TUJ Communications
6/04/21

Published: June 4, Updated: June 8, 2021

Dear TUJ community:

Thank you again for your continued patience and understanding as we all navigate the COVID-19 situation. We are facing unprecedented challenges, and we are so thankful to the TUJ staff and faculty for their extraordinary efforts as we work together to keep our students and campus community safe.

ADDITIONAL COVID CASE

After my last message earlier this afternoon, we confirmed a third COVID case within our university community. Fortunately, the on-campus contacts involving this student appear to be limited. Although the risk of transmission in the classroom is low, students in the impacted classes have been notified separately.

SHIFTING ONLINE FOR THE NEW TWO WEEKS

Because we prioritize health considerations, we have made the decision to shift undergraduate, graduate, and non-degree courses online until June 21st (Monday). In an abundance of caution, we feel that it is the best interests of all of you to take this step given that we have confirmed three COVID cases within our community over the course of the past 24 hours. This measure will help to reduce the chances of further transmission.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

Faculty and staff have been very accommodating and understanding throughout the pandemic. We sincerely appreciate you doing the same during this temporary two-week shift to online instruction. Also, thank you for continuing to find ways to support our students and ensure that they are not harmed by these uncontrollable circumstances.

  1. Building use. To accommodate students and faculty requiring use of the building for online classes and studying, our building will remain open during the upcoming two week period.
  2. Any classes in the building? Because of the applied learning focus in some of our programs, it may be very difficult to move all of our curriculum to an online model. If online instruction poses a significant challenge in the delivery of a course, please consult with George Miller about possible exceptions.
  3. Telework. To the extent possible, we encourage all employees to telework until June 21st. Naturally, we will need to have staff from IC, Facilities, Library, and IT in the building. Supervisors in these departments are in the process of devising a plan to meet the needs of our campus community. Also, it may be necessary for faculty to teach from the classrooms on campus, or some staff to work from the office. We will leave this to the judgment and discretion of each department.
  4. Commencement. With our commencement ceremony focused on the celebration of TUJ graduates, we plan on moving forward with our Sunday event. None of the COVID cases has impacted participants in the ceremony. Additionally, we expect to be at less than 50% of capacity in the venue, there are no restrictions beyond the standard guidance. There will be a temperature check for everyone upon entry into the hall, face coverings will be mandatory and social distancing rules will be in effect.

We are grateful for your time, efforts, and flexibility in accommodating this temporary shift to online delivery. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to me.

Sincerely,
Matthew Wilson
Dean