Posts from March, 2020

Beginning this week, Eastern Wyoming College will share campus updates every Tuesday and Thursday. News will be released more frequently if necessary.

The administration is considering all options for graduation but would like to have student input. Please watch your EWC student email account for a survey related to graduation later this week.

EWC is watching all national and statewide recommendations in regard to when each campus will be allowed to reopen. As of last Friday, the Governor’s recommendation extended the closure through April 17^th. Students should diligently watch for updates from the College as many recommendations have been modified on a weekly and sometimes daily basis.

EWC has developed a list of Frequently Asked Questions which can be found at the following link: https://ewc.wy.edu/frequently-asked-questions/.  Check back occasionally as additional items may be added.

General Announcements:

Eastern Wyoming College students who are struggling with non-academic issues and would like information about community support agencies, please contact Dr. Debbie Ochsner, Dean of Faculty/Student Services at debbie.ochsner@ewc.wy.edu, 307-532-8221, or 307-575-1121 for further referral information. 

The EWC Directory can be found at the following link to reach any EWC employee. Employees are working from home but are available by phone and email: https://ewc.wy.edu/directory/

All messages and alerts can be found at the following link: https://ewc.wy.edu/alerts/

Eastern Wyoming College has announced the following campus updates for Friday, March 27, 2020.

At the direction of the Governor and state health officials, EWC will remain closed through April 17^th.

EWC has developed a list of Frequently Asked Questions which can be found at the following link: https://ewc.wy.edu/frequently-asked-questions/.  Check back occasionally as additional items may be added.

News from Financial Aid:

After a series of long negotiations, the U.S. Senate passed the third COVID-19 relief package early Thursday morning by a vote of 96-0. The bill, dubbed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, represents a compromise between Senate Republicans and Democrats, both of whom have introduced COVID-19 legislation in recent weeks that address student aid. The $2 trillion bill includes roughly $30 billion in an Education Stabilization Fund, of which about $14 billion will be allocated to higher education, and includes multiple provisions related to student aid. While this stimulus bill represents some needed relief for students and their families, the Department of Education must still provide guidance on how to implement and regulate the provisions within the bill. The Financial Aid Office will provide information as we become aware of changes that might impact our students, so please continue to watch EWC’s daily updates.

News from Dr. Travers:

According to research, social relationships are an important component of human life.  A network of positive relationships provides a source of support, meaning and guidance which can influence mental health.  Social isolation is a situation that can influence health and well-being.   Adults who are socially isolated may experience feelings of loneliness and depression.  Please make sure you connect with friends and neighbors through phone calls, instagrams, texts, etc.  Other ways to deal with loneliness:

• Listen to some music
• Read a good book
• Watch a movie and discuss with your long-distance friends
• Take a 15-minute power nap
• Start cleaning
• Organize something you have been wanting to organize
• Check on an elderly neighbor; just a call can make a difference
• Do something for your roomie
• Clean out the flower beds
• Start a work out routine (just 5 minutes makes a difference)
• Create something:  sketch, paint, knit, just get those creative juices flowing
• Take the dog for a walk or two or three
• Study for 30 more minutes than usual

  If you are struggling with loneliness, anxiety or depression and need professional help, call a local therapist or if you have suicidal thoughts call the Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-8255.

General Announcements:

Eastern Wyoming College students who are struggling with non-academic issues and would like information about community support agencies, please contact Dr. Debbie Ochsner, Dean of Faculty/Student Services at debbie.ochsner@ewc.wy.edu, 307-532-8221, or 307-575-1121 for further referral information. 

The EWC Directory can be found at the following link to reach any EWC employee. Employees are working from home but are available by phone and email: https://ewc.wy.edu/directory/

All messages and alerts can be found at the following link: https://ewc.wy.edu/alerts/

Eastern Wyoming College is sharing the following campus update for Thursday, March 26, 2020.

The EWC Lancer Livestock Sale is being held digitally this year and is currently underway through Tuesday evening. Visit the EWC Ag Department’s Facebook page for further details.

The EWC Directory can be found at the following link to reach any EWC employee. Employees are working from home but are available by phone and email: https://ewc.wy.edu/directory/

All messages and alerts can be found at the following link: https://ewc.wy.edu/alerts/.

