COVID-19 Community Update – March 13, 2020
Dear Northwest University community member,
Today, Governor Jay Inslee announced that he would "restrict activities" at Washington colleges and universities, mandating that there should be no "in-person courses from March 17 until at least April 24." In view of his decision, I can announce the following updates:
- Class sessions for the remainder of this semester will be conducted remotely. Please note that I have avoided the use of the term "online." We are not moving classes to our online format, but rather professors will conduct face-to-face classes remotely.
- Except for nursing courses, we are suspending classes in the traditional undergraduate program this Monday, March 17, in order to give faculty and students an extra day to prepare for the new remote modality. Those classes will resume remotely as scheduled on Tuesday. All other classes (graduate, adult evening, and online) will continue as planned. This delay will also give students time to travel to their homes if they wish to do so on Monday. Nursing students should expect further information from Dean Bjorge.
- As previously announced, residence halls and the cafeteria will remain open for the rest of the term, unless health authorities indicate otherwise. We also have a plan to carry on serving our students if that occurs. We recognize that many students will chose to go home and move out of their residence hall or apartment. If you are a residential student, please be on the lookout for an email from housing and residence life staff with further instructions.
We deeply regret this situation of national emergency—something insurance providers would call an "act of God." While I absolutely don't believe God inflicted this pandemic on us, I am positive that he is in the midst of it, "working all things together for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28). One of our fundamental truths at Northwest University is our duty to "carry the call" of God, and we can be sure that "neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell [and certainly not COVID-19] can separate us from God's love…revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38-39).
God loves you, and we love you too. I'll be praying for the next time we can all safely meet together—every single one of us—and give each other big hugs.
Sincerely,
Joseph Castleberry, Ed.D.
President, Northwest University