The Vermont State College System (VSCS) made the decision Thursday afternoon to move all of its colleges to a remote-learning system. In an announcement to the community, Chancellor of the VSCS Jeb Spaulding said that all in-person instruction across Vermont State College institutions would be transitioning to a remote classroom setting by the end of the day today, Friday, March 13, and continue until at least Friday, April 3. Furthermore, already online courses would continue on as normal. Spaulding also strongly encouraged residential students to return home no later than Sunday, March 15. “…I recognize this is a difficult time for students and staff, but one in which we can all pull together with the common goal of protecting our communities’ health and safety, and also ensuring that our students continue to receive the valuable education we provide through the successful completion of the semester,” Spaulding wrote.
The President of Northern Vermont University, Elaine C. Collins, also issued an email statement to the NVU communities, saying that “NVU understands the deep impact such a decision may have and the VSCS has carefully weighed options.”
In this email, Collins specified more about the role NVU was going to take in the protection of its students and the expectation of remote coursework. Northern Vermont University was scheduled for a spring break occurring April 6 through April 10. This break was moved up to next week, March 16 through March 20 to “give faculty and staff time to ready their in-person courses for remote delivery.” Classes that were formerly in-person and on the Northern Vermont University campuses are expected to resume using remote methods on Monday, March 23.
Northern Vermont University intends to return to traditional, in-person education on April 6. Until then, however, “the NVU administration and the VSCS will reassess the situation as it evolves before deciding which day in-person instruction will resume,” according to President Collins.
Residential Policies
In her email, President Collins echoed the concerns of Chancellor Spaulding. She, too, encouraged students to return home by the end of March 15. For some students, though, the safest place for them is their designated campus, and that need was also recognized.
All students currently residing on campus must fill out a housing form emailed to them by the Dean of Students, Jonathan Davis. You can also find that housing form here. The form will let NVU Residential Life staff know when students are leaving and which students are requesting housing. The email also asks that students needing transportation to the Concord Coach Line in Littleton, New Hampshire or Amtrack Station in Montpelier, Vermont fill out another designated form. For students residing on the NVU-Lyndon campus, that travel form can be found here.
For students looking to stay on the NVU-Lyndon campus, an NVU Residential Life representative will follow up with you. Please note that the Hornet’s Nest, library, and S.H.A.P.E. facilities will be closed during this period of remote instruction. Sodexo’s Stevens Dining Hall services will remain open and functioning to feed students remaining on campus.
Any student looking to leave the Lyndonville area will not be permitted to return to campus until normal operations resume. Davis is advising that students take essentials with them–medications, clothing, recreational gear, textbooks, etc. Students can leave their belongings in their rooms and are advised to treat this leave as a normal school break. Davis further instructs that each student’s room “…should be prepared as it would be for a normal break period (i.e., lock windows and doors, set thermostats between 65-70 degrees, empty the trash, unplug everything besides refrigerators and fish tanks, and empty refrigerators of any foods that may spoil).”
Academic and Financial Resources
Prior to the decision to move to remote education, Provost Nolan Atkins sent out an email to the student body asking them to fill out a survey concerning what technology and internet connection they have available to them at home, or wherever a student will be residing for the next few weeks. That survey can be found here.
Atkins also confirmed that course instructors should have plans sent to their students by Wednesday, March 18, regarding how the course will proceed in an online environment. Students are encouraged to download and familiarize themselves with resources such as Canvas, an online system that organizes students’ coursework, and Zoom, an advanced video and audio conferencing software. Atkins says that remote instruction may include slideshows, video content, online discussion forums, video conferencing, assigned readings, emails, phone calls, and more.
“This is not intended to be a full-scale move to online instruction,” Atkins wrote. “It is a temporary solution to ensure courses continue to move forward in the event that we temporarily curtail face-to-face instruction.”
While the physical library will be closed for the next three weeks, Library Director Sam Boss sent out an email to assure students that electronic resources would still be available. By going to the library’s website, students can access different e-books, academic journals, and newspapers (including old editions of The Critic). Boss says that while requests for physical materials are suspended until NVU returns operations to normal, the library will continue to fulfill interlibrary loan requests for electronic resources.
Students and families concerned about financial aid should know that Northern Vermont University officials, VSCS officials, state authorities, and federal authorities are currently communicating over the issue. Director of Marketing and Communications, Sylvia L. Plumb, told students in an email that “further information will be made available as soon as we have more information. We know this is critically important to you.”
Students with non-essential work study or direct hire job positions are not permitted to continue their work. There are, however, job opportunities classified under “essential” classification and students interested in alternative work are encouraged to reach out to Dottie Dearborn via email.
Athletics and Extracurriculars
Within minutes of Spaulding’s original email, David Pasiak, the Sports Information Director of Northern Vermont University – Lyndon, sent out a press release announcing that all athletic activities were suspended from March 13 until April 6. This includes North Atlantic Conference games, non-conference games, and access to S.H.A.P.E. athletic facilities and the pool.
In President Collins’ email, she noted that all public events that were to be hosted on either Northern Vermont University campus, as well as individual NVU events, were suspended until at least April 6.
The Campus Activities Board (CAB) followed that announcement up with clarification that all on and off-campus events they planned to host over the next three weeks were canceled. This announcement was effective immediately and included the scheduled Paint n Sip Thursday night. CAB also canceled the New York City bus trip, a tradition at NVU-Lyndon, which was scheduled for April 18.
CAB plans to host digital programming events, however, over the next few weeks. The Executive Board asks that students stay connected with CAB as opportunities to virtually connect and have fun are rolled out to the student body. Students can stay up-to-date on these ideas by following CAB’s Facebook page here.
Furthermore, all international travel continues to be suspended through April 30. Educational trips to Costa Rica and London, England/Paris, France have been canceled. Any and all domestic travel, including between the two NVU campuses and throughout Vermont, has also been ceased.
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Northern Vermont University administration will be updating the school website as they continue to discuss the best options for the student body. According to President Collins, “Students should expect to receive information after April 1 regarding the remainder of the semester.”
“The academic year is a rhythm and to pause this natural flow as we approach the end of the semester is heartbreaking for us. I want you to know that we have heard from students who want to stay on campus because they feel safe here, and we have heard from students who want to go home,” Collins wrote. “I hold each of you in my thoughts during this time and look forward to seeing you soon.”
All of this information and any updates can be found here. The community is encouraged to look at the website frequently for any updates.
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The Critic would like to wish all traveling students a safe journey as they return home or to other locations. Our Editor-in-Chief will be issuing a public statement on Monday on how The Critic will function during these times to continue to keep the community updated while keeping its staff safe, mentally and physically.