All-university details on significant changes to Winter final exams and Spring Quarter

​​March 11, 2020​

Dear DePaul students, faculty and staff,

In the interest of the health and safety of our community, DePaul has decided to take proactive, immediate steps to encourage social distancing—a practice that is encouraged by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to limit the spread of COVID-19, or coronavirus. These decisions will affect faculty, staff and students for the remainder of Winter Quarter and all of Spring Quarter.

As the university begins implementing these new measures, more information will be shared via email, Newsline Daily and the new COVID-19 Updates and Guidance website, which will be updated continually with news, FAQs and resources. We appreciate your patience as the situation unfolds. Please check your email regularly throughout the day.

At this time, DePaul's campuses remain open, however we are taking critical steps to reduce the number of gatherings and the density of people on campus while maintaining our commitment to student success and academic progress.

Immediate​​ future

• No final exams for Winter Quarter classes will take place on campus. The Provost will communicate directly with faculty about alternatives. Students will hear from their faculty about any changes to their final assignments. Students who are scheduled to complete exams through the Center for Students with Disabilities will complete exams as planned.
• All university-sponsored events, either on or off campus, are postponed or canceled now until further notice. University events do not extend to core academic courses or programs that are requirements of the academic curricula.
• The university is in regular communication regarding future Athletics events and is working with the NCAA and the Big East Conference.
• Staff and faculty with operational responsibilities should continue to report to campus for work. Given the fluidity of COVID-19, we recommend that managers consider the possibility of telework on a case-by-case basis, particularly for employees whose job duties can be performed remotely without hampering operations. Managers will have the responsibility and accountability for these decisions. For guidance on handling telework effectively, click here.
• Managers will work with student employees as they determine feasibility of working on campus or if positions can lend themselves to remote work.

Spring Qua​rter

• Whenever possible, classes will be delivered remotely during Spring Quarter and the remainder of Spring Semester for the College of Law. Resources for instructors are available at http://go.depaul.edu/remote-teaching
• A few courses will continue to meet in person if alternative instruction is not appropriate. Academic Affairs in consultation with the deans will generate the list of such courses. Accommodations associated with social distancing will be implemented in these courses.
• Campuses will remain open to faculty and staff, and operations other than in-class instruction will be expected to continue.
• Students who live in residence halls should prepare not to return for Spring Quarter. Additional details on move-out procedures will be communicated directly to residence hall students. If move-out is not possible, the university will work with students to accommodate students with exceptional circumstances.

International and dom​​​estic travel

As previously communicated, DePaul has canceled all spring break study abroad trips and has placed on hold several other upcoming study abroad trips. We are monitoring the situation daily and will make additional decisions as warranted.

Public health agencies have not restricted domestic travel and most international travel, however, DePaul is strongly encouraging faculty and staff to reconsider nonessential business travel to areas that have been highly impacted by COVID-19. State-by-state COVID-19 cases are detailed on the CDC's Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the U.S. site. CDC's guidance regarding international travel may be found here Coronavirus Disease 2019 Information for Travel. Local restrictions may be in place at your destination. Please check with local public health agencies before traveling.

No DePaul community members have been diagnosed with COVID-19. These decisions are being taken because the message from public health agencies has been loud and clear that we all must do our part to limit the spread of COVID-19. While DePaul's proactive measures are unprecedented and will cause a disruption to the norm, I firmly believe these steps must be taken to preserve the good health of our community, which includes students, faculty and staff who may be vulnerable to this infectious disease. We are far from the only university in the United States to be moving courses online for an extended period, and I suspect we will not be the last.

I thank everyone for their flexibility in complying with these decisions. We will be in communication again in the near future with any additional instructions. In the meantime, please visit the COVID-19 Updates and Guidance site for additional information and resources.

As the COVID-19 situation rapidly changes, we will continue to take proactive measures that are driven by care for those in our community. My concern and the top concern of our COVID-19 Planning and Response Task Force is the health of the communities in which we live and work. St. Vincent de Paul was guided by the question: “What must be done?" That question and our care for those around us must be at the top of our minds as we continue adjusting our lives to these uncertain times. Take care of yourselves and, as always, Take Care DePaul.

Best,

A. Gabriel Esteban, Ph.D.
President