April 2, 2020

President Moulton sent a Week-One Check In to students.

Remote delivery classes started this week and the world kept spinning! Our worries about the internet crashing didn’t come to fruition and for that I’m eternally grateful. I hope you are all settling into new routines comfortably.

Commencement

I have heard from a few seniors with concerns about missing Commencement. Know that we have postponed and not cancelled the ceremony. Importantly, postponing the ceremony does not impact the conferral of degrees. Students who meet their program outcomes will receive their degrees.

The Commencement Committee created an email so you can send them any ideas about alternatives: commencement@vtc.edu. Watch for a survey and provide your input!

Zooming

Zoom doesn’t HAVE to be boring when you can customize your background like you’re still here! Check out the Vermont Tech backgrounds the marketing team put on our website.

#VTCFROMHERE

Time for a “roll call”! Let us know where you are studying from these days by downloading the #VTCfromhere ‘campus sign’ and fill in your hometown’s name.

1. Take a picture
2. Post to social
3. Tag the college (@vttech)
4. Use the hashtag #VTCfromhere

Now you all can check in with each other from wherever you are. We miss you and want to see your smiling faces!

Stay in touch, stay safe, and stay hard at work at your education. We are rooting for you all!

March 25, 2020

A Message to employees was added to the Human Resources FAQ on March 25, 2020.

Message to Vermont Tech Residential Students in Randolph and Williston:

This is an update to the message sent to you yesterday about either collecting your belongings, or leaving campus if you stayed over break.

The State of Vermont has issued new directives that include a mandate to “stay at home” beginning today at 5:00 pm through April 15, 2020. After consulting with the Governor’s Office about any exceptions related to the college, we are instructed to comply with the mandate as directed.  As a result, no one can come to campus after 5:00 pm today.

Students Currently in Residence

Students remaining in residence halls are encouraged to leave by 5:00 pm today. If you cannot leave by then or you fall into the categories listed in yesterday’s email, please contact Student Affairs to request to stay on campus. Doing so means, you will need to stay for the duration of the “stay at home” directive. You will not be permitted to leave campus except for the exclusions provided for in the Governor’s order. Please note that transportation may become limited as mass transit is closed. The bookstore will remain open until 5:00 pm today if you need any supplies.

Students Retrieving Belongings

We are suspending all appointments beginning with those scheduled at 5:00 pm today until further notice. We are not able to honor any appointments scheduled past 5:00 pm today. Please contact Student Affairs if you would like to be considered for a move out today before the 5:00 pm cut-off.  Due to social distancing, the limit is 10 students on campus per building per hour. Once we reach this limit, we will not be able to accommodate additional requests.  Please do not feel you have to rush to campus. We are working with Facilities to contract with a moving company, who will safely box and tag items from each room should that become necessary. If so, you will be notified of our intent to safely box and store your belonging. Your belongings will be kept in a secure location until we are given the go ahead to allow you to pick them up.

Sincere Thanks and Apologies

We apologize for the short notice of this message, but things are changing by the minute for us.  Please know that Student Affairs staff are always here to help and will assist every way we can to help you get through this challenging time in our lives. Please take comfort in the fact that our residential facilities may be used to support our community, helping provide capacity to health care services while they address this public health crisis. Your departure allows other support systems to be expanded. Thank you for playing a helping role.

March 24, 2020

Chancellor Jeb Spaulding sent a COVID-19 Update message today to all VSCS employees and students. This is another transition necessary in response to our understanding of the coronavirus.

We assumed this could be a possibility when the Chancellor announced our transition to remote delivery on March 12, 2020. While we had hopes of students returning to their campuses and some sense of normalcy this semester, this option of remaining at a distance is necessary for suppressing the spread of the illness, the effects of which we are just beginning to feel.

This week was just the second week of transitioning classes in this new delivery format. Faculty and staff are working tirelessly throughout this extended spring break to be ready for next Monday’s restart of classes. I am actually very excited about what next week will bring, invigorated by the energy of faculty and staff who are working so hard to deliver Vermont Tech solutions to this challenge. However, there is something bittersweet about acknowledging that students will not return to our campuses this spring.

Refunds

As Chancellor Spaulding stated, we will be providing pro-rated refunds for room and meals. Key Student Services will be providing more information and details in the next few days. This is a process and your patience is appreciated. We will be adjusting accounts and communicating directly to affected students as we have more details. Please allow time for the process to proceed before contacting Financial Aid.

Removing Remaining Belongings from Campus

Also noted in Chancellor Spaulding’s email, Vermont Emergency Management has requested space at the Vermont State College System campuses to prepare for greater demand on the state’s health care services. Many of us are within 10 miles of our local hospitals. Our residence halls could be put to use to shelter health care workers, foster children, and patients with non-coronavirus illnesses or injuries. This is your chance to help your community in a time of need. We are asking students to remove their belongings quickly, if possible, and to have your understanding if your items end up being moved and stored until you can safely retrieve them should a “shelter in place” order from the Governor supersede our timeline.

