Message Archive

June 2, 2022

Dear Loyola community,

The CDC is now reporting that COVID levels in Orleans Parish are high. It is highly recommended that you wear a mask indoors in public, get a booster if you are eligible for one, and get tested if you have any symptoms. Please remember that N95 and KN95 masks provide the strongest protection.

At this time we are not re-instituting a campuswide mask mandate. But if you are at high risk for serious illness or live with someone at high risk, you should wear a well-fitting mask indoors in public, regardless of your vaccination status. Consider avoiding non-essential indoor activities in public where you could be exposed. Have some home tests on hand to get quick results if you start to feel sick. You may also wish to talk to your healthcare provider about whether you are a candidate for treatments like oral antivirals, PrEP, and monoclonal antibodies.

If you do get sick with COVID-19 or any other respiratory illness, wear a mask around others and maintain physical distance to help protect people near you. Cover your coughs and sneezes, and consider avoiding public events or using public transportation until you recover.

Please report illness and recent exposure to Loyola Public Health at covid@loyno.edu. We recommend testing if you have any symptoms, or if you have known or suspected close contact. You should get tested at least 5 days after exposure, or immediately after onset of symptoms. If you test negative and symptoms persist, you should test again. If you will be on campus this summer, please continue to follow our protocols for symptoms, testing, and quarantine/isolation.

Please contact covid@loyno.edu with any COVID-related questions.

Take good care,

Alicia A. Bourque, Ph.D.
Vice President of Student Affairs 

May 12, 2022

Dear Loyola community,

In our area, we are currently experiencing a slight uptick in COVID-19 cases. We are closely monitoring data in multiple communities. After similar observed increases in many Northeast states, we urge you to be cautious and thoughtful about your decisions this week so we can finish the semester strong.

When making careful decisions this week as you prepare for Commencement and/or make plans to travel, consider your own risk and how exposure to the virus right now could impact you and those around you. Even if it is unlikely that you will get terribly sick, you don’t want to have to cancel plans or risk spreading the virus to others.

Masking remains optional. We highly recommend voluntary masking at end-of-the-year events and any time you’re around large groups indoors, or crowds, particularly if you have or will be around anyone with a weakened immune system, or if you are unvaccinated or not up-to-date on your COVID-19 vaccines. Remember that N95 and KN95 masks provide the strongest protection.

If you are sick or have any symptoms, you should wear a mask if you must be around others and should be physically distanced to help protect people near you. Cover your coughs and sneezes. We strongly urge you to reconsider attending public events or using public transportation if you have any symptoms.

Report illness and recent exposure to Loyola Public Health at covid@loyno.edu. We recommend testing if you have any symptoms, or if you have known or suspected close contact. You should get tested at least 5 days after exposure, or immediately after an onset of symptoms. If you test negative and symptoms persist, you should test again. If you will be on campus this summer, please continue to follow our protocols for symptoms, testing, and quarantine/isolation.

Finally, we strongly urge you to get your COVID-19 vaccine booster. Booster shots are necessary to restore protection against COVID-19 variants like BA.2. Follow the guidance from the CDC to determine when you are eligible for booster shots.

Please contact covid@loyno.edu with any COVID-related questions.

Take good care,

Alicia A. Bourque, Ph.D.
Vice President of Student Affairs 

March 3, 2022

Dear Loyola community,

With declining COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, the City of New Orleans has ended its indoor mask mandate, effective today. Here at Loyola, we will continue to require masks indoors until Wednesday, March 9 – a week after Mardi Gras. Starting Wednesday, anyone who chooses to wear a mask is welcome to do so.

Please do not take the decision to wear a mask or not lightly, and don’t make assumptions when you see someone wearing one. There are many vulnerable members of our community, and we still need to be quite careful and respectful of their choices if they continue to wear masks. There will be many reasons members of our community choose to wear a mask, due to their own vulnerabilities or those of members of their household, but it is a good idea for all of us to continue to be careful, mask when we have been exposed, and especially when we are sick with any respiratory illness. Some employees may be required to wear masks when working directly with people exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 or who have tested positive for COVID-19 in the prior 10 days. We continue to ask you to get tested when you have symptoms or an exposure because while we are hoping that COVID-19 has become endemic, we still want to control the spread as much as we can.

The Loyola community has done such a wonderful job of protecting one another throughout the pandemic. I have confidence that we will continue to show that same care and concern for each other as we cautiously return to some of our pre-pandemic ways.

You’ve got this, Wolf Pack.

Alicia A. Bourque, Ph.D.
Vice President of Student Affairs 

January 21, 2022

Dear Loyola Community,

Good news. Covid case numbers are dropping, both within the Loyola community and the city at large. While we can’t completely let our guard down, we are able to begin in-person classes for all colleges on January 31.

