March 12, 2020
Dear University Community,
While there are no probable or confirmed cases of the Coronavirus at
Western Illinois University, there are confirmed cases in Illinois. In
an effort to keep our University community safe, particularly following
Spring Break travel, all University classes are canceled
Saturday-Friday, March 14-20. Classes will resume in an alternative
format Saturday, March 21, 2020 and will continue in that format until
at least April 3, 2020.
Residence Halls
Residence halls will re-open at 10 a.m. Sunday, March 15 as originally
scheduled; however, students may choose to remain in their permanent
residences until further notice. If students choose to return to their
respective residence halls, they must check in via their STARS account
when they arrive on campus. Dining services will be available.
University Operations & Faculty/Staff
While classes are canceled next week, the University remains open for
regular business. All faculty and staff will resume their normal work
schedule the week of March 15. Student employees and graduate assistants
should consult with their respective supervisors. Employees and
students who feel ill should stay home and contact their health care
provider.
University Events
All events on either campus with more than 50 participants that are
scheduled between now and April 3, 2020 should be canceled, unless
deemed as essential for University operations. We have implemented a
mandatory event registration form, which will remain in effect for the
remainder of the semester, which can be found at bit.ly/WIUEventRegistration2020.
International & Domestic Travel
We recently canceled all summer study abroad trips and all international
business travel for students, faculty and staff through Aug. 1, 2020.
All University-affiliated domestic air travel is also restricted until
further notice; however, faculty and staff who believe they have an
essential reason to travel by air can request a waiver from Executive
Director of Risk Management Joe Roselieb.
Nonessential travel by bus and train is strongly discouraged. WIU
students, faculty and staff are encouraged not to visit areas with high
numbers of reported cases within the U.S. If individuals return from
high-risk areas in the U.S. or abroad, they could be required to
self-isolate for 14 days.
Information
There are numerous “what if” scenarios and questions that we may not be
able to answer at this time. We are not taking this situation lightly
and are working as quickly as possible to make informed decisions to
keep our University community safe, while providing a quality academic
experience for our students. Individuals with questions can email covid-19@wiu.edu. The latest updates are also posted at wiu.edu/coronavirus and wiu.edu/news.
Thank you for your cooperation and patience as we continue to develop plans to protect our University community.
Sincerely,
Martin Abraham
Interim President
Posted By: WIU News (U-Relations@wiu.edu)
Office of University Relations