Student Affairs has developed a plan for students to retrieve items left in their residence hall rooms in a safe manner. Theo Manazir, Director of Residential Life, will send out more information later today. Please do not show up unannounced. This must be a coordinated effort to maintain social distancing and protect the health of our staff. In addition to Theo’s email, we have included his directions to the Student FAQ page of our website.

Commencement

It is clear that without students here at the end of the semester, we cannot hold Commencement at the originally schedule weekend. That does not mean we will not eventually host celebratory events to honor our graduates. This a postponement and not a cancellation. Our team is working through ideas for alternative celebrations. Importantly, this has no impact on the conferral of degrees. Graduates who complete their degrees will have their transcripts to demonstrate their employability, etc. We will find a way (or ways) for us all to celebrate this important milestone in your lives.

Summer

Much of the summer curriculum is already scheduled online and using Telepresence technology. We are planning to run those courses already online and will look for ways to delivery other courses using remote delivery where possible this summer. Please think of this as a chance to catch up or get ahead in your studies.

Staying Connected

Employees:

I wanted to assure you that time together is scheduled in the near term. I am meeting with faculty at our standing President’s Meeting with Faculty this Thursday. I am meeting with staff at the Staff Council Meeting on Monday, March 30. I encourage you to email me questions ahead of these two meetings so I can organize my responses and have answers to meet your needs.

Students:

Student Affairs plans to host a Zoom open forum for students on Thursday, March 26 at 2pm. Please join them for a Q&A in response to this latest update and in preparation for next week’s start of classes. Please email your questions to studentaffairs@vtc.edu ahead of time.

We understand how trying and stressful it is to have plans change, and with some frequency, as this pandemic is sweeping across our country. If you want additional support, Kathleen Mason and Mary Kathryn Juskiewicz are available by phone and email. Mental health counseling is also available via telehealth. Contact Mary Kathryn if you wish to schedule an appointment.

To create the best student experience, our staff in Student Affairs are looking at ways of providing activities and services remotely for the remainder of the semester.  Look for more information from Caitlyn Clark, Dana Mitchell and Hillary Linehan on fun things to keep you busy and engaged outside of schoolwork.

March 18, 2020

Over the course of the last few days, the college has been meeting as a community to share information and aggregate questions. Based on forums held on Friday, March 13 and Tuesday, March 17, we have developed FAQs for both students and employees. These resources are now available on the website. Please check back as content may be updated as new information is learned.

Student FAQs

Employee FAQs (VSCS-wide)

A video from President Moulton, March 13, 2020

March 12, 2020

In conjunction with news of remote delivery from Chancellor Spaulding today, there are many aspects of this announcement that are unique to each institution. I write to share Vermont Tech’s plan moving forward in addition to items listed by the Chancellor.
Next steps:

• Vermont Tech will transition to remote delivery by March 30, 2020.
• Between March 14-26, students will be on an extended spring break. This replaces the April 6 break.
• I will be hosting an open forum via Zoom at 11:00 AM. More details to follow!

Course Instruction:

• Vermont Tech’s program delivery is unique in the VSCS system. Our intention, in moving to remote delivery, is to maintain our applied learning format to the degree possible. Each program may have its own solution to helping students make progress toward their degrees. As we promised our accreditors, we will maintain the rigor and standards expected of a Vermont Tech education.
• Courses will resume remotely on Monday, March 30, 2020.
• To assess student readiness for any online learning, Kellie Campbell, CTO, will be sending a survey to students asking key questions about connectivity, technology, and equipment. We will use this information to inform how students access their courses.
• We remain open to the idea that on-campus delivery may resume this semester, but we need to evaluate when that could be as the situation evolves.
• The BSN program is not impacted by this extended spring break or move to remote delivery. Only preceptorships will change to online/electronic format for the remainder of the semester.

Residential Students:

• Randolph residential students may request to stay on campus by coming into see the Student Affairs staff by 4:30 PM, Friday, March 13.
• Williston residential students may request to stay on campus by emailing Theo Manazir, Director of Residential Life, by 4:30 PM, Friday, March 13.
• All requests will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
• The Administration is working with Sodexo for continuity of operations for any remaining residential students.
• Make sure to take anything critical to your education with you when you leave campus!

Faculty and Staff:

• Employees are expected to work their normal schedules. Supervisors and employees are encouraged to discuss any work-from-home needs and consult with Director of HR, Kelly-Rue Riso for guidance and Kellie Campbell for technology support.
• Please use Zoom for meetings where feasible and use social distancing practices.