City officials are back to requiring masks in all indoor spaces (and we strongly recommend following CDC guidance about the best kinds of masks). While omicron has evaded the vaccines of many, remember that the level of vaccinations and boosters in our Loyola community still provides significant protection against serious illness.   

Students, you must submit a negative test and proof of a booster (if you are five months out and eligible for one) before you can move into the residence halls, attend in-person classes, or participate in any on-campus activities. If you have any questions at all, or need any assistance, please contact covid@loyno.edu.  

For faculty and staff, if you’ve gotten a booster and have not yet uploaded that information to our Public Health Portal, please take a moment and do that now. Understanding the level of protection we have within our community is an important factor in our decision making should another surge arise. 

Campus offices will be open normally starting the week of January 31 (as most are already), and while to-go options will still be available, the Orleans Room will reopen for dine-in service.  We've updated our COVID FAQs to keep you informed of the latest CDC guidance, including a link to the website where you can request free self-administered tests.

Repopulating campus gradually has helped us get through the logistical challenges of this surge, but now I cannot wait to see all of you in person.  

Tania Tetlow
President 

December 30, 2021

Dear Loyola Faculty and Staff,

I know (both statistically and anecdotally) that many of you have been personally infected during this omicron surge. And all of us are dealing with the utter disruption of it. I pray that you and your loved ones are safe.  

We have been watching the data closely and waiting for as much certainty as we can manage before making a decision. We are sending out the email below to students announcing:

• A virtual start to the semester across all colleges until at least January 31st, to get us most of the way through the current surge.  (With exceptions for undergraduate nursing and graduate counseling, because of their clinical and other requirements.)
• In the meantime, we will have basic functioning on campus where we can, for those students who cannot afford to change plans or who have nowhere else they can easily live or get access to the internet. Beginning Monday, we will have just a few students on campus (athletes and some January term students in the residence halls) and a gradual return as the weeks progress.
• We will keep the indoor mask mandate, including when we do return for in-person instruction.

 For faculty, that means teaching virtually once courses begin, though you are welcome to your campus office/lab if you choose.  

For staff, we will not have many students on campus this first week of January, which allows us to proceed gradually. We will need some of you on campus next week to help us stand up basic campus functioning for students. For the rest, many of you will be able to do your work virtually while we get through the surge, and we will take those decisions week by week. Your supervisors will be in touch with details.  

Once the surge subsides, we will exist in a world where many people will have gained some immunity from omicron the hard way, and where boosters will greatly improve our protection here on campus as well. We are requiring students to get the booster and greatly encouraging faculty and staff to do so. Please update your records on Loyola’s Public Health Portal so we’ll know if you’ve gotten a booster, and don’t forget you also need to let us know via the portal if you’ve tested positive. See our portal instructions if you need a refresher on how to access the system and email us at covid@loyno.edu if you still need help.

Thank you all – yet again – for your endless perseverance, flexibility, courage and hard work.  This feels like running a marathon every day.    

Tania Tetlow
President

December 30, 2021

Dear Loyola Students,

The hope of many scientists is that the fiercely contagious omicron variant of COVID may signal an end to the pandemic, just as a weaker strain of flu ended the last major pandemic in 1918. (Since then, the flu continues to be dangerous, but it does not shut us down.) We fervently pray that this is true of the omicron variant.

In the meantime, however, the variant is causing a massive national spike in cases, which will have already infected many of you reading this email. Even if the vast majority of those cases are minor, the surge is disrupting society, from canceled flights to NFL games that look like junior varsity. For the next several weeks, many of our students, faculty and staff will end up in isolation, even if their symptoms are (hopefully) quite mild. This makes it very difficult for us to function normally on campus during the surge and difficult for many of you to travel back.

Our medical and public health advisors estimate that the spike here in New Orleans may peak the week of January 10th, and hopefully decline as dramatically as it went up. For that reason, we are going to start our semester virtually, until at least January 31st.We cannot fully predict events ahead, but that is our best estimate of when we will be able to begin on-campus learning, which we are determined to do.

This includes undergraduate, graduate and law school classes. The only exceptions are graduate counseling clinical work and undergraduate nursing, which have clinical requirements difficult to delay and will begin on campus as planned. Those directors will be in touch right away.

Starting virtually allows the many students and faculty who will inevitably be stuck in isolation to continue academic functioning if they feel up to it. It allows you to decide when to return to campus, without a requirement that you travel during the peak of the surge. We will have basic campus functions available throughout January for those of you who do come back.  

For those of you living in the residence halls, we know that some of you rely on that housing or cannot afford to delay your return travel. You may return to campus housing on your original dates (though you must first produce a negative test before moving in). The risk of omicron exists across the country right now and we have no reason to believe that you will be at either more or less risk here on campus. But, during this spike, when many of you will face a positive test and isolation, home may prove far more comfortable.  

