COVID-19 Updates

February 27th, 2020

Dean of Students and Vice President for Student Affairs, Byron McCrae, and Dean of Faculty and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Philip Jefferson send first email.

• The College cancels an Italy spring break trip after the country reaches CDC Level 2 Alert 
• The Office of Abroad Education requires students traveling on Davidson-affiliated trips over spring break to complete Davidson International Travel Registration through the office’s system. 
• Before the semester began, Davidson helped two students scheduled to study in China make alternate plans. 

March 3rd, 2020

An email message from Dean McCrae and Dean Jefferson.

• Third party study abroad institutions send five students home: four from Italy and one from Japan
• Davidson creates COVID-19 page on their website 

March 5th, 2020

An email message from Dean McCrae and Chief Coaxum

• The College announces it is monitoring updates from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and implementing new practices suggested by the American College Health Association and the Mecklenburg County Health Department, which primarily encourage disinfecting all rooms, and give suggestions to keep from getting sick -- such as 20-second hand washing, hand sanitizer, and visiting the Center for Health & Well-Being if feeling unwell  

March 7th, 2020

An email message from President Quillen offers more tips to keep from getting sick and acknowledges how bigotry and discrimination can occur in a situation like this

“If you take away one thing from these guidelines: We all need to think and operate a little differently, from the routine – for example, no handshaking – because the small actions we take, like frequently washing our hands, help to safeguard the health of our students, colleagues, friends and mentors.”

• Resident Life and Student Life explore ways to help students remain isolated and quarantined
• Finance and Administration, Academic Affairs, and Technology & Innovation (T&I) look into ways to explore remote teaching
• Davidson announces the College will not support travel to Level 3 or Level 2 countries. Faculty will be allowed to travel to Level 2 countries upon approval from Vice President for Academic Affairs

March 9th, 2020 

• Ann McCorvey, Vice President for Finance and Administration and Chief Financial Officer, announces first changes to Dining Services via email
  • “You will find more places at which the food service staff serve you"
  • No paper and pencil order forms
  • No self service. Employees serve students everything from food to drinks to silverware. Salt and pepper shakers, ketchup, napkins, and other condiments placed under a sneeze shield

 March 10th, 2020

• McCorvey informs students via email that the College does not have plans to send students home or to conduct virtual remote instruction, despite other institutions announcing the switch 
• The College obtains a new license allowing faculty to use Zoom conferencing with up to 100 participants and holds training sessions 
• The College cancels all international travel through the end of this semester and plans to use the Carnegie Guest House as a space for quarantine
• If students have symptoms such as fever, cough, sneezing, and shortness of breath, they are advised to stay home and contact Davidson’s Center for Student Health and Well-Being
• Gov. Roy Cooper declares a State of Emergency for North Carolina 

• At this time, seven individuals test positive for the novel coronavirus in North Carolina
• Testing kit availability limited - only 300 at the time but hoping to get up to 1,500 additional tests from private liberatory companies like LabCorp
• According to McCorvey’s email, “Such a declaration is a tool that governments use to access emergency funding and relax some regulations to better respond to possible crisis situations. It is not a measure of risk by public health officials.”

March 11th, 2020

• An email from President Quillen acknowledges student and staff concerns and calls upon everyone to “abide by our shared obligations” and cancel in-person gatherings

March 12th, 2020

• President Quillen sends an email calling for a mandatory switch to remote instruction and asks all students to leave residence halls if they can 
• The immediate plan:
  • For everyone:
    • Campus will remain open, but classes are canceled from Friday, March 13th through Tuesday, March 17th. Remote instruction begins Wednesday, March 18th
  • For faculty:
    • Training for remote instruction continues to be available 
  • For students:
    • Leave campus if you can - the semester will not continue in person
    • Let the Dean of Students know if you are unable to go home

• Silicon Valley program switches to remote instruction
• Announcement that “the admissions team is transforming events to virtual visits”
• However, Bridget Ashton, Admissions Counselor, sends an email out to all tour guides following this email that in-person tours will continue until Saturday, March 14th
• Atlantic 10 tournament, NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament, and all spring sports cancelled
• Two cases reported in Charlotte-Mecklenburg County
• Registrar Angie Dewberry announces via email that they are extending the pass/fail deadline for seniors to Friday, March 20th and will allow electronic major declaration forms

• Email from Dean Walter Snipes encourages students who cannot leave by March 18th to fill out a form through the Resident Life Office
• President Quillen informs the College via email that a member of the College’s community has some symptoms consistent with the coronavirus and qualified for testing. That person is placed in quarantine, and on March 16, President Quillen announces that the member tested negative for COVID-19
• SGA announces that they met with President Quillen and opened an online form to direct questions to the administration

