I am typing this at 7 am and there could be things that change between now and 5-6 pm when this typically hits your mailboxes but I want to make sure this gets in the queue to be sent to you. Things really are moving at the speed of sound.
Yesterday a message went to students, faculty, staff, and parents/families from Dr. Hatch announcing that we will suspend in-person classes in Winston-Salem and Charlotte; read it here. There are also a number of key points on the main coronavirus page (coronavirus.wfu.edu) that are worth your time to read.
Very early this morning, a communication went out from our Global Programs and Studies office to students in WFU abroad programs announcing the suspension of those programs; read it here.
These have all been incredibly difficult decisions. Know that these decisions have been made in consultation with experts in public health and with respect to our students’ safety. A few random updates here:
Admissions has made an announcement about campus tours and events; see it on their website.
We remind that all undergraduate residential students that they need to go to the housing portal to fill out the form to let Residence Life and Housing know whether they are coming back to campus (whether they need to stay overnight, just come back to pick up essentials, or need to stay in their rooms). That form is located at go.wfu.edu/housingportal (your students must complete it via their WFU login).
We are hosting a call center Thursday and Friday from 9-5 Eastern to answer the most common questions. The number is 336-758-7500. We may not have the answer immediately, but we will bubble it those up to our crisis team and will try to address them in future communications or on the coronavirus site. Similarly, if you send an email (to me personally, or to parents@wfu.edu), I may not be able to respond to you in a timely way – or even at all – but we are pushing those questions to the best person to answer, or channeling your feedback to our crisis team.
Thank you for your patience and understanding during these extraordinary times.