Eastern Wyoming College has received the following notification from the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association (NIRA) regarding eligibility:

The National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association is happy to announce that all 2019-2020 members will have a void of their NIRA membership year due to the Coronavirus Disease.  The specific rule adoption is as follows:

Because of the limitations in competition as a result of the cancellation of numerous NIRA rodeos in 2020 due to the Coronavirus Disease, the NIRA membership of all NIRA student members who were eligible to compete during the 2019-2020 rodeo season shall be void effective July 1, 2020 [or upon the conclusion of the 2020 CNFR, if it is held]. NIRA student members whose membership was voided pursuant to this Rule shall have an additional year of eligibility, SUBJECT HOWEVER, to other eligibility rules set forth in the NIRA Rulebook for 2020-2021. This Rule is not intended to affect any other NIRA eligibility rules.

For more information on the Lancer Rodeo program, contact Coach Jake Clark at jake.clark@ewc.wy.edu.

Eastern Wyoming College is sharing the following campus updates for Wednesday, March 25, 2020.

Eastern Wyoming College students who are struggling with non-academic issues and would like information about community support agencies, please contact Dr. Debbie Ochsner, Dean of Faculty/Student Services at debbie.ochsner@ewc.wy.edu, 307-532-8221, or 307-575-1121 for further referral information. 

The Douglas Campus has set up a virtual tutoring center for students who need tutoring. Students should contact Margaret Farley at margaret.farley@ewc.wy.edu for further information and access to the Canvas lab.

News from Student Services:

Financial Aid:

Financial Aid Office staff are still working and processing your aid for this term and for next year. If you have questions or concerns, please contact our main office at 307.532.8224 or financialaid@ewc.wy.edu or contact us individually:

• Holly West (general questions, VA benefits, Work Study): 307.532.8224 or Holly.West@ewc.wy.edu
• Terri Hauf (scholarship questions, federal verification/documentation questions):  307.532.8326 or Terri.Hauf@ewc.wy.edu
• Shanna Vargas (Hathaway questions, federal verification/documentation questions): 307.532.8327 or Shanna.Vargas@ewc.wy.edu
• Susan Stephenson (questions on impact to aid from withdrawing, appeal questions): 307.532.8325 or Susan.Stephenson@ewc.wy.edu

Please contact the Financial Aid Office BEFORE deciding to withdraw from all classes this semester. A full withdrawal can have serious consequences for what you might owe back for this semester and your aid eligibility in future semesters. While our office can take into consideration the impact COVID-19 is having on your success with appeals of aid suspensions, there is NO leeway for exempting students from owing back federal aid from a full withdrawal during the term. Remember, completing even ONE full-term class will prevent you owing any federal aid back to any federal aid program.

Students are encouraged to continue submitting documentation to the Financial Aid Office electronically via EWC’s secure file transfer email system.  You must register with your email and set a password first, but then can send and view email with the Financial Aid Office, and be assured that your personal information is encrypted and secure. For more information and to register, see: https://ewc.wy.edu/future-students/financial-aid/secure-email/.

Financial Aid refund checks will be mailed until further notice.

U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced on Friday, March 20, that the office of Federal Student Aid is providing student loan relief to student borrowers during the COVID-19 national emergency. All borrowers with federally held student loans will automatically have their interest rates set to 0% for a period of at least 60 days.  Track your student loan debt at StudentAid.gov.

Residence Life:

As mentioned in a previous email, EWC is hoping to open a limited number of spaces in the residence halls on April 13. The primary intention is to allow cosmetology and welding students to come back to finish their hours.

We understand that students outside these majors may need housing as well. If you have extenuating circumstances that a) prevent you from returning to your home country or b) could result in homelessness, please respond to this message by Monday, March 30 at noon.

While we cannot guarantee housing for anyone at this time, we do want to take all factors into account as we consider the assignment process.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Student Success Center:

Online tutoring through NetTutor is available from a link found in every course in Canvas. Also, if you are used to working with specific tutors in our Student Success Center, you can request appointments by clicking on your Student Success Center (SSC) course within Canvas.  Click on Torrington Campus Peer Mentor-Tutors, then click on “Contact them”. Zoom tutor sessions are available if you and your tutor have the capability. Please contact Julie Sherbeyn at julie.sherbeyn@ewc.wy.edu or 307-575-5083 if you have further questions and look for updates in the announcement section of the SSC course in Canvas.

Eastern Wyoming College students, the deadline to withdraw from Spring 2020 courses has been extended to Monday, May 4th, 2020 at 4:00pm. Please contact the registrar’s office, if you have questions.

The EWC Directory can be found at the following link to reach any EWC employee. Employees are working from home but are available by phone and email: https://ewc.wy.edu/directory/

All messages and alerts can be found at the following link: https://ewc.wy.edu/alerts/

Eastern Wyoming College is sharing the following campus update for Tuesday, March 24, 2020.