March 13th, 2020

• Trump declares a national emergency to free up $50 billion in federal resources to combat the coronavirus
• President Quillen updates the Davidson College Community via email with information regarding refunds/credits for room and board that are set to be issued March 28th and promises seniors that no decision regarding Commencement had been made, but that “in the future a time will come when we can and will celebrate”
• Dean Snipes adds in a future email that students who leave before Wednesday March 18th will receive a prorated credit up to half of their room cost
• In preparation to leave campus, Dean Snipes informs students over email that there are free boxes and packing supplies in the Union, that residents are encouraged to move everything out of their rooms but that there can be exceptions, and shared various storage services for students
• The Davidson College Instagram starts to answer questions from followers on its story

• The College encourages students to place donations in the first-floor lounges of resident halls
• SGA offers free shuttles to the airport for students
• President Quillen sends a message reminding students not to hold parties
• Liz Robinson provides student employment information from Assistant Director of Human Resources in an email:
  • If students can work remotely, they are advised to do so. International students are unable to work from their home countries 
  • If students cannot work remotely, the College will pay employees the equivalent of what they would have earned through the end of semester by averaging the number of hours they received per week through March 6th in a lump sum payment
  • In preparation for remote classes, Dean McCrae sends an email out to students making them aware that T&I can provide computers and Verizon hotspots to those students who may need them. 

Liz Robinson:

“I want to acknowledge that this leaves us in the peculiar position of paying some students for working and others for not working. Some students, due to the nature of their job or circumstance, will be able to continue working and we want to support that effort. Others, through no fault of their own, will be unable to continue their work and we do not want to penalize them, especially as many of them were counting on the income.” 

BSC’s Initiative:

“BSC is collecting non-perishable food items, cleaning, and sanitary supplies for as long as possible. Students who plan to stay on campus are more than welcome to come and take what they need while the house is still open. By Wednesday, all of the items should be collected. If they haven't been taken, the remaining goods will go to Lula Bells which will remain open during this time.”

SGA's Initiative:

“SGA is providing storage units free of charge for students to store things they cannot take with them. We have decided to provide this opportunity mainly for students who are in great need. The storage units are not climate controlled and students are able to store items until the beginning of the fall semester. Please be very mindful about the items stored and about signing up as the space is really limited. If you sign up, be mindful of how much space you need as we are trying to accommodate as many students as possible. You can access the sign-up form through this link. We have also reserved two trucks that will be helping students take their belongings to the SGA-provided storage units. However, if you are using this service, you will be responsible for loading and unloading your belongings to/from the truck. This is very important because we are not liable for any possible damages/losses and don’t want this to be a burden on the community member who voluntarily offered to help students out.”

Saturday March 14th

• Trump announces he got tested for coronavirus after coming into contact with two Brazilia officials who tested positive for the virus 
• “We have talked to RLO and wanted to clarify some details about the check-out process. If you leave your belongings inside your room and inform RLO, they are going to contact you after March 18, Wednesday, about your plans to take your belongings before May 14. For students who cannot take their items before May 14, RLO will have to work with them to see what can occur. What that solution might be is not clear as of now, but more details will follow as we continue through the semester.” - Email from SGA

Monday, March 16th

• Community member who was being tested for COVID-10 tests negative
• “If someone in the Davidson campus community tests positive, we (administrators) will be notified of that fact but not of the identity of the individual [...] Health officials will then notify those whom they determine had close contact with the individual.”

Tuesday, March 17th

• E-mail from registrar announces updates for course registration - students planning to study abroad in Fall 2020 also required to sign up for courses at Davidson
• Advisors plan to conduct virtual meetings to discuss course planning 
• Email from Dean McCrae with study and academic tips  

Wednesday, March 18th

• First day of online classes 
• Dean McCrae and Dean Jefferson announce over email that students have the option to pass-fail any and all of their classes for the Spring 2020 semester, including those that count for a major/minor requirement. Students have until the ninth week of their senior year to declare classes as pass/fail. 
• Another email was sent by Mary Ann Shessler to students who filled out the form indicating they are staying past March 18th that included a different form to collect additional information about your stay and the statement that “In an effort to aid in the safety of the community, the campus will operate on a limited basis and expectations will be in place that are more restrictive as compared to the academic year.”

