March 13, 2019
Dear Campus Community:
This will be the last memo before the start of Spring Break. The next memo will likely be sent early next week.
Some have asked whether distance learning from home will be different
from distance learning in the residence halls. The answer is “no.”
There will be no difference in the instructional mode, regardless of
location. Access to Reed Library and specific campus facilities and
equipment will be the primary difference.
Financial Decision
SUNY continues to work on system-wide guidance and expects to have
information to campuses early next week. This information will be
shared with you the moment it arrives on campus.
Commencement
There definitely will be some form of Commencement for the Class of
2020, but realize it may be very different from any other Commencement
celebration held at SUNY Fredonia over the past 194 years. The Senior
Expo scheduled for March 24 in the University Commons lobby has been
cancelled, and due to the uncertainty of Commencement being held in a
traditional format, the Bookstore will suspend at least for the time
being, the sale of academic regalia, which was slated to begin on March
23.
FAQ Page
We have created a FAQ page to relay some of the most requested
information to you. The link to the FAQ page, which will be updated
regularly, is on www.fredonia.edu/coronavirus.
Also included on this page is a recent letter from SUNY Chancellor
Kristina Johnson. One part of her letter mentions some SUNY campuses
are extending Spring Break to two weeks, making the semester longer.
Fredonia is not among those campuses. Our academic calendar is
unchanged, so our Spring Break will run from March 14 to March 22.
The disruption to the campus, and especially to the lives of our
students, is very difficult for all of us. We do not know the exact
date when normalcy will return, but please know this pandemic will
eventually end. In the meantime, many people, both on-campus and off-,
are pulling together to ensure students receive the education they
deserve. Here’s three examples of the many positive things that
happened today: (1) six hours of training sessions to assist faculty
with constructing viable distance learning courses were held today, less
than 48 hours after the Governor’s edict, (2) a letter arrived this
morning from our telephone/bandwidth provider, DFT Communications,
offering to double the campus’ bandwidth for the remainder of the
semester at no cost to assist with the distance education our students
will be receiving, and (3) the faculty and staff, working with our
Development Office, today started a fund to financially assist
students—you’ll hear more about this fund in the near future.
I wish everyone a safe Spring Break and the very best for the rest of the semester!
Sincerely,
Dennis L. Hefner, Ph.D.
Interim President