We are prepared to move to online instruction beginning Monday, March 23. The March 18 campus update has specific information for students about moving to online courses. (https://www.rockford.edu/covid-19-updates/)

We also continue to stress the importance of preventative measures to slow the spread of COVID-19, particularly in being diligent with social distancing.

Social distancing measures everyone can take include:

• Staying home as much as possible
• If gatherings are necessary, limiting the number of people to 10
• Calling to check on family, neighbors, and older adults instead of visiting
• Checking with your health care provider about telehealth options

The following will be in effect during the period of online delivery from March 23 – April 10

Howard Colman Library
Our library resources have shifted from primarily print to a primarily digital format over the last several years, and now, during this challenging time, that shift will be a blessing as our teaching and learning also shifts to an online response. Information has been posted on the Library’s portal page and can be referenced here.

Events and Athletics
Difficult decisions have been made regarding the continuation of events and athletic competitions on virtually every campus. The NCAA and our NACC conference have mandated the cancelation of all spring athletic practices and events, ending all spring sports.
In accordance with the Winnebago County Health Department, the Illinois Department of Public Health, and strong guidance from the CDC to strictly limit the number of people at gatherings to less than 10 and to practice social distancing. All other events on campus, both internal and external, will be canceled through April 12. This date may be extended as needed. This includes all student clubs and organization events of more than 10 people, performances, Forum Series events and any other special events on campus.

Forum Series
This semester’s Forum requirement has been canceled. All full-time students currently enrolled in the Forum course (CLFS 050) will receive the grade of P (pass) regardless of how many Forum events they attended.
For those who failed previous semesters of Forum, the Forum Committee will not accept any additional make-up essays this semester, due to the fact that the library is closed, making Forum recordings unavailable. Make-up essays submitted after today will be read beginning in Fall 2020. If you’re a graduating senior who owes make-up essays, please watch your email for more information.
If you have any questions, please contact Forum administrator Dr. Kyle Stedman at kstedman@rockford.edu.

Admissions and SAS
In support of the University’s transition to online instruction and out of an abundance of caution for the well-being of our students, faculty, staff, and prospective students; Rockford University has transitioned the student support provided by Student Administrative Services, the Office of Global Affairs, and the Office of Admission to e-mail and phone support. Staff members will be available to assist you from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and will return e-mail and voice mail messages as soon as possible.
SAS remains open and is encouraging communications via phone and email. Students are asked to contact the office ahead of time to schedule drop off or pick up of paperwork.

Buildings Protocols and Access
Beginning on March 20, 2020 – Academic Buildings (Scarborough, Starr Science, Clark Arts, Howard Colman Library, Puri) will be locked.  Any faculty or staff member who plans to use one of the buildings must notify Security in advance of arriving to the building.  If one does not have a key, security will unlock the door.  Please bring your Rockford University ID card.
If faculty wish to have their students utilize learning spaces within these buildings, they must be supervised by a faculty or staff member, the number of students must be 5 or less, and social distancing guidelines must be followed. Before leaving, use cleaning materials provided by facilities, if available, to wipe down used areas. If none are available, email facilities to notify them of what space has been used.

Seaver Gymnasium is completely closed to everyone until April 13.     

Eric Fulcomer, Ph.D.
President

During the extended Spring Break of this week, faculty have been working diligently to translate current course offerings into online formats. As part of this preparation, several training sessions have occurred throughout the week, wherein faculty and staff volunteers helped colleagues prepare. Moreover, departments met to address unique offerings, such as labs, studios, and activity courses, all of which require new creative and innovative approaches. Throughout the process, we have been committed to retaining continuity of instruction through the end of the spring 2020 semester.

Alongside the work done with our course offerings, The Center for Learning Strategies and the Library will also be available in an online format. Peer tutors, professional tutors, and supplemental instruction services will be delivered online. In addition, the Library will no longer be physically open and will move to operating remotely. Students will still have full access to our digital collection. Detailed information on both services is forthcoming.

Be assured that faculty understand our students did not anticipate participating in this level of online instruction, and that there may be varying levels of comfort with moving so quickly to this new method of instruction. Indeed, many of your faculty are in the same situation. Together, with patience, kindness, and teamwork, each class will find its way to continue and complete the good work that began during the first half of this spring semester.