I want you to know that we are determined to go forward with on-campus classes as soon as we can. We will continue to mask, to keep spread out of the classroom – which worked even during the omicron surge we experienced in December. With booster shots, we can return to a level of vaccine protection much closer to what helped us do so well last fall. Remember that you must submit documentation of your booster in Medicat by January 10. If you will be unable to meet that deadline for reasons outlined in previous emails, please email covid@loyno.edu to let us know. That’s true for all on-campus students, including graduate and law. Also please remember to notify us in Medicat if you’ve recently had COVID, because that will also give us a sense of our collective immunity going forward. The point of these protocols is to maximize our ability to function in person, which is our priority. Please email us at covid@loyno.edu if you have any problems accessing the Medicat portal.

I cannot wait to see you in person on campus. As always, we will get through this together.  

Tania Tetlow
President

December 23, 2021

We are all watching the increasing COVID rates with bated breath. Know that we are busily planning for every contingency and keeping a close eye on the data, both locally and nationally. As we get closer and know more, we’ll decide whether we need to start the semester virtually, hopefully while allowing students in the residence halls to return on time if they choose. But we want to avoid giving you a false sense of certainty by guessing too early.

We will require a negative COVID test from all of you before you return to campus , but more on that later. Here is what we do know – the best tool we have available to protect us is the vaccine booster, which is no guarantee but increases our collective protection significantly.

Along with many other universities, we are now requiring the vaccine booster (for those of you eligible to receive it who haven’t already) by January 10th, to help keep our community safe and to protect us against the enormous disruption of omicron – a seemingly weaker but more contagious variant.   We always knew we would need boosters to hold onto the protection of a vaccine, and now this new variant has made that need more urgent as it evades the protection of the original dosage. Getting the booster now will maximize our chances of functioning far more normally, as we did for much of the fall semester.

The earlier you receive the booster, the greater your protection by the start of school, but we want to give you time during the holidays to get to a local pharmacy or doctor’s office or neighborhood site. If you have not yet hit the six-month mark from your original vaccine, you may of course wait (and our automated system will remind you via email of your time). If you struggle to find access to the vaccine where you are, email us at covid@loyno.edu and we will have vaccines available on campus when you arrive. And for the few of you who have received exemptions from the University, you do not need to refile these, though we continue to hope and pray you may change your mind.

Here are some of the lessons we have learned. When we have periods of low levels of the virus in our community and on campus, we can function fairly normally, which was such a blessing this fall. We went through a spike of omicron cases at the very end of the semester, peaking at 138 active cases. Our contact tracing revealed spread through residential and social interaction, not from classrooms. (While students interact in multiple ways making it harder to completely rule out, no faculty came down with COVID from campus exposure, even during those last two weeks.)  

Our hope is that the spike of the omicron variant comes down as quickly as it is currently going up, and there is evidence of that happening now in South Africa where it originally emerged. Our hope is that after the spike subsides, boosters will offer us much better protection. Just know that we will continue the critical work of balancing our community’s safety against the very real need to protect your educational opportunity and mental well-being.

We will keep in constant touch as we know more, and in the meantime, you’ve never needed or deserved a break more. In the midst of bustling family activities, and for many of you, holiday jobs, I pray that you get a real rest. And for those of you with friends still quarantined in the residence halls (about two dozen now), please reach out to them constantly.

All my best,

Tania Tetlow
President

December 14, 2021

Dear Loyola students,

We are continuing to see a surge in COVID cases among vaccinated students. Most cases have mild symptoms, but we have evidence of high transmissibility. I know how much you are looking forward to seeing family and friends for the holidays, so I wanted to remind you about key things you can do to keep yourself and your family safe and to keep from getting stuck here in quarantine.

Limit yourself to essential activities: getting food, doctor's appointments and final exams until you are back with your family. A post-finals celebration at a bar or party is a common tradition, but it’s not worth the risk right now.

Limit the size of any gatherings to a few close friends and opt to gather outdoors, masked.

While the City of New Orleans may not be requiring masks in public, please wear one wherever you go, especially if you will be spending the holidays with anyone who is especially vulnerable.

If you develop any symptoms, isolate and get tested. There are a number of locations locally where you can get a free test. See our COVID-19 testing resources for more information. Self-tests are available for purchase at pharmacies; they are easy to administer and deliver results quickly.

Get vaccinated, and if you are already vaccinated, get a booster.
Following these precautions will help you stay safe and protect your loved ones. We are all tired of having to be careful all the time, but as we have seen with other pandemics, this too shall pass.

Please contact covid@loyno.edu with any COVID-related questions.  

Alicia A. Bourque, Ph.D.
Vice President of Student Affairs 

December 12, 2021

Dear Loyola community,

Tulane has informed us and announced to their community that they have seen an increased number of COVID cases, some of which they sequenced and identified as probable omicron variant .

