Coronavirus update for March 11: Guidance for students

Dear Students,

As you know, Western Washington University has determined that classes in all our locations will not meet in person for the remainder of the quarter, which ends March 20.

Instructors have been asked to complete classes and provide exams remotely, or, if that is not suitable for a particular course, to explore other options for providing final grades. Your instructors will communicate directly with you by the end of the day today through Canvas or email about the specifics for each class. Please try to hold your communications with them until then; they are working hard to make those preparations for you. If you do not hear from your faculty by the end of the day, please contact that faculty member’s department chair via email or phone.

Students who do not have access to a laptop to complete the term or over spring break may check one out for an extended loan period at the Student Tech Center (2nd Floor Haggard), ATUS Loan Pool (HH 114), and the SMATE Resource Center (SMATE 220).

Other university offices will continue to operate, including important services such as residence halls and dining services, the Libraries, computer labs, the Recreation Center, and Viking Athletics. We continue to implement cleaning and disinfecting protocols for those locations. If you need to conduct business at a university office, you may assume that it will be open and ready to help you. If your business can be completed over the phone, please call.

If you are planning to stay in your residence hall over the break, your Residence Director will have good information to share. If you are staying in your off-campus residence, keep reading these messages! We will provide as much information as we can.

We continue to evaluate events using Health Department, Whatcom County, and State of Washington guidance, and will cancel non-essential events as necessary to promote the health and well-being of the campus and community. Double-check with event organizers before you attend a planned event to be sure that it is still happening.

We plan to resume full operations and classes on March 31, pending further guidance from the Health Department.

A new section of FAQs will be posted, with all the information we think you’ll need. We will continue to add to and refine it as more information is available.

With appreciation for your partnership,

Melynda Huskey