Dickinson President Margee Ensign sent the following message to the campus community on March 17 to provide an update on the college's response to the coronavirus (COVID-19):
To the Dickinson Community:
As we shared yesterday, Dickinson classes are going online for the remainder of the semester. While we are diligently working through this evolving situation, I want to direct you to the Coronavirus webpage, as well as the Student Frequently Asked Questions page and the Employee FAQ page. We have anticipated many questions, which are answered there.
I hope you are all taking the time to care for yourselves, your loved ones and your neighbors. Please also follow the CDC guidelines to keep yourself safe.
I want to reiterate and clarify several issues about which I have received questions.
Students and Parents
- No student is required to come back to campus to retrieve their belongings. We are happy to send a student’s essential belongings, such as books and computers, to them. Information on how to arrange that, as well as information on storage options, is covered in the student FAQ.
- We will not charge students for room and board for the portion of the semester when they will not be occupying their residence halls or utilizing their meal plans, following March 16. In the coming weeks, continuing students who vacate campus should expect to receive a prorated credit on their student accounts. For those who received need-based financial aid, it is not yet clear whether credits for room and board will affect financial aid eligibility. Institutions are currently being encouraged to wait for further guidance from the Department of Education before making any changes to aid eligibility based on cost of attendance. We request students’ patience as Financial Operations and Office of Financial Aid work to process and communicate the impact of prorated reimbursements on students’ aid packages. Seniors, once this financial aid analysis is completed, if you are due a refund, we will send one to you.
- Please log into the Gateway as soon as you can to add or update your Emergency Information. Upon logging into Gateway, you will be prompted to provide important contact information. Dickinson College will be using the cell phone and time zone information collected from this form to stay in contact with you throughout the remainder of the spring 2020 semester.
- If you are a student worker, we will have more information for you in the coming days.
- In order to provide faculty and students additional time for advising, the Fall 2020 Course Request Period has been postponed and extended. It will now take place at 9 a.m. EDT, Monday, March 30, through 4 p.m. EDT, Friday, April 3, 2020. Advising sessions with faculty and advising staff will be available online and by phone.
- Department of Public Safety officers will continue to respond to all emergency calls and calls for service for which a response is determined to be necessary. However, non-emergency matters should be handled with telephone calls to limit exposure between officers and members of the public when appropriate. Instead of automatically sending out an officer to take reports, many will now be taken over the phone or by email. Calls will be screened to determine if they meet criteria for a phone/email report. Contact Public Safety at 717-245-1349 or security@dickinson.edu.
Employees
- Our commitment to our employees is one of our key priorities at this moment. As a reminder, all full and part-time employees are not required to use leave for absences due to issues involving COVID-19, including school closures, through this month.
- Please log into the Gateway as soon as you can to add or update your Emergency Information. Upon logging into Gateway, you will be prompted to provide important contact information. Dickinson College will be using the cell phone and time zone information collected from this form to stay in contact with you throughout the remainder of the spring 2020 semester.
While this is an unprecedented situation and it will take us some time to work through all scenarios, we are dedicated to protecting the health and safety of our community while continuing with our educational mission. We will be sharing opportunities for virtual gatherings in the coming days. We also will be providing information on our admissions efforts. While our campus is closed to visitors, we continue our work of recruiting the class of 2024, and we have a strong virtual visit page with options for admitted students to connect with Dickinsonians.
This is a resilient and courageous community. We will meet these challenges and become stronger.
Sincerely,
Margee M. Ensign
President
Published March 17, 2020