As you have been reading, scientists are busily gathering data about the variant and do not yet have all the answers, but early reports indicate that this variant is more contagious, including spread among the double-vaccinated (though the booster seems to restore strong protection). Early indications also offer the possibility that this variant is less severe, and Tulane reports that its own cases are all mild or asymptomatic. We also know from public health experts and news reports that there are cases across the country, and likely community spread in many areas.  

At Loyola, we maintained our mask mandate on campus to guard against this possibility and the impact of Thanksgiving travel.  We continue to have no evidence of spread of COVID in the classroom.  We have, however, experienced a recent small increase in cases among our students — one that we warned students of yesterday to remind them to be vigilant. As of today, we have 47 active student cases, lower than our peak last year. We do not know whether our Loyola cases are delta or omicron, but all of them involve no more than mild symptoms.  

Tomorrow begins exam week, although some of you have already completed your on-campus requirements, and more of you will be finished every day this week. After consultation with city public health experts, we believe that our vigilance in masking and taking basic precautions allow us to safely finish these last few days of the semester in person.

We will continue to communicate constantly with any updates.  

Best,

Alicia A. Bourque, Ph.D.
Vice President of Student Affairs 

December 11, 2021

Dear Loyola community,

Campus is currently experiencing a small surge of breakthrough COVID cases. We currently have 40 students who have tested positive, thankfully none of whom are experiencing serious symptoms. These numbers are smaller than our peak last year, but we want to take this opportunity to urge you to be cautious as we finish exams and the semester.  

Keep in mind that contracting COVID at this point in the semester could disrupt your ability to get home for the Christmas break.   Because conditions in the city have been so good, most of us have let our guard down, but it’s time to up our game for the next week so that you can get home, and do so without infecting loved ones. You know the drill — mask indoors (even if the city no longer requires it) and be careful about the number of people you expose yourself to this week. We’re so close.  

The good news is we continue to have no evidence of spread in the classrooms, so in-person exams will continue this week , safely masked.  

This is also a good reminder to get a booster shot if you haven’t already done so (either this week or when you’re home on break).   Immunity from vaccines wanes, and research shows that a booster can return us to the level of protection we once had. That’s particularly important given the new omicron variant.  

Sending positive thoughts and keeping you in my prayers as we navigate our last week of the Fall 2021 semester together. I look forward to catching up with you next year. Until then, take good care and please reach out to covid@loyno.edu if we can be of assistance.

Best,

Alicia A. Bourque, Ph.D.
Vice President of Student Affairs 

November 12, 2021

Dear Loyola,

We have decided to go ahead and keep the masking requirement in place through the last few weeks of the semester. We make this decision (along with all but one of our peer institutions in town) out of an abundance of caution, both because many of you will travel for Thanksgiving and because we are very close to the end of a successful semester.

Come January, if the city’s remarkable progress continues without mandated masks, we will happily drop Loyola’s mask requirement. For some of us, this will be a real adjustment. But, despite our understandable anxiety, we need to respond to data in both directions – when the situation gets bad and also when it gets better. And masks will always remain an option for those seeking extra protection.

For now, we keep them on, while making masks voluntary for certain key functions, like teaching. Our public health team is happy to consider official requests to adjust public health protocols for important reasons.  

Thank you for your patience and your help. We can be very proud of what we have achieved together. 

Tania Tetlow
President

October 28, 2021

Dear Loyola community,

Both the state and the city have announced a lift of the mask mandate for most public settings (with the exception of K-12 schools where many young children cannot yet get vaccinated).  Masks remain encouraged in indoor settings.

Here at Loyola, we will continue to mask indoors until at least November 15th, while keeping a close eye on our data.  Masks remain required on campus for everyone in indoor facilities, including offices (unless, of course, you’re alone), classrooms, libraries, athletic facilities, common areas of residence halls and public spaces.

We announce one new exception, given the serious pedagogical benefit.  Vaccinated faculty may choose to unmask in order to teach.

Stay safe this Halloween, so we can avoid the kind of spike that we experienced last year.  Follow CDC guidelines for best practices related to mitigating spread: mask, socially distance, wash hands, and gather outdoors. Most importantly, if you have symptoms, even if you’re vaccinated, self isolate, notify covid@loyno.edu, and get tested immediately.  Remember that we can protect our campus community, as we have done so well this semester, by a record number of us getting our flu shot and COVID-19 boosters.

Student Health Services will hold another Flu Shot Fair today, October 28th  from noon to 2 p.m. in the Octavia Room on the second floor of the Danna Student Center. If you can’t make it on Thursday, call Student Health Services at 504-865-3326 to make an appointment. Flu shots are also available at your local pharmacy and covered by most insurance plans.  

