Western to move classes online-only through at least April 3, 2020

March 12, 2020

Other urgent operational updates in response to COVID-19

GUNNISON—Western Colorado University is suspending on-campus classes in
classrooms effective end of day today (March 12) through at least April 3,
and cancelling classes for March 13, the day before the campus’s weeklong
Spring Break, announced President Dr. Greg Salsbury in a memo to campus
this morning.

Beginning Monday, March 23 (just after Spring Break), Western intends to
offer courses through videoconferencing platform Zoom in real-time on
existing Spring schedules. By April 3, Western leadership will evaluate
conditions related to COVID-19 to reassess an ideal mode for classes
through the end of Western’s academic year in early May.

Campus will remain open for now and campus-based professional operations
at the university will continue—including housing, dining, facilities
management and other key functions.

Western today also announces several other major operational updates to
address short-term circumstances brought on by COVID-19. These include:

* All campus-sponsored events of 150+ participants are cancelled until
further notice.
* The university is now strongly discouraging all non-essential,
non-urgent travel related to Western activities.
* The university is strongly encouraging campus unit supervisors to
allow staff and faculty who are uncomfortable working on campus to work remotely
as feasible.
* Western residence halls remain open, and the university will continue
to house and support all students for whom campus accommodation is the
best and only option. Western is encouraging students and other personnel who
can reside remotely with family members or peers to do so through Friday,
April 3.

Western strongly advises that all individuals with respiratory virus
symptoms consistent with COVID-19 should stay home and call 970-641-7660,
the Gunnison County Health Hotline set up for this purpose.

Salsbury said the university will remain alert to changing circumstances
and follow up with university students, faculty, and staff with any
updates by the end of Spring Break. The university has established western.edu/cv
to house updates and resources related to this event, and will soon launch
a Your Questions—Answered section on that page to house updates on
selected issues in the coming weeks.

As of late Wednesday March 11, 33 presumptive positive COVID-19 cases had
been confirmed in Colorado, and the state is one of more than a dozen that
have declared a state of emergency in response to this emergent health
concern.

“We are very aware of and empathetic to the major logistic and emotional
impacts that these changes may have on our community,” Salsbury said.
“Yet Western’s educational mission is underpinned by our caring for the
human beings who are here to teach, learn and help the university run. All
these actions are taken with the welfare of our people at the forefront.”