University President Hosts Student Forum on Coronavirus Response Plan

Ngozi Alia, News Writer, was a contributor to this reporting.

On Tuesday, March 10, President Ronald H. Nowaczyk, Vice President for Student Affairs Dr. Artie Travis, and Provost Dr. Elizabeth Throop held a student forum to discuss Frostburg State University’s Coronavirus response plan. The forum was attended by approximately 80 students and lasted 75 minutes.

Earlier in the day, it was announced that FSU is shifting all instruction online through Monday, April 6. Classes will continue as usual, and in person, until Friday, March 12. FSU will be on spring break from March 12-22, 2020.

Despite the University System of Maryland (USM) Chancellor Jay A. Perman, M.D. “strongly urging every university to prepare for students to remain off campus—for at least two weeks—following the end of spring break,” FSU has decided to re-open dormitories and food service locations on Sunday, March 22.

Nowaczyk opened the forum with a promise that frequent updates would be sent to the campus community throughout the following weeks. He remarked that he had been involved with daily calls with other USM officials. He said, “the situation is evolving each day, but we are trying to do what is best for our students, staff, and faculty.” Moreover, Nowaczyk reminded those present that, “we have never had to face this as a campus, and I’ve never experienced this in all my years in Higher Ed.” Nowaczyk expressed that “we are in this together.”

As for how to proceed, Nowaczyk says that beginning Monday, March 23, all classes will be moved online. Lab courses will not be held from March 23 until April 6, and suggested that faculty members would “need to adjust” and that online interactions would take the place of face-to-face lectures.

As it related to re-opening the dorms on March 22, Nowaczyk said that, “we have students who want to stay home, and that’s fine, but we also have students who want to return, and we want to accommodate them.” He said that the Lewis J. Ort Library and some food services would continue to operate “as of this moment,” and reminded students that there could be changes to the current plan. “If you want to come back, do that,” Nowaczyk said.

Nowaczyk then turned the floor over to Provost Throop who said she had been “working with the Deans and faculty to put classes online. I’ve also asked them to be very flexible during this time.” She says that COVID-19 is an emerging situation and that the “health of the community” is important to consider when making decisions.

Throop and Nowaczyk echoed the available information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, particularly about the three symptoms of COVID-19 which include fever, a dry cough, and shortness of breath. Throop reminded students that if they returned to FSU after spring break, they should continue to monitor their health, “and if you’re feeling sick, call Brady Health before going to the office.”

Regarding coursework, Throop says that students should “be prepared to adjust to what your professors say. They may go to Zoom or Skype meetings, which we call synchronous delivery, and so if you have class on Monday at 9am, you may be expected to be available at that time each week.” Of course Throop says, “students will need to do all their assignments, but as far as lab work goes, we are still thinking it through and working on it.” As for communication, students should “pay attention to email and BURG alerts as this may be the only want to communication with you.” Throop says that her office can be a resource to students whose professors are making the transition to online instruction difficult.

Throop, Nowaczyk, and Travis emphasized that they are taking this situation very seriously, and despite encouraging students to have a good spring break, wanted to remind them of the importance of keeping others safe.

“You might not get sick, but there are many on campus who could get very sick,” said Throop, “and this is at the core of our mission. We want to get past this and prevent community spread.”

Indeed, the term “social distancing” was mentioned at least seven times throughout the forum.

As Throop turned it over to Travis, she expressed appreciation for the students who attended and said, “thank you in advance for your patience… not ‘patients'” which added a moment of levity.

Travis began by saying that it is a student’s “responsibility to follow through and to help us with this situation.” Moreover, as spring break approaches, Travis says that those with housing concerns should contact Residence Life or go online to their portal to make housing requests in order to stay over the break. Should students return on March 22, Travis says that he is “working with the Lane Center to make sure there are things to do.” Above all, Travis says, we will focus on “safety, security, and instruction” during this period.

Finally, students had an opportunity to ask questions of the three administrators. Below is a shortened transcript of the questions and answers.

Q1. Will the dining hall be open over spring break for those students who are avoiding going home so as to limit possible exposure to COVID-19?

A1. “We are working with the Vice President of Administration and Finance (Mr. Leon Wyden, Jr.) on this. We don’t know yet, but we’re trying to figure it out.” – Dr. Travis

Q2. When students return following spring break, will there be more frequent sanitation and cleaning services, especially for dorm rooms?

