NWIC Moves All Classes Online for the Rest of Winter Quarter Effective March 16th, 2020
Following a proactive internal training session on Wednesay, March 11th, which included all faculty and staff from the Lummi campus and extended campuses, the College has made a preventative decision to shift all classes to distance learning modalities and and staff scheduels to remote modalities to the fullest extent possible for a minimum of four weeks.
The first positive COVID-19 case of an LIBC employee who commuted from Seattle was confirmed Thurday, March 12th, afternoon per a Lummi Public Health Department announcement via Lummi communications.
Northwest Indian College has been working with the larger Lummi community to minimize risk of spread as a coordinated effort. The Lummi Public Health Department recommended the College close for 4 weeks.
Beginning Friday, March 13, all NWIC faculty, staff, and students are being asked to practice social distancing by staying home and working remotely. Since classes are not run on Friday’s, beginning Monday, March 16th, all classes will be taught from a distance modality for the remainder of winter quarter and possibly throughout spring quarter (which has been pushed back by one week, and now will run Monday, April 13 through Friday, June 19, 2020). Students, please check your emails often, and keep in contact with your instructors for more detailed instructions. Please be advised that all related processes such Financial Aid, etc., will need to be adjusted based on this schedule. Stay tuned to the College’s offical facebook page and website for updated information.
NWIC will be scheduled to resume its regular class, work, and operational schedule on Monday, April 13, 2020 unless otherwise noted. See just released announcement (below) from LIBC as well.
In the short term, emergency or essential staff are scheduled to be on campus as needed. This includes the Residence Life Center (RLC or dorms). The food/meals will proceed as regularly scheduled for students. The Lummi Public Health Department recommended that the dorm students remain on campus, rather than heading home, based on the preventative measure of “staying put”, and reducing travel in and out of state in an effort to avoid any potential spread of the virus.
Please note the College is acting now as a preventative measure, and as of Friday at 1 A.M., there have been NO CONFIRMED COVID-19 CASES ON CAMPUS. We believe this is the most responsible action we can take to help protect the most vulnurable in the community, and avoid overwhelming our healthcare system, by practicing “social distancing,” and we urge our NWIC family to do their due diligence to do so as well in their everyday lives.
The following recommendations, per the College Human Resources Department, are effective immediately as well:
If any students, staff members, or employees thinks they may have been exposed to the Coronavirus please do the following:
- Lummi campus employees please contact their local Public Health hotline at (360) 383-8251. Site managers please do the same in your community, and follow up with Angel Jefferson.
- Provide information and wait for a health care provider to return a call;
- Upon consulting with a health care provider, they will tell the employee what the next steps are, and if the employee needs to be quarantined.
- If the employee can work from home or remotely, we ask that they work directly with their supervisor with the next steps.\
All employees (which includes part-time, on-call temporary and work study) are eligible for Administrative Leave with pay during this remote-work period, which until further notice, will run through Monday, April 13th.
Employees are expected to work and be available during their normal work schedule, so please contact them via email (unless they have noted otherwise). A full staff directory can be found here. The Public Information Officer can also assist with any requests at pio@nwic.edu.
To reiterate the message from the Lummi Public Health Team: let’s work together and do our part to reduce the risk of spreading the virus. As a reminder, please follow these simple precautionary measures:
- Stay home when you are sick.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
We will continue to monitor this evolving situation and adjust procedures, if necessary.
Please contact the Public Information Office at pio@nwic.edu for official communications.