Dear Students, Faculty and Staff,
Welcome to the Incident Command Team's (ICT) bi-weekly correspondence to keep you updated and informed of Carroll College’s ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Remote Learning
As President Cech shared yesterday, Carroll has extended the remote learning period through the end of the spring semester. This provides our students and faculty the certainty they need to properly prepare and plan for the remainder of this academic year. All summer courses will also be delivered remotely or online.
Commencement
We have made the difficult decision to postpone the May commencement ceremony and have initially planned to tentatively hold graduation for the class of 2020 on Saturday, December 12. We continue to take feedback surrounding this plan and we will be considering other dates and options as well. We don’t know what the future holds in terms of this pandemic so all planning at this point is tentative and subject to change. However, President Cech is committed to holding an in-person commencement for the class of 2020.
Residential Life
In light of the decision made yesterday to extend remote learning through the end of the semester, and as we continue to consider the health and well-being of our student body, we encourage residential students to consider moving home if they are able and it is safe for them to do so. Please follow the instructions provided in Beth Groman’s email to students from 3/23/20.
Accelerated Nursing
Because of the very hands-on and in-person nature of our new Accelerated Nursing program and the uncertainty of when we will be able to safely resume in-person classes, we have made the difficult decision to postpone the start of our Accelerated Nursing program until May 2021. For questions, please contact Director of Admissions Laurie Rodriguez at lrodriguez@carroll.edu or 406-447-5483.
Virtual Visits
In order to help protect our community from the spread of COVID-19, we have suspended all campus visit programs. In light of this, in order to help our prospective students experience what it is like to be on Carroll’s campus, we have created a virtual visit webpage at www.carroll.edu/visit-campus/virtual-visits.
Change in Parking Regulations/Building Security
In light of the fact that many students have opted to return home to continue their online learning, we have made some adjustments to the parking regulations and building locking schedules. The new policies are shared on the COVID-19 FAQs, under the Buildings & Facilities section.
How to Help
If there is a silver lining during this very turbulent time, it has been hearing how our Saints’ community is reaching out to one another to help in whatever ways possible. Several initiatives have been instituted to respond to needs in our community.
Carroll Cares
“Carroll Cares” is a student-based outreach program focused on helping to serve the elderly and those with serious underlying health conditions in our community. The goal is to assist these members of our community by picking up and delivering items needed by those who are unable to leave their homes due to the current increased risk to their health. Details can be found on the COVID-19 FAQs, under the General Questions section. Students who are still residing on campus or staying in the Helena area can contact Hailey James at hjames@carroll.edu or (406) 459-3485 to get involved.
ASCC Assistance
The Associate Students of Carroll College (ASCC) is helping to buy resources for those students who may be in need. Carroll students in need should fill out the google form below: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc58fn33g46pSBDHxY93XWdKQth6Q_inp6oh2C1xd_iqL2vIw/viewform?usp=sf_link.
Alumni & Friends Support
Members of the Carroll community – alumni and friends – have reached out asking how they can help our students and college. In response, the Office of Institutional Advancement has set up several funds which interested parties can donate to. The Student Emergency Fund is designed to support our Saints to assist with necessary resources and the link can be found here. If individuals are in a place where they can and would like to help support the college’s greatest needs, they can do so here.
Updates and additional information continue to be posted to our COVID-19 website. You will receive these email updates on Tuesdays and Thursdays from the covid19@carroll.edu account, and please send any questions you have to the covid19@carroll.edu address as well. If any major changes need to be communicated outside of that schedule, we will share those with you immediately.
Thank you for your understanding and flexibility as we navigate through these unprecedented circumstances together.
Sincerely,
President Cech and the COVID-19 Incident Command Team (ICT)