March 13, 2020

Dear Colleagues and Students,

As Hobart and William Smith Colleges address the Coronavirus outbreak, it is essential that we re-evaluate our response and make adjustments as needed.

In the interests of the health and safety of the HWS community, and in consultation with President Jacobsen and CoFAC, we have decided to cancel the option of face-to-face instruction at HWS after spring break.

HWS has already mandated that all instruction move to remote learning starting March 23. That decision remains in place.

Students can remain on campus during spring break if they have registered to do so. Residence halls will be open for the remainder of the semester should students and their families determine that living on campus while learning remotely is the best option. Students must indicate their housing plans via the “I am Here” option on myHousing. We will maintain social distancing on campus as outlined in our COVID-19 webpage, which will be updated regularly as circumstances and possible regulations from outside authorities change.

Faculty and students will work together in the first week after spring break to learn and test the technology that faculty choose to employ, to measure students’ connectivity and access to technology, and to adapt aspects of their courses to remote learning. We understand there will be a learning curve for everyone in that first week and beyond, but we believe students will be best served by re-engaging with their professors and with course content as soon as possible.

For those faculty who have questions or concerns about this process, please contact Associate Deans David Galloway and Joe Rusinko, who are organizing learning sessions for the week of March 23-27. Starting March 16 and moving forward, staff in the Center for Teaching and Learning will be available to meet with faculty and help them start the transition to remote learning.

Students who have any questions about housing should contact the Office of Residential Education via email at resed@hws.edu or phone at 315-781-3880. As always, all members of the Offices of the Deans and Campus Life are here to assist students in all matters.

Sincerely,

Mary Coffey
Provost and Dean of Faculty

Robb Flowers
Vice President for Campus Life