It seems like we might be getting close to our old normal, where we can see each other’s smiles (even indoors).  But it will still take some hard work to get all the way there. Stay strong and stay safe, Wolf Pack. 

Alicia A. Bourque, Ph.D.
Vice President of Student Affairs 

September 9, 2021

Dear Students,

Given that we will be returning to campus shortly and have evacuated to areas across the country, all students are instructed to take a rapid COVID test before returning to campus. We are also asking this of our faculty and staff.

If you are vaccinated, and you begin to experience any symptoms of COVID, or if you are concerned about a potential exposure at any point prior to your scheduled return date, please do not return to campus. Get tested at your current location. Please continue to email covid@loyno.edu to report positive COVID results or confirmed exposures. If you need assistance in finding a testing site, the public health team is happy to help.  

Loyola cares about your safety and wellbeing. Out of an abundance of caution, all unvaccinated students are required to submit proof of a negative COVID test taken within 72 hours prior to or upon return to campus. Loyola’s Student Health Services will be providing rapid COVID-19 tests to be self-administered on-site to assist with the requirement for unvaccinated students. For more information, please see our FAQ page.

For all students, prior to returning to campus and resuming in-person classes, we recommend that you limit activities to essential functions like going to medical appointments, getting groceries, and picking up personal care items. We recommend that you limit the number of people you’re around outside of your household and maintain social distance, as evacuation travel increases the possibility of exposure to COVID.

Alicia A. Bourque, Ph.D.
Chief Student Affairs Officer 

August 13, 2021

Dear Loyola Community,

The city of New Orleans has announced new public health protocols to provide additional measures of safety and to get through the current surge more quickly. Beginning August 16, proof of vaccination (or a negative PCR test within the last 72 hours) will be required for entry into restaurants, bars, gyms, and performances.

Here on campus, we will need to comply with these new rules in the University Sports Complex and for campus performances in our event venues. The rules do not apply to our dining halls, though we have maintained our own safety measures – the plexiglass dividers and distanced seating, with additional seating outdoors.

Within our campus community, the vast majority of us are vaccinated, including 92% of full-time employees. (We believe part-time employees have a similar rate but are determining which of the non-responders are actually adjuncts not currently teaching.) Thus far, 79% of students have submitted vaccination records (for at least one shot); 6% have asked for an exception, and the remaining 15% have yet to fill out the form and will not be allowed back to campus until they do. We hope to get to a rate of at least 90% for our student body as well.

We will have vaccinations available on campus next week. Students can call Student Health at 504-865-3326 to make an appointment at the clinic Monday – Friday, 8:30 – 4:45 p.m. Ochsner Health will also be set up in Mercy Hall to accept walk-ins, available August 16 – 18 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. For any international students arriving eager to get access to the vaccine, you can even get your first dose at the airport the moment you arrive, next to baggage claim, or make an appointment on campus.

We continue to have rapid antigen test availability at our health clinic for students, faculty, and staff who feel sick or have a potential exposure to the virus. But for the unvaccinated still eager to enjoy the city, know that you’ll be required to show a negative PCR test dated within 72 hours – the kind that must be sent out to a lab and takes much longer. We will do our best to find the quickest options for you.

For all of us, I know it feels like we’ve gone two steps forward and then two steps back, but we really are in a better place. Last year, we succeeded at functioning with the help of masking and social distance. This year, we replace social distancing with the far more effective protection of vaccines, and an almost entirely vaccinated community.

And so, despite our collective exhaustion with these terrible times, we are very excited to begin teaching, learning, and supporting each other again. Students, we are determined to keep these challenges from derailing your bright futures. Your resilience through all of this has inspired us, and your joy fuels us.

Prayers and blessings,

Tania Tetlow
President

August 3, 2021

Dear Loyola Students,

We are so excited to welcome you back to campus. As you start to pack, we are busy doing all of our back-to-school rituals, from updating our courses to preparing the residence halls. This moment is all the sweeter for us because we get to see you far more fully in person than we have for the last year and a half. I can’t tell you how much we have missed that.

We’re able to come together because of the protection of vaccines. I want to thank all of you who have heeded the call to get vaccinated—a call that came from Loyola, but more importantly from many of your families, your communities, and your doctors. You’ve gotten the vaccine in time to offer real protection against the new more serious Delta variant. And that vaccine provides you almost total protection against serious illness.  

At the moment (and I hope not for long) we also face a surge of cases, primarily among the unvaccinated. That news feels even harder to take because we were able to experience a summer of real liberation—of breathing easier and moving forward. But we adjust once again, as we must.

We are in close consultation with city and state public health authorities and our medical advisors. I want to explain our understanding of the current situation so you’ll know how Loyola is making its plans. But obviously, you should continue looking to authoritative sources and talking to your own doctors.  