Faculty will be notifying students via email as well Canvas on next steps. As such, it is now more important than ever that you regularly check your Rockford University email. Indeed, check your inbox, and if it is full, make sure that you clean out old emails and open up space in your inbox. Furthermore, check-in regularly on your Canvas course shells and establish a consistent line of communication with your advisors and professors. Now, more than ever, we need to remain in constant contact. 

I state the obvious when I mention that none of us asked for this, expected this, or in all honesty, are fully prepared for this. But together, we can make it through this, learn from this, and come out on the other side with an experience that will see us all grow in ways we had never anticipated.   

Sincerely,

Michael A. Perry, Ph.D.
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

During the extended Spring Break of this week, faculty have been working diligently to translate current course offerings into online formats. As part of this preparation, several training sessions have occurred throughout the week, wherein faculty and staff volunteers helped colleagues prepare. Moreover, departments met to address unique offerings, such as labs, studios, and activity courses, all of which require new creative and innovative approaches. Throughout the process, we have been committed to retaining continuity of instruction through the end of the spring 2020 semester.

Alongside the work done with our course offerings, The Center for Learning Strategies and the Library will also be available in an online format. Peer tutors, professional tutors, and supplemental instruction services will be delivered online. In addition, the Library will no longer be physically open and will move to operating remotely. Students will still have full access to our digital collection. Detailed information on both services is forthcoming.

Be assured that faculty understand our students did not anticipate participating in this level of online instruction, and that there may be varying levels of comfort with moving so quickly to this new method of instruction. Indeed, many of your faculty are in the same situation. Together, with patience, kindness, and teamwork, each class will find its way to continue and complete the good work that began during the first half of this spring semester.

Faculty will be notifying students via email as well Canvas on next steps. As such, it is now more important than ever that you regularly check your Rockford University email. Indeed, check your inbox, and if it is full, make sure that you clean out old emails and open up space in your inbox. Furthermore, check-in regularly on your Canvas course shells and establish a consistent line of communication with your advisors and professors. Now, more than ever, we need to remain in constant contact. 

I state the obvious when I mention that none of us asked for this, expected this, or in all honesty, are fully prepared for this. But together, we can make it through this, learn from this, and come out on the other side with an experience that will see us all grow in ways we had never anticipated.   

Sincerely,

Michael A. Perry, Ph.D.
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

As such, please be aware of the following information.

Classes and Learning
During this extended spring break week, faculty are actively preparing to deliver courses fully online. They are also working on ways to accommodate labs and other unique classroom situations.
At this time, we are reasonably certain that we will need to move to online instruction for a defined period. A final decision with additional details will be made and communicated on Wednesday, March 18.

International Travel
All planned international spring travel trips are canceled.

Athletics
Difficult decisions have had to be made regarding the continuation of events and athletic competitions on virtually every campus. The NCAA and our NACC conference have mandated the cancellation of all spring athletic practices and events, ending all Spring sports.

Housing and Meals
We intend to continue to operate housing and food service. An announcement regarding on-campus housing and meals will be made tomorrow morning, March 18.

May 17 Commencement Ceremony
There have been no decisions made concerning changes to commencement ceremonies at this time. We are proceeding with plans to hold the ceremony as planned and will continue to assess our plans on an ongoing basis.
There will undoubtedly be more difficult decisions and sacrifices to come. I am grateful for the understanding and patience of everyone as we navigate through these unprecedented times. We will persevere through this crisis by supporting each other.

Sincerely,
Eric W. Fulcomer, President

As such, please be aware of the following information.

Classes and Learning
During this extended spring break week, faculty are actively preparing to deliver courses fully online. They are also working on ways to accommodate labs and other unique classroom situations.
At this time, we are reasonably certain that we will need to move to online instruction for a defined period. A final decision with additional details will be made and communicated on Wednesday, March 18.

International Travel
All planned international spring travel trips are canceled.

Athletics
Difficult decisions have had to be made regarding the continuation of events and athletic competitions on virtually every campus. The NCAA and our NACC conference have mandated the cancellation of all spring athletic practices and events, ending all Spring sports.

