Goshen College makes changes in response to COVID-19

Due to the spread of Covid-19, Goshen College will move classes online, allow students to go home, cancel the athletics season as well as large gatherings and public events until further notice.

President Rebecca Stoltzfus and the college’s Crisis Management Team released the following statement to campus on Monday, March 16:

The COVID-19 situation continues to evolve very rapidly. Travel restrictions are increasing, and Governor Holcomb has announced that dining-in at restaurants is no longer allowed. Therefore, we are taking some further actions today and this week to keep our community as healthy as possible while we continue our educational mission. Please read this email carefully.

1. Academics: After today, we are canceling all classes for the rest of the week. Instruction will resume next Monday online. We will complete this semester online. Prior planned training sessions for faculty will continue using technology on Thursday and Friday.
2. Residential students: It is time to transition home or off-campus. Please make plans to be moved out of campus housing by Thursday noon at the latest, and plan to take everything with you that you can.
   1. Residence Life will provide residential students with instructions for checkout.
   2. If you need more time, we will work with you on a case-by-case basis. If going home isn’t possible for you right now, please fill out this form as soon as possible so that residence life staff can work with you directly.
   3. The dining hall will continue to support us in responsive ways through this transition.
   4. We understand that this raises financial questions. We will answer those questions as soon as we can.
3. International education:
   1. In light of increasing travel restrictions, we are working to bring the Tanzania and Ecuador SST groups back at the earliest possible time. They will be routed directly to their homes where possible.
   2. International May Term classes and Summer SST Units will not be offered. These include destinations in London, Spain, Nepal, Senegal and Ecuador. We will work with students to find ways to fulfill the credits they are missing because of these cancelations. Students can get full refunds for the deposits they have already paid for these classes.
   3. We have not canceled Fall SST units to Indonesia and Ecuador yet. Indonesian language class will be offered in May term as scheduled, online, to keep that option open.
4. Events: We will not hold large gatherings and public campus events until the CDC advises otherwise. We therefore cannot plan to hold Commencement as usual. We will continue to determine if there is an alternative approach to conferring degrees and celebrating this important occasion with you and your loved ones.
5. Athletics: The NAIA announced this morning their decision to cancel the spring 2020 sports season, effective immediately.
   1. In an effort to provide relief, no spring sport student-athlete will be charged a season of competition. Any spring sport student-athlete who was enrolled full-time in 2020 will be awarded two additional semester terms of attendance, or the equivalent.

We understand that these decisions are disruptive and emotional. In these unprecedented times, we will continue to work daily to do what is best for each of you, our community and the world.

We are all in this together. Thank you for the many acts and words of kindness you are showing. Be well, keep learning and stay connected.

We will continue to evaluate new information as it develops and share updates as they become available. Learn more about our campus response to COVID-19 at: goshen.edu/coronavirus.