• Students – this is your second day of class and don’t forget, your instructors are available to answer any questions and support you as you complete the semester.
• The EWC Directory can be found at the following link to reach any EWC employee. Employees are working from home but are available by phone and email: https://ewc.wy.edu/directory/
• All messages and alerts can be found at the following link: https://ewc.wy.edu/alerts/

Eastern Wyoming College is sharing the following update:

• Students – your classes did resume today either online or modified, based on the information from your instructor. If you have not connected with your instructor through Canvas or your EWC email, please do so today. Today is also National Organize your Home Office Day which is a perfect time to organize your space to work on your classes!
• Residence Hall students – please continue to communicate directly with Shannon regarding any housing questions.
• As of current guidance from the Department of Education, full withdrawals may still result in the student owing back a portion of the federal aid students received during the term. Students should contact financial aid at 307.532.8224 or financialaid@ewc.wy.edu BEFORE withdrawing to determine any impact to their aid eligibility.

Keeping our students and employees safe is our number one priority. Even though the campus is closed, EWC employees are working and can be contacted by email or phone. Reach out to us – we are here to help you!

Eastern Wyoming College has the following updates to share with students, employees and the public.

• Eastern Wyoming College has partnered with Wyoming 4-H to move the contest they had scheduled for April 4 to a virtual platform, so youth can still participate from home, while practicing social distancing as recommended in response to the coronavirus. Daily learning sessions have been added and will run March 23 – April 3, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. each day via zoom. These sessions will highlight the topics that will be included in the contest which will be held April 4-5, 2020.  Youth can connect to the learning sessions by going to: http://bit.ly/Wyoming4-H. Come join in the fun! For questions contact Georgia Younglove at 307-799-5419 or Dawn Sanchez 307-799-8780 or email dawns@uwyo.edu.
• Financial Aid refund checks will be mailed until further notice.
• Residence Hall students should have received an email from Ms. Jolley explaining the process to sign up for a time to move out of the residence halls. Please contact her directly to accomplish this task. The halls will be deep cleaned from top to bottom. Please communicate directly with Ms. Jolley in regard to housing.

Important announcement from the Financial Aid Office:

Eastern Wyoming College is concerned about the privacy and security of your information, and financial aid documents often include a lot of personal information. While EWC is closed, students (and parents, if applicable) are encouraged to continue sending documents like scholarship acceptance letters and verification worksheets to the Financial Aid Office via EWC’s secure file transfer option. This tool ensures timely delivery of needed information to the Financial Aid Office while protecting your personal information through secure, encrypted, electronic transmission.

First, register to use Secure Email: https://ewc-wy.secureemailportal.com/.

Then, you will need to enter your email address and create a password.

A confirmation email will be generated after you register. Once you activate your password from that confirmation email, you can log in to send secure emails to financialaid@ewc.wy.edu and to view any encrypted emails sent back from our office.  Emails sent to you by EWC employees may come with a security statement from Zix or may have instructions to login to the EWC secure message system.  Contact the Financial Aid Office with any questions at financialaid@ewc.wy.edu or 307.532.8224.

The next Campus Update will be distributed on Monday, March 23^rd. Updates will only be distributed on the weekends if there is urgent or updated new information to share. Questions or concerns can be directed to Tami Afdahl, Director of College Relations, 307.575.0829, tami.afdahl@ewc.wy.edu. Alerts and updates can be found at: https://ewc.wy.edu/alerts/.

Eastern Wyoming College has received the following release from the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association in regard to the cancellation of the spring rodeo season.

MEMO

DATE:           March 20, 2020
TO:                 NIRA Membership
FROM:           NIRA National Office
RE:                 Remaining Season
 

The National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association Board of Directors has made the decision to cancel the last few remaining rodeos in the spring season, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. If you are a rodeo coach that has one of these few events, please cancel your event immediately.

It is heartbreaking for all of our athletes, coaches, and fans, but the health and safety of everyone is the most important at this time.

As of now, the 2020 College National Finals Rodeo is still planned for June 14-20 in Casper, Wyoming.  A final decision will be made by May 14^th, with the advisement of the CDC and the State of Wyoming and their Public Health Departments.

Please continue to be vigilant in your efforts to share proper safe social distancing and hand washing techniques in all of your gatherings.

Thank you all for your support of college rodeo during this unprecedented and very difficult time.