Editors’ Note: This information is gathered primarily from emails sent to the student body
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Study Abroad in China
January 23-27: The CDC raises the virus threat level to Warning Level 3 in China. The College pulls Study Abroad students in China from their programs. Read about a student's experience here
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First News
January 24: News about the virus is first shared with the campus community in an email from Janet Dee Spoltore (Director of Student Counseling and Health Services). A new website with general information and FAQ is created
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Study Abroad in Italy
February 29: College pulls Study Abroad students in Italy from their program after the virus threat level is raised to Warning Level 3. Students are asked to refrain from being in close proximity to any Connecticut College student, faculty or staff member off campus until they are symptom-free for at least 14 days after arriving back in the United States. Read about a student's experience here
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Restrictions and Quarantine
March 2: Faculty and staff are not permitted to return to campus if they have been in close contact with a person diagnosed with COVID-19, or if they are returning from a country at a CDC Warning Level 3. Faculty and staff must email CC Health before returning to campus to receive specific instructions.
The Emergency Response Team meets to address issues related to the business continuity of the College. Information Services, the Dean of the Faculty, and the Dean of the College collaborate to develop solutions, including online options, that will allow students to continue to make academic progress in the face of absences or campus closure
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Students Vacate Lazarus House
March 3-4: College designates Lazarus House as possible quarantine building, in the event that someone is infected by COVID-19 in the future. Dorm residents are asked to pack belongings and vacate their rooms before Spring Break, so that the building can be cleaned appropriately. All residents are given alternative room assignments on campus, with help from Residential Education and Living staff
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Comment Against Bias
March 5: John McKnight
(Dean of Institutional Equity and Inclusion) and Ebony Manning
(Associate Dean for Equity and Compliance Programs) remind everyone to uphold Conn’s values of equity and inclusion in response to a world-wide increase in racist and xenophobic acts, particularly against people of Asian and Asian-American identity or heritage, concerning the coronavirus -
Required Travel Form
March 6: The College requires the campus community to complete an International Travel Form to document future travel plans
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Spring Break
Spring Break begins Friday, March 6 at 5 pm until Monday, March 23 at 8 am
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Petition
March 11: Angelina Annino '20 (Dance and Sociology double major) starts a petition on change.org addressed to the Deans and President of Connecticut College, asking that students (particularly those in the arts and those completing research and honors theses) who wish to come back to Conn be allowed: "... it is absolutely essential that we have in-person access to our professors and peers..."
At the time of the publication of this article, it has 417 signatures
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Email from President Bergeron
Wednesday, March 11 at 9 pm: President Bergeron emails the campus community that although there are no known cases of COVID-19 on campus, at the close of spring break, Conn Coll will suspend residential instruction and transition to remote modes of teaching (through the finals period) until at least April 30. By April 30, seniors will be informed about plans to celebrate Commencement.
The College is recommending:
- that all large lectures and events planned for the remainder of the term be canceled
- that all College-sponsored domestic and international travel be suspended
- that access to our campus be limited to Connecticut College personnel and other approved contractors;
- that admission tours cease until further notice, and other admission activities, including Camel Days, be offered through alternative means;
- and, with the recent announcement by NESCAC presidents, that our spring athletic season be canceled as of March 15.
Connecticut College is not closed, but will remain open to staff and faculty
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Moving Out
March 12: Students are asked by Dean of Students Victor Arcelus to pack and move all their belongings out of their rooms on the same day that they arrive between March 12 and March 23, and to fill out the online Move-Out Plan Form before returning to campus no later than March 15 to let the College know when they will arrive to campus. Students who are currently on campus for the spring break must make plans to move out by Monday, March 16. Once completing the Check-Out Form, students will be reimbursed for room and board.
- the College will pay for one large flat rate box of academic books and materials to be shipped
- a shuttle will depart from campus from Saturday to Tuesday at 7 am to TF Green Airport in Providence and to John F. Kennedy Airport in New York
- packing supplies will be placed in the lounges of the residence halls
- a Connecticut College senior who runs a packing/moving company will pack rooms for students who need assistance or can't get to campus
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SGA and Alumni Response
March 13: An email from the Student Government Association contains a live word document to allow students to pose questions and concerns, and a Google Sheet created by Yoldas Yildiz '18 which allows alumni to list their contact information and current job/education status for seniors who have questions on resumes, jobs, graduate schools, etc.
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Moving Out, Part 2
March 15: Dean Arcelus asks students that if they are planning to retrieve their belongings themselves, they should come to campus by Wednesday, March 18 in the possibility that sometime before the end of this week, travel to Conn may not be permitted either by Connecticut's Governor, Ned Lamont, or by the federal government
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Remote Classes Begin
Remote teaching on distance learning platforms will begin on Wednesday, March 25 at 8 am
Image of Plant House. Photo credit: Sophia Angele-Kuehn
Did Conn refund students for the cost of living on campus? And has Conn offered any money to the thousand or so students that they may be making homeless?