First, the really great news. The vast majority of Loyola students are now vaccinated, thank goodness. 74% of students have submitted their vaccination records. Right now, only 6% have made the decision to opt out. And 20% are late responding. (I’ve sent a separate urgent message to them so that they can come back to campus, but I expect that many of them are or will be vaccinated.)

New Orleans itself is also doing well—the very latest numbers are that 70.5% of us have at least the first shot (though the rest of the state lags behind).  

Those of you who are vaccinated can breathe far easier. The vaccine offers overwhelming protection against serious illness, and significant protection against catching the virus at all. At a moment when the Delta variant creates more danger for the young and those who once felt invulnerable, the vaccine remains our greatest tool of protection. That is crucial—and the reason we are in a far different place now.  

No vaccine is 100% effective, however, though these come remarkably close. We will be dealing with breakthrough (and almost always minor) cases of COVID among the vaccinated. The chances of those breakthrough cases go down the more we stick to highly protected communities like our own, but it remains a reality. If you experience any symptoms at all, no matter how minor, we will be urging you to come get a rapid test at the health clinic.  

New evidence suggests that those breakthrough cases, unfortunately, can also spread the Delta variant, which requires all of us to go back to masking, especially during the current surge. In the scheme of things, wearing a mask impacts us so much less than what we faced last year, though I join you in being exhausted by it. But (as the veterans in our student body can remind us), it’s not that big of a sacrifice. We’ll get through it.

Thank you to all of you who met the vaccine deadline; whether you did so happily or grudgingly, I am equally grateful. For those of you who are late, I’ve written to you separately, but please act quickly to submit your documentation or apply for an exception on the portal so you can join us back on campus.  

One more thing. This is a time of serious division in our country, but I hope we’ll come back together again at Loyola in a different kind of community. I hope we will lean into this difficult time with respect and empathy for each other. We remember that we can never know what someone else has experienced, nor presume to be sure of their intentions. So instead, we will be curious and kind. We will debate the serious issues of the day, but in ways that try to persuade rather than crow. We’ll even listen hard enough to each other to be persuaded sometimes too.    

The point of a Wolf Pack is to be stronger together.

All my best,                       

Tania Tetlow
President

CORRECTION: As a correction to the email below, the mask mandate does not apply to outdoors. We are several weeks away from the start of the fall semester and will continue to follow city guidance in order to stay safe together. 

We will be masking in all indoor facilities including our offices, classrooms, athletic facilities, residential halls, and all public spaces. 

In answers to questions received, this is a temporary measure set in place by the city to maintain how well it has done and to continue to keep us safe.  We do not yet know what the guidance will be once the fall semester starts, however we will be at the ready with plans to respond no matter the direction.

Dear Loyola community,

In keeping with city guidance, Loyola will resume its masking policy, starting today. Masks will be required on campus for everyone, both indoors and out for both vaccinated and unvaccinated. We will be masking in all indoor facilities including our offices, classrooms, athletic facilities, residential halls, and all public spaces.

Why the change?

Coronavirus cases in the area are surging, due to the highly transmissible Delta variant and low vaccination rates citywide, and some breakthrough cases are occurring among those who are vaccinated. As a result, the mayor and city public health director issued an advisory yesterday. We are heeding the city’s public health guidance to care for our community – and others.

What’s next?

Though we have a high vaccination rate on campus, the masking policy will be in place for the foreseeable future.

While this temporary situation may feel like a setback, there are things we can do to stop the spread. First and foremost, we can get the vaccine. We can keep one another close, and be supportive, while keeping each other safe by masking and following CDC guidelines. And last but not least, we can protect our campus community as we did so well last year, by following best practices: masking, social distancing, hand washing, and avoiding large gatherings.

We have come so far as a community, let’s continue our stellar work and stay safe as we prepare for the start of the fall semester.

Alicia A. Bourque, Ph.D.
Chief Student Affairs Officer 

Dear Students,

As President Tetlow shared last week, Loyola will require all students to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or submit an exemption before the start of the fall semester. Please log into the COVID-19 Vaccination Portal to provide your vaccination record or reason for opting out no later than July 16, 2021. Failure to meet this deadline will result in a public health hold on your account. You will not be permitted to attend in-person classes or move into your residence hall until the hold is removed.

According to guidance from the CDC and medical experts, this is the safest way to resume in-person classes, activities, and athletic competitions with minimal restrictions. Students, faculty, and staff who are fully vaccinated will no longer need to social distance or wear masks on campus. We also look forward to the return of New Orleans parades and festivals as we see the spread of COVID decline in our community while vaccination rates increase.

Vaccine Resources

We know that 93% of you who responded to our recent survey reported that you have already been vaccinated or plan to get vaccinated over the summer. If you still need to get your vaccine, please use the resources on our website for assistance finding a vaccination site near you. Follow the deadlines below to make sure you complete your vaccination in time for the July 16 deadline.

