center will have extended hours to assist students and faculty with any technology issues.

o Before leaving campus, all students should ensure that their Microsoft Office Products are downloaded, updated and working (Word, Excel, Outlook, etc.).

Further, all students should have reliable access to:

§ email through their phone, laptop or webmail

§ Moodle

§ The Thiel Hub (network drives, password reset, academic applications)

Classes are scheduled to resume on campus on Monday, April 6, but online instruction may be extended into April.

· The residence halls will be restricted only to students who are permitted to remain on campus. We encourage students to return to their permanent home through April 5 and practice the recommended safeguards against the coronavirus. Spring-season varsity athletes, student teachers, and those who cannot return home or have special circumstances may petition for permission to remain on campus. All students must complete the Residential Plan Form to indicate their plans to depart campus or petition to remain in residence. Please go to https://thiel.erezlife.com/, and under Forms on the menu, click on the Residential Plan Form (COVID-19). No off-campus visitors will be allowed in the residence halls, and students will be expected to limit any off-campus travel.

· Food service will continue to provide adjusted meal service on campus.

· All athletic competitions (on and off-campus) will be suspended through April 3.

Spring season athletic teams will be permitted to practice during this time, but athletes are not required to participate in practices if they have left campus during this period. At this point, athletic competition is planned to resume Saturday, April 4.

· All College-sponsored travel is canceled through April 3 unless approved by the president.

· Large meetings and events will not be held on campus through April 5.

· The College and all offices will remain open with employees reporting to work as scheduled. Arrangements to work from home may be possible on a case-to-case basis.

Adjustments to student accounts may be made at the end of the semester when state and federal financial aid policies have been clarified.

Thiel College officials will continue to monitor the situation during this period. Announcements about any further reduction of activities or access to campus will be posted to the College website and communicated by email and social media. Public Safety remains available 24/7 and can be reached at 724-589-2222.

We appreciate your understanding as we take these precautions to keep the members of our community safe, while also allowing students to complete the semester and stay on track for graduation. We will continue to monitor COVID-19 closely, as well as the recommendations of local, state, and federal agencies.

Vice President Mike McKinney is coordinating the College’s response to the COVID-19 health concern. I encourage you to direct questions and concerns to him at mmckinney@thiel.edu or 724-589-2600.

You are welcome to contact me, as well, at thielpresident@thiel.edu.

We are operating in a fluid situation. Please be sure to check the College’s website for regular updates.

Sincerely,

President Susan Traverso _____________________________________________________________________________________ Note from the Editor: Due to Thiel closing for the next several weeks, the Thielensian will not be posting any updated content. Also, there will be no April Fools edition due to the closure. Stay healthy all. Carrie Severt Editor of Thielensian