Lancers:

I want to provide the campus with some plans for the next week as we provide a safe environment for our students and employees.  We have received lots of information from doctors, health officials, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Public Health, etc.  As we work through these issues, please keep in mind we want to maintain our professionalism so that we have very little disruption to everyone’s lives.

EWC extended spring break by one week to ensure that we are ready for students to return to campus or ready for remote instruction in some cases if we can. The additional week of Spring Break will be dedicated to assisting faculty with developing, redesigning and possibly delivering courses through distance learning.  Faculty will need to assess how they can deliver their courses if we need to continue the extension of campus closure.    Right now the plan is for students to return to campus on March 23^rd.   This change will not result in any extension of the semester-length and will not change the date of graduation.  All classes will resume on Monday, March 23^rd with the thought that many of our classes could be moved to remote instruction with a very limited number of classes being offered on campus with consideration of social distancing.  We will be contacting students to share individual class details as they work these things out.  As we monitor the COVID-19 developments, we may need to re-assess the plans.  We will remain open as scheduled and college employees will report to work as normal.  College residence halls will remain open for students and food services will provide meals for students on March 16^th.  We have closed the fitness center with campus activities and community education classes canceled.  Student and employee travel is suspended as well.  Employees who are immunocompromised should contact HR to discuss potential accommodations.  Sick leave can be used for this and if someone does not have sick leave, HR will provide assistance.  Employees who experience fever, cough, or shortness of breath should call their healthcare provider.  If you are sick, please do not come to campus.  No job is THAT important and we want to keep the spread of any illness isolated, so please do not come to campus if you are sick.  Students who are experiencing a fever, cough or shortness of breath are directed to call the Torrington or Douglas Public Health to determine whether their symptoms qualify for screening.

Individuals returning from a country currently at Warning Level 3 should stay away from campus, self-monitor and self-isolate for 14 days following their return.  All other travel advisories are subject to change as public health officials continually evaluate the situation.  For further details about Level 3 status and other travel, please visit https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/after-travel-precautions.html.  International travel is discouraged.  At this time, the college is discouraging hosting or attending any non-essential large gatherings.  Campus email will remain our official communication platform to update the campus about classes and campus decisions.  We are trying to minimize the impact of COVID-19 and this should not change our commitment to our students and EWC employees and our mission of excellence in service and education.   I am requesting that all EWC employees report to the cafeteria on Monday, March 16 at 8:00 a.m. for a short meeting to discuss concerns and to begin to put some of these plans in place as they relate to your job areas.

Lesley Travers, Ph.D.
President
Eastern Wyoming College
3200 West C Street
Torrington, WY 82240