A2. “Yes. We are working with Residence Life on this. We have ordered more sanitizing stations which will be at the entry to every building on campus. We have ordered more personal protective equipment and stronger things for cleaning. We are also having our housekeeping staff go through a special training about how to properly sanitize while cleaning. For students who return, there will be protocols about wiping computers down, and remember, hand washing with hot water and soap is the most effective.” – Dr. Nowaczyk

Q3. Will the decision to move entirely online impact spring sports?
A3. “As of now, no. We are watching to see what other schools are doing but we are continuing without changes at this time. There have not been any changes with the NCAA. People are allowed to come and spectate, as well. If anything changes, your coaches will let you know.” – Dr. Nowaczyk.

Q4. How will the move to online instruction impact student employment?

A4. “We are trying to accommodate and figure out what we can do about that.” – Dr. Nowaczyk

Q5. Residence Life emailed all Residence Assistants and told them they must return after spring break. What will be the impact on programming and conducting nightly rounds?

A5. “The RA role and responsibility continues. The university will be open, and as employees, we need you to come back and perform this duty. Some programs will be offered during this time. The next Late @ Lane will likely be postponed, but we don’t know all of that information yet.” – Dr. Travis

Q6. Will there be an announcement about more cancellations or extended online course periods?

A6. “Yes, if necessary. We are going to get through the next two weeks and then see where we are at.” – Dr. Nowaczyk

Q7. What will happen if the situation with COVID-19 worsens?

A7. “This is a real possibility as cases are increasing throughout our country. We will continue to monitor the situation.” – Dr. Nowaczyk

Q8a. Should students move out before spring break? Does it seem likely that we will return after April 6?

A8a. “We don’t know. Personally, we have to accommodate those students who want to return on March 22. We don’t know yet what will happen.” – Dr. Nowaczyk

Q8b. As a follow up, should students take books, and other essentials when leaving for break?”

A8b. “Yes, students should take medications and books and other essentials with them. Otherwise we don’t know yet about moving out.” – Dr. Nowaczyk

Q9. What will happen with fall registration which opens soon after we are expecting to return, and what if we don’t return?

A9. “We had not thought of that yet. Good question. In all likelihood, we would move to online appointments with instructors, if necessary.” – Dr. Throop

Q10. For those students who have experiential learning courses this semester, where the in-person experience such as Model of American States is essential to the curriculum, how will faculty adjust? How will we make sure that our graduation isn’t stalled?

A10. “Let me give you a different example. USM and Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) have been in contact about student teachers who are doing their hours in classrooms. MSDE has said that as long as student teachers are in contact, even virtually or by phone, that their hours will still count as experience learning and they’ll receive credit. We are asking faculty to be flexible, and those experiences like internships or co-op opportunities will be adjusted. This is being discussed system-wide, but I assure you that this will not hold up graduation” – Dr. Throop

Q11. What will happen with spring commencement? Will it be held?

A11. “We don’t know about that yet. We are still working through it.” – Dr. Nowaczyk

Q12. What software resources are available to students to support online instruction?

A12. “All of those resources were attached to today’s email which you should have received.” – Dr. Throop (a copy of the document is here)

Q13. Other USM schools have cancelled classes for this week, including Towson and Salisbury Universities. If I’m feeling like I should go home now in order to protect my health, what are the repercussions?
A13. “All I can say is that we are holding classes this week. We will have class through Friday.” – Dr. Throop

Q14. What about those professors who do not use Canvas or other online tools?

A14. “Everyone is being asked to adjust and all courses that can be moved online will be online.” – Dr. Nowaczyk

Q15. If I feel it is unsafe to return to Frostburg, even after April 6, what can I do?
A15. “SGA just passed a new Emergency Absence Policy which could cover situations like this. Again, this is evolving and we will know more as time goes on.” – Dr. Nowaczyk

Q16. There are some athletes who are traveling over spring break for tournaments, for example to Florida. Will there be any restrictions on that travel?

A16. “The State of Maryland has restricted travel for employees, but has not made the same rule for students. Therefore, athletes will be able to travel.” – Dr. Nowaczyk

Q17. Will there be reimbursement of room and board for those students who do not return. “We pay a lot of money to go here,” said one student.

A17. “We haven’t thought of that yet and we will play it by ear.” – Dr. Nowaczyk

Q18. Should students isolate themselves if they return to campus?

A18. “We don’t know how it will all go as of yet. They call is self-isolation, and we’ll see if this is necessary.” – Dr. Nowaczyk

Q19. Given that USM Chancellor Perman strongly urged each institution to send students home for at least two weeks following spring break, why is FSU allowing them to return?