• Moderna: Get your first dose no later than June 18
• Pfizer: Get your first dose no later than June 25
• Johnson & Johnson: Only one dose, get your shot no later than July 16

Please check our vaccine FAQs for more support and email covid@loyno.edu if you are having trouble accessing the vaccine in your location.

Types of Exemptions

Students may request an exemption for reasons consistent with Louisiana state laws (i.e., medical, religious, or philosophical reasons) and must provide supporting documentation. Students who decline the vaccine will be required to follow CDC safety guidelines for unvaccinated individuals, such as masking, social distancing, and completing mandatory quarantine if exposed to the virus. An exempted student may also be excluded from campus and from classes in the event of an outbreak of COVID-19 on campus.

• Medical Exemption Requirements: Upload supporting documentation from your doctor, including a letter with a licensed healthcare provider’s signature.
• Religious Exemption Requirements: Write a 300-word personal statement about your religious beliefs and upload supporting documentation from your faith leader.
• Philosophical Exemption Requirements: Write a 300-word personal statement explaining your viewpoint. You will have the option to upload supporting documentation if applicable.

If you have any specific concerns or questions about getting your COVID-19 vaccine or completing your exemption, we encourage you to schedule an appointment with our Public Health Coordinators to discuss this topic in more detail.

Sincerely,

Alicia A. Bourque, Ph.D.
Chief Student Affairs Officer 

June 1, 2021

Dear Loyola Students,

We have always required vaccinations for diseases ranging from measles to meningitis, and today we will join a growing number of other universities in requiring the COVID-19 vaccine. This comes at the request of students themselves, 93% of whom responded to a survey that they are (or will be) vaccinated. Our Student Government Association formally requested a vaccine requirement to make campus safer. And we want to give you a clear deadline to help you prioritize getting it done.  

You may apply for an exemption if you are unable to take the vaccine for health reasons, religious reasons, or deeply held philosophical reasons. For the unvaccinated, know that we will (of course) abide by health guidelines established by local, state, and federal authorities to do our best to keep you safer. Under current requirements, that means the unvaccinated must remain masked, socially distanced, and subject to quarantine if exposed. If you get vaccinated, you will be free from all these restrictions.

Please upload your vaccination record or apply for an exemption in our COVID-19 vaccination portal. The deadline for uploading your vaccination record (or for writing and submitting the application for exemption) is July 16, 2021, or a public health hold will be put on your registration and you will not be allowed to move in or attend classes on campus. We will make arrangements with any international students who may struggle to get access to a vaccine in their home country to receive it upon arrival. See answers to these, and other frequently answered questions here.

Why are we doing this? As a Catholic institution, we put our concern for each other first, as the Pope has urged us to do. As a Jesuit institution, we believe in the talent God has given human beings to solve complicated problems with science and rejoice in the determined work of doctors and scientists around the world to save lives. And as a university community learning and living together in close proximity, we work to keep you as safe as we can.  

Prayers and blessings,

Tania Tetlow
President

April 12, 2021

Dear Loyola Students,

I hope you’ll use the opportunity – by April 16 – to get your first vaccine dose so you can receive both shots before the summer break. Louisiana has far more availability than many other states you may be returning to. How good will it feel to hug your grandparents safely? To gather with your friends who have been vaccinated? To know that you won’t have to quarantine again.   

At Loyola, we are in our own discernment process about whether to require the COVID vaccine, as we already require many other vaccines for students with necessary exceptions for health or religious reasons. The SGA has asked us to institute a requirement. We are considering the law and – simply put – what will work the best to convince the skeptical. 

While getting vaccinated seems like a deeply personal decision, I’m afraid there is no way around the fact that your decision affects the safety of us all. The fewer of us that remain vulnerable, the harder it becomes for the virus to travel – that is the meaning of herd immunity.  Like so many things in life, what we do impacts others, even when we wish it didn’t. 

The good news is that students who have answered our survey report an intention to get vaccinated (or have already achieved it) at a rate of 98%. I could not be more proud of your belief in human ingenuity and science and your commitment to our community.   

We are running shuttles to the Convention Center vaccination site for those who need transportation, and Ochsner will be coming to us with as many doses as they have available on April 14 (and coming back for the second round). Details for the event are below, and you can find even more information on our vaccine website page.

Ochsner Vaccine Event 

Mercy Hall (Freret St. Entrance) 

Wednesday, April 14 from 2 – 6 p.m.

Administering Moderna vaccines 

Appointments preferred, walk-ins welcome 

Call 844-888-2772 or make your appointment online. Click on Covid-19, then First Available. Look for the Locations Tab highlighted in yellow at the bottom of the screen. In the dropdown tab, highlight Moderna Vaccine, Loyola University. This will bring you to the unique schedule for the vaccines on campus.