• An email from Dean McCrea and Anne McCorvey offers further information on dining options for those remaining on campus
  • “Meals at Vail commons will be served as take-out meals that you pick up.” 
  • “Pick-up times will be limited to 7:30 am to 9:00 am for breakfast; 11:00 am to 1:00 pm for lunch and 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm for dinner.”
  • Students must enter Vail Commons through the Patterson Court-side door
  • Gatherings of 10 or more individuals are prohibited, and individuals must maintain a six foot distance from one another 

Friday, March 20th 

• Reported cases in the United States tops 15,000, according to the CDC
• An email from President Quillen with the subject line “DavidsonStrong” reiterates crucial health practices and emphasizes the importance of physical distancing
• An email from the College notifies students that the Lake Campus will be closed, effective immediately
• An email from the Director of Auxiliary Services, Richard Terry, informs students remaining on campus that meal swipes are no longer necessary to receive food from Vail Commons 
• The Adobe Creative Suite becomes available for free to all students

Monday, March 23rd 

• An email from President Quillen emphasizes connecting with one another virtually and advertises tomorrow night’s open mic on Zoom for poetry, art and song organized by students
• Email from Ann McCorvey, Vice President for Finance and Administration and CFO, clarifies updates to building access on campus: 
  • “Academic buildings are open by card access from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
  • The Union is open by card access from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
  • The fitness center in the Union now is closed
  • The post office is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m
  • Vail Commons is open for take-out meals as follows:
    • Breakfast – 7:30 to 9 a.m.
    • Lunch – 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
    • Dinner – 5 to 6 p.m

• The library is open by card access only
• The Baker Sports Complex is closed
• The Hurt Hub is closed to students but please check the website for online programming
• The Lake Campus is closed.
• The bookstore is closed”
• Lula Bell’s closes for the remainder of the semester 
• U.S. senators and senior Trump administration officials again attempt to pass a $1.8 trillion dollar stimulus plan to boost the economy after Democrats blocked the action on Sunday, The New York Times reports 
• Boris Johnson imposes COVID-19 lockdown across the United Kingdom
• According to Politico, “British people will only be allowed out to shop for basic goods, to exercise once a day, to receive care or help a vulnerable person and to travel to essential work, the U.K. prime minister said during an address to the nation from No. 10 Downing Street.”

Tuesday, March 24th 

• Mecklenburg County issues “Stay at Home Order” until April 16th, effective Thursday, March 26th 
• An email from the College reiterates what “stay at home” guidelines mean for campus life 
• India’s prime minister orders three week lockdown for the country’s 1.3 billion people, beginning Wednesday 
• Davidson hosts a virtual open mic night, known as COPE, over Zoom and live streamed on YouTube. Members of the Davidson community share poems, stories, and other artistic works. Davidson alum Clint Smith ‘10 participates.  

Wednesday, March 25th 

• President Quillen expresses gratefulness for the Davidson community’s response and offers suggestions for building a daily routine in an email entitled “Gratitude” 

Friday, March 27th 

• Email from President Quillen praises creativity and adaptation, highlighting steps the College has taken to serve the over 100 students that remain on campus 
• Davidson Theatre Department produces live reading of The Refugees over Zoom 
• The House passes $2 trillion stimulus package 

Saturday, March 28th 

• President Quillen invites students, staff and faculty to join virtual summit on digital learning in an email
• Number of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. surpasses 113,000 out of over over 600,000 worldwide 

Monday, March 30th 

• An email from Chris Gruber, Vice President and Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid, announced new SAT and ACT test-optional admissions policy with a three year pilot program due to cancelled test dates, the desire to improve access and accessibility, and widespread uncertainty amidst COVID-19

Tuesday, March 31st 

• President Quillen announces the cancellation of May 2020 Commencement ceremony with hopes of scheduling an in-person ceremony in the future. She urges students to submit suggestions to 2020commencement@davidson.edu for Commencement planning group led by Sarah Phillips

Friday, April 3th 

• In an email, President Quillen reveals that “a community member who left campus on March 13th has tested positive elsewhere for COVID-19,” marking the first recorded case out of the College

Wednesday, April 8th

• Davidson’s Experiential Learning Advisory Team issues an official list of summer programs which have been cancelled and others which will transition to remote learning 
• Bernie Sanders drops out of the presidential race citing the national fight against the COVID-19 as a primary reason for the move: “I cannot in good conscience continue to mount a campaign that cannot win and which would interfere with the important work required of all of us in this difficult hour.”

Tuesday, April 21st 

• An email from President Quillen notifies students that they will be allowed to defer payment for the upcoming semester up to one year. The policy applies to incoming first-years, and seniors are asked to pay before April 2020. President Quillen’s official email. College Communication wrote a follow-up article to clarify some of the policy’s details.