A19. “We have students right now that don’t have another place to go and would be homeless, so we made this decision.” – Dr. Nowaczyk

Q20. Given that Frostburg has a high population of elderly people, who are the most at-risk for COVID-19, did FSU make this decision in consultation with the City of Frostburg?

A20. “The Mayor of Frostburg and I have a meeting later this week to discuss it.” – Dr. Nowaczyk

Q21. Regarding student employment, will there be opportunities to maintain income in other ways?

A21. “We are looking at possible telework opportunities or some administrative functions that could be done from home.” – Dr. Nowaczyk

Q22. What should I do about my internship?

A22. “If you don’t come back after spring break, you should talk to your instructors and internship contacts about possible accommodations. You may also work with my office or your Dean on this.” – Dr. Throop

Q23. Can you remind us of some of the suggestions about how to lessen risk of exposure?

A23. “We highly suggest social distancing and following CDC guidelines. Print copies of those guidelines will be posted on campus by Thursday.” – Dr. Nowaczyk

Q24. Are on-campus gatherings cancelled for now?

A24. “We are planning to cut back on events on campus, but not eliminate them. We are hoping to reduce the opportunities for people to be in close contact, but we do not plan to cancel everything.” – Dr. Travis

Q25. Given that each institution can make their own decision about closing, do you know what the Appalachian Lab is planning to do? We have not received information.

A25. “The Appalachian Lab sent an email at 5:17 P.M. with their plans.” – Liz Metcalf, FSU Director of Communications

Q26. After April 6, if the university closed, I would be homeless. What can I expect to happen in that situation?

A26. “We are gonna have to work on that. That’s why we are planning to reopen in two weeks. We don’t know exactly what will happen.” – Dr. Nowaczyk

Q27. Can students be assured that staff/faculty have been instructed not to come to work if they’re sick? Do all employees, including those at the dining hall, have paid sick leave?

A27. “We have a plan in place for that situation. Chartwell’s, which is a national company, has some essential personnel and will have to move people around, but they have a plan in place. We have been in discussions with them.” – Dr. Nowaczyk

Q28. Will tutoring services be available, and what accommodations will be made for students who struggle to distance learn?

A28. “We are working through that now and are considering different approaches.” – Dr. Throop

Q29. What is the likelihood that campus events, like the Cultural Events Series, will be cancelled?

A29. “We don’t know the answer to that yet and will continue to monitor that. The Russian National Ballet event for tomorrow is still going on, but we are not making blanket statements about events. A community outbreak near Frostburg would certainly cause to us cancel events, but we will see.” – Dr. Nowaczyk

Q30. Is Brady Health able to test for COVID-19?

A30. “Yes. Brady Health is able to give students swabs. Those swabs will be curried to the Allegany County Health Department, then to the State Health Department. It will take about 24 hours, but yes, we will are set up to help students get tested.” – Dr. Travis

Q31. Will students be charged for the COVID-19 test?

A31. “No. We will not be charging for virus testing.” – Dr. Nowaczyk

Q32. Why are we not closing the campus entirely, like Towson? If I don’t come to class, will I be penalized?

A32. “Towson isn’t closing completely. They’ve cancelled classes for this week in order to help faculty move their classes online. There is not evidence of community spread in Allegany County. As for your second question, I can’t answer it. You’re a grown up.” – Dr. Throop

Q33. Will FSU be tracking where students travel during spring break in order to have data in the event on an outbreak?

A33. “No, we will not be tracking that kind of information. Unless someone is symptomatic, we will not be asking those questions.” – Dr. Nowaczyk                                               

“We would hope that students would tell us about any travel they’ve done to countries on the CDC list of restricted areas.” – Dr. Travis

Q34. What are the expectations for student organizations? Should we cancel meetings and events?

A34. “We hope that everyone considers moving things online. We aren’t expecting everyone to cancel every event, but we do hope that students will keep in mind the idea of social distancing and the CDC suggestions.”

Q35. How can I stay safe at home during spring break?

A35. “I wouldn’t go to the club, if I were you. Follow the CDC guidelines and be safe. You’re the most important thing to us and we know you wouldn’t come back to campus if you were sick. We are all in this together and we’re all expecting everyone to be good citizens about this. We are here for four years to become good citizens so we can move on to become leaders. This issue doesn’t change that.” – Dr. Travis

For more information or to express concerns, Dr. Travis and Dr. Throop both provided their email addresses to attendees.

For Dr. Travis: altravis@frostburg.edu, for Dr. Throop: eathroop@frostburg.edu

For a list of available resources, FSU announcements, and updates, go to: https://www.frostburg.edu/brady-health/Coronavirus-resources.php