Information Technology and Support for Remote Learning:

• We are drafting training plans for faculty, staff and students. We are focusing on academic training first.
• Our Canvas Champions and IT team will be ramping up training ASAP. Further notice of dates, times and details will come very soon.
• IT is drafting a plan to gather spare inventory to support remote needs, including laptops, webcams, etc. We hope to identify critical need with the readiness survey responses.
• In partnership with Academics, IT is building a support site with documentation and resources to support remote learning. This will be complete very soon.

Institutional Events:

• Admissions and Conference & Events will work to cancel all events and tours.
• SHAPE will be closed to guests and community members as of Saturday, March 14. Only faculty, staff, and students may use the facility. The pool will close until further notice.

March 11, 2020

As of today, the WHO has declared that the coronavirus as a pandemic. We are monitoring the CDC and Vermont Department of Health for their updates and changes to any guidance because of this announcement. We will update this website with new information that affects the college community as it becomes available.

This week, the college is taking inventory of readiness among employees and students for remote access to work and academics. The Chief Academic Officer, through the Dean of Academic Affairs, gave our faculty members and academic staff resources on how to prepare for instructional continuity in the event we need to move to an online teaching environment. Faculty are working to inventory curriculum for readiness to transition to different modalities.

In addition to taking steps to prepare for continuity of our work, we are taking a proactive approach to the COVID-19 coronavirus situation by curtailing large events of over 50 attendees on our campuses. We are evaluating this rapidly changing situation on a daily basis. We are sorry for any inconvenience this restriction or timing of notification may cause. This restriction applies to any college-sponsored event or organizations that rent space at one of our facilities.

March 10, 2020

As many of you are aware, on March 7, 2020, Vermont Department of Health (VT DOH) officials announced the first case of novel coronavirus COVID-19 in Vermont, an individual in Bennington County. There are also cases in Lebanon, New Hampshire. The Incident Response Team met again this week on Monday, March 9 to review our actions to date, discussion future planning, and make decisions about operations.

As of now, the college is postponing all college-sponsored international travel planned for this semester until further notice. College-sponsored domestic travel must be evaluated frequently. Please contact the Academic Dean’s office if you are a faculty member planning a domestic trip. Students should contact the Dean of Student Affairs about any club’s travel plans.

On March 4, the VT DOH issued an advisory, following the guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), that travelers returning from China, Italy, South Korea, and Iran should stay home and monitor their health for 14 days after returning to the United States. Travelers returning from Japan should monitor their health for 14 days after returning to the United States. The VT DOH requests that all who have traveled to areas where there have been COVID-19 outbreaks contact the VT DOH directly and closely monitor themselves for fever and other symptoms. They can be reached at (802) 863-7240. Their website is updated daily at 1pm.

Vermont Tech is requesting that anyone traveling from any international or US areas affected by COVID-19 to report their travel also to Bob Sirvet, Health Services Coordinator for the college.

We would like to remind people about the symptoms to watch for that present with the COVID-19 illness from the CDC website. The following symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure:

• Fever
• Cough
• Shortness of breath

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms and have been to a place with known cases or have come in contact with someone who may have been infected, please contact your primary care physician for guidance and care.

February 28, 2020

While there is growing concern about coronavirus COVID-19, please be assured that the Vermont Department of Health is closely monitoring the development of the virus. As of February 28, there were no cases of COVID-19 in Vermont.

To be best prepared, we are asking the following:

• If you (student, faculty, staff) traveled oversees during the last 30 days we are asking that you email our Coordinator of Health Services Bob Sivret with information on where you traveled to and when.
• If you are experiencing any Flu-like symptoms, we are asking that you email our Coordinator of Health Services Bob Sivret to track wellness in our community.  If you live on campus, we will provide you with an alternative housing option.
• If you have a confirmed case of coronavirus COVID-19, please do not come to campus until your primary care physician clears you. We will work with you to make up work.

As a reminder about good hygiene practices, here are recommendations from the Center for Disease Control:

• People who have symptoms of acute respiratory illness should stay home and not come to work or school until they are free of fever (100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or greater) and any other symptoms for at least 24 hours, without the use of fever-reducing or other symptom-altering medicines. Staff and faculty are asked to notify their supervisor and stay home if they are sick.
• Practice cough and sneeze etiquette and good hand hygiene.
• Avoid touching your face, particularly your eyes, nose, and mouth.
• Routinely clean all frequently touched surfaces.

For your information, here is the guidance Vermont Department of Health has issued for colleges.

Please know that we are working now to make available hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes throughout our campuses. Sodexo will place hand sanitizer at the end of every line in the dining hall in Randolph Center. You are strongly encouraged to wash your hands before eating and using hand sanitizer after using utensils in the food lines. We will display the “COVID-19 Stop the Spread of Germs” posters around our campuses as reminders of best practices too.

Vermont Tech’s Incident Response Team, in collaboration with other VSC institutions, is working to develop plans so that we are prepared should coronavirus cases be confirmed in Vermont.