Housing and Meals
We intend to continue to operate housing and food service. An announcement regarding on-campus housing and meals will be made tomorrow morning, March 18.

May 17 Commencement Ceremony
There have been no decisions made concerning changes to commencement ceremonies at this time. We are proceeding with plans to hold the ceremony as planned and will continue to assess our plans on an ongoing basis.
There will undoubtedly be more difficult decisions and sacrifices to come. I am grateful for the understanding and patience of everyone as we navigate through these unprecedented times. We will persevere through this crisis by supporting each other.

Sincerely,
Eric W. Fulcomer, President

Information surrounding COVID-19 and its spread within the United States is a rapidly evolving situation. As such, the University remains in regular contact with the Winnebago County Health Department (WCHD) to ensure we’re ready to respond appropriately if the coronavirus disease 2019 – COVID-19 – spreads to our area. We are also proactively working on contingency plans to ensure we are taking necessary steps to ensure the health and well-being of our campus community, as well as continuity for teaching and learning. We reiterate that at this time, there are no confirmed cases in the region, including in Winnebago County.

There are many factors to take into consideration and difficult decisions to make during this unprecedented event. Our decisions are based on current guidance and information from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the State of Illinois, and WCHD. The University’s focus is on the health and safety of our students and employees through continued preparedness and prevention.

Rockford University will be putting the following decisions and protocols in place to help limit COVID-19 risk our students and our campus:

• Spring Break is extended through Sunday, March 22. It is our intent to resume in-person classes on Monday, March 23. We will continue to monitor the most recent information available and inform the campus of any changes.
• Extending Spring Break will allow faculty to prepare for online instruction should that become necessary.
• Campus will remain open during this time and offices will be open normal business hours.
• Classes and co-curricular events, such as athletic practices/competitions and theater rehearsals, will not be held during the extension. Classes, practices, competitions, and rehearsals will begin again Monday, March 23, unless new information changes these plans.
• Additional cleaning will be conducted in all public and common areas, including residence halls.
• If we have a student(s) exposed to COVID-19 outside of our region, we have a self-quarantine location designated and we are in regular contact with the county health department and prepared to follow recommendations and protocols they provide.
• The International Food Festival scheduled for April 4 is canceled.
• Residential students may return to campus at any time, but it is recommended/requested that students wait until Sunday, March 22.
• Nursing and Education students can expect to hear from their instructors regarding clinicals or observations.

Lang Wellness Center updated procedures:

• Lang Wellness Center is implementing telehealth through a Call First system as recommended by the Center for Disease Control. Rockford University students, faculty, and staff will need to call 815-226-4083 to set up appointments to speak with the nurse, counselor, disability support services coordinator, and office manager.
• We are unable to allow walk-in patients until further notice.
• If you suspect you have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, we advise that you call your health care provider or contact the Illinois Coronavirus Hotline
  (1-800-889-3931 or SICK@ILLINOIS.GOV).
• If you are scheduled to come in to see the nurse and are ill, only use the blue door/entrance C. If you have scheduled a well visit with the nurse, only use the faculty side glass door/entrance A and check-in at the small gray desk that has been set up upon entering the Wellness Center side. When an appointment is being scheduled, Lang Wellness Center staff will remind you where to check-in.
• Please continue to be diligent with your handwashing, social distancing, and stay home if you are sick!

The public can help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses, like flu by:

• WASHING YOUR HANDS OFTEN with soap and warm water.
• COVERING YOUR COUGH, cough and sneeze into your upper sleeve or a tissue that you throw away.
• CLEANING SURFACES OFTEN, increase cleaning of frequently touched surfaces.
• STAYING HOME, if you are not feeling well, stay home to keep others from getting sick.

We realize that these changes will cause disruption—and that you will have additional questions based on the above information—but the risk of not acting outweighs the inconvenience of these temporary measures.  

I appreciate your patience and cooperation and I urge you to stay informed of the facts surrounding COVID-19 and take preventative measures to ensure your health and safety.

Sincerely,

Randy Worden. D.Min
VP for Student Life

rworden@rockford.edu
815-394-5298