Dear Missio Students,
President James has been closely monitoring the situation with the new coronavirus (COVID-19) both within the city of Philadelphia and with colleges in the surrounding areas. After discussion with the Presidentās Cabinet and wanting to use an abundance of caution,Ā Missio will be moving all classes online beginning Monday, March 16th through Friday, April 3rd. The Cabinet will evaluate the situation again the last week of March to decide if classes will need to meet online after April 3rd. Please continue to watch your eCampus messages for updates.
Our IT department will be connecting with all professors to make sure that they have the information they need to set up Zoom sessions and recordings for class time. You should plan on connecting to your class at your normally scheduled class time unless you hear otherwise from your professor. Please take time in the next few days to make sure you have your computer set up for Zoom and that you feel comfortable with the platform in time for class next week. You can use the attached guide to start (sent to you last week as well) and can also view instructional videos on the Zoom websiteĀ here.
The City of Philadelphia Heath Department is a good resource for updates on how COVID-19 is being addressed in our area. The website can be foundĀ hereĀ and you can also sign up for alerts from the Department by texting COVID-19 to 888-777. Also, as we mentioned in previous emails, please take note of the CDC guidelines (here) for disease prevention, namely, washing your hands, avoiding large gatherings, and staying home if you are feeling ill.
According to the Philadelphia Health Department, the risk is currently low for the city with only one reported case. However, Missio still wants to be cautious for the health of our students and our community. We gladly participate in the āsocial distancingā recommended by many organizations to slow the spread of the virus. We are hopeful that these community efforts will result in a dramatic decrease in the number of cases and weāll be able to resume classes in person after April 3rd. In the meantime, we will continue to pray for you and our broader community for safety, healing, and peace.
Campus offices will remain open so please feel free to contact us via email or phone if you have any questions. (Though please be assured that staff members will be allowed to work remotely if they feel uncomfortable coming in.) We hope to see you in person, and healthy, very soon.
