Nov 18: Weekly Update from President Nowaczyk

Nov 18, 2020 7:15 PM

We are in the final days of a very challenging fall term for everyone.  All of you should feel empowered by what you have accomplished over these last months.  By working to provide as safe and healthy an environment for learning as possible while offering a level of in-person instruction many other colleges and universities did not — all while caring for our students, faculty and staff — this university community has a lot to proud of. 

We had many challenges along the way that have helped inform the decisions made in moving forward. We will continue to look to best practices, guidance from national, state and local governments, health officials, facts and evidence as we look to the next semester and the important road ahead of us.

I encourage you to remain vigilant and finish strong. Be sure to practice safe and healthy behaviors here and anywhere you go during the coming break. 

There are a number of updates and information I would like to share:

COVID-19 Testing: I strongly encourage all students who are returning home to get a free virus test prior to returning home. The state and county health departments are providing free COVID-19 testing three days per week at the Allegany County Fairgrounds. Hours are Mondays from 2-7 p.m. and on Wednesdays and Fridays from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. No appointment, insurance card or doctor’s order is needed. 

Monitoring Symptoms and Check-in:  The online check-in using the FSU COVID Check-In Portal is required for those coming to campus during the break.  

Two Important Opportunities for Feedback: 

Students, please watch for and fill out a survey about the Fall 2020 semester. It will be sent to undergraduate students via your official FSU email in the coming week. Graduate students will receive a separate survey in December. It is important to provide feedback to help us make decisions moving forward into 2021. 

QR-code.pngEveryone, please fill out the Campus Climate Survey from the University Council for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. The deadline to respond has been extended to Friday, Dec. 11. The results from this anonymous, 15-minute survey will allow UCDEI to highlight areas for improvement while also furthering our mission to create a unifying campus environment. We value every member of our community, and we hope that this survey will serve as a step toward developing the campus environment that you all wish to see.

You can access the survey online or using the QR code here:

Dining Services Concerns: Students with any concerns about grab-and-go food and dining services can now text Chesapeake Dining Hall at 301-215-3886 and Lane Center at 301-215-3747. These texts go to managers who can act on your concerns. Information is also available on the dining services web page.

International Students: We have made the difficult decision to cancel the arrival of new international students for the spring 2021 semester because of COVID-19 and related visa issues. We look forward to welcoming them for the fall semester, or where possible, in online classes. (This does not affect international students already enrolled this semester.)

Finally…

A final note about freedom of expression. We take our charge to meet the higher education needs of the region very seriously. Our governance units (student, faculty and staff), committees, boards, community groups and the administration work daily on the hundreds of issues and concerns in addressing those higher education needs. 

There are many voices out there — all of whom we want to hear. Sometimes louder voices get more attention, but we listen to all voices and encourage you to do the same. Here is a portion of what VP for Student Affairs Artie Lee Travis recently shared with our student leaders about our commitment to freedom of expression: 

Our notion of building a sense of community involves having:

  • An open campus where free speech is protected and civility is affirmed in all we do
  • A just campus where the sacredness of each student is honored and diversity affirmed
  • A campus where students and staff accept their obligations to the group 
  • A campus where the well-being of all is supported in all that Student Affairs does on a day-to-day basis

Well said, Dr. Travis. Thank you.

Stay safe and well.