Week of May 18, 2020
Campus Update
Sent: May 20, 2020
To Dickinson faculty and staff:
I hope you are staying safe. As you have likely heard, Cumberland County will move to the yellow phase of COVID recovery on Friday. While some additional businesses will be permitted to reopen, many restrictions remain in this phase.
We are in the process of identifying departments and functions that we will need to return to work on campus next week. As these decisions are made, those impacted employees will be contacted by their supervisors.
Only those who are contacted should plan to report to work onsite.
We understand the strong desire to return to normal operations, but we will do so carefully to ensure the health and safety of our community. We are following state regulations and federal and state health guidelines, as we have throughout this crisis. Requests to work on campus projects will need to be submitted to supervisors, who will consult with divisional vice presidents.
Specific safety guidelines will be provided to returning employees, in accordance with state regulations. Please note that anyone on campus must always wear a face mask and adhere to social distancing requirements.
This move into the yellow phase changes the modified staffing arrangement. Nonexempt staff are encouraged to refer to the payroll guidelines for directions on reporting their time. Additional questions should be directed to your supervisor or department chair.
This has been an unprecedented time in our history. I am impressed by your flexibility, your resilience and your tremendous support. We will get through this and we will be back together as soon as we can do it safely. Stay Dickinson strong.
Sincerely,
Margee M. Ensign
President
Study-Abroad Programs Cancelled for Fall
SENT: MAY 19, 2020
To the Dickinson Community:
As a global campus, Dickinson continues to be deeply committed to the value of education abroad. While we had hoped we could reach a different decision, the college has determined that we cannot confidently and safely support study abroad for the fall semester of 2020.
We have been monitoring the State Department, CDC and individual countries’ travel restrictions. And we have communicated with our staff and university partners abroad. Given health and safety concerns and a variety of other factors including the continued closure of embassies for visa processing, 14-day quarantine requirements for those entering from outside the host country and the suspension of in-person courses or exchange programs at our partner institutions, we will not permit participation in any fall 2020 study-abroad programs.
We are making this announcement now in order to give students who were planning to study abroad as much time as possible to revise their plans and to reduce stress, including the uncertainty that would accompany a delay in the decision. Most fall 2020 study-abroad students have already registered for fall classes. We will make every effort to accommodate students who want to reschedule their study abroad experience for a future term.
We are all disappointed by this news and understand how disruptive it is for those students who were planning to study abroad. We are looking forward to resuming study abroad when it is safe for all the members of our community both here and abroad.
We are hopeful that we will resume in-person classes in August, and a number of campus committees are making plans for a variety of scenarios. We will be sharing our decision about how the fall will proceed no later than mid-June. If you have any questions, please feel free to email global@dickinson.edu. Also, we have created an FAQ page to answer many of your questions.
Thank you for your flexibility and support.
Sincerely,
Margee M. Ensign
President