You can also make your vaccine appointment through the Student Health Clinic. Sign up for an available time slot this week. 

We’re almost there.

Tania Tetlow 

President

March 9, 2021

Dear Loyola community,

Today Governor Edwards announced that COVID-19 vaccine eligibility is now expanded to include people aged 16 and older with certain underlying health conditions. We urge all members of our community who may be eligible to get vaccinated as soon as possible. You may worry about taking a dose that could go to someone else, but the sooner people are vaccinated, the sooner we can end the pandemic.

Some qualifying conditions include:

• current or former smoker
• overweight (BMI between 25-30)
• obesity (BMI over 30)
• asthma (moderate to severe)
• hypertension or high blood pressure
• cystic fibrosis
• immunocompromised state from blood or bone marrow transplant, immune deficiencies, HIV, use of corticosteroids or use of other immune weakening medicines
• liver disease
• type 1 & type 2 diabetes mellitus
• cancer

Visit the Louisiana Department of Health website for the full list.

We highly recommend you utilize the VaccineFinder, a free online service that searches vaccination locations near your zip code. The Louisiana Department of Health has also provided a list of all vaccine locations organized by parish. In Orleans Parish, LCMC has a vaccination portal to sign up for appointments at the Convention Center. Please print and complete the attestation form to bring with you to the vaccine location.

Visit our FAQ site for more details about the COVID-19 vaccine.

Alicia A. Bourque, Ph.D.
Chief Student Affairs Officer 

March 5, 2021

Dear Loyola,

With prayers and hope, we are beginning to plan for a very different fall. The CDC predicts that all adults will be offered the vaccine by this summer, which would allow us to function far closer to normal. Unless things change (and boy do we know that they might), we plan to have classes in person at full capacity in the fall. While we will probably still be in a world of masks and caution in the fall, following all public health guidance, vaccines would allow us to return more fully to the campus engagement that means so much to our students. 

At the recommendation of the CDC, while we expect that everyone who is eligible will receive the vaccine, we know some will have health reasons that you cannot take the vaccine and/or that you remain vulnerable. We will continue to use our established processes through Human Resources and the Office for Accessible Education to request ADA accommodations. Where possible, we will continue to make use of our classroom technology to facilitate virtual participation by those students. But rather than the difficult straddling we have done this year, faculty should be able to return to a focus on in-person education.  

What will never change, however, is our level of diligence and careful planning. We tell you our hopes and intentions now so you can begin planning accordingly, though we will obviously remain ready to react to whatever the world throws at us.(Please world, don’t throw anything more at us!) To state the obvious, if circumstances change, so will our plans.

We will also think about what lessons we have learned from this ordeal that shape our future. We’ll ask students what parts of a hybrid world you actually prefer (if any) in the long term. In recent years, we have always offered the flexibility of some fully online courses – and of course, we have fully online programs.   We know that most of you are desperate to return to campus engagement, but would you want to keep some of the flexibility you now have? 

As faculty and staff begin to return to campus after vaccinations (more planning to come on that), we also will be brainstorming with our community about what workplace flexibility should survive from this forced exile. How can we permanently be more responsive to the demands of child care and parent care? Are we actually saner and more productive working from home sometimes? 

In the meantime, we have a very long spring, and possibly summer,  to get through. I am very grateful to all of you (and to the bitterly cold weather) for our discipline during Mardi Gras.  But -- please note -- our rates of COVID are higher this spring than we were last fall. Some of that came from an increase in rates city-wide this January, but it also undoubtedly stems from some of us letting down our guard. We are so close to the end of the battle – don’t be the guy who stands up in the foxhole right before the war ends. And please don’t derail our ability to function in hybrid fashion right now. 

I pray every day in gratitude for your collective stamina, empathy and patience.                         

Tania Tetlow
President

March 4, 2021

Dear Loyola Community,

As you may know, the City of New Orleans recently announced a shift to Modified Phase Two restrictions, and other parts of Louisiana will move to Phase 3. There are some changes we are able to implement at Loyola, but because we still need to maintain social distancing, we are limited in terms of the capacity within many of our facilities. The posted capacity for all our indoor facilities—classrooms, conference rooms, auditoriums, etc.—incorporates this mandatory 6’ of distancing, so those limits will not change.

Masking = no change
Masks are required at all times, including indoor and outdoor spaces when you are near others who are not in your immediate household. Masks are not required when you are alone in private offices or resident hall rooms, or when you are actively eating or drinking.

Social gathering size = minimal changes
Non-Loyola sanctioned, private social gatherings larger than 10 people are subject to being dispersed by the Loyola University Police Department or other university authorities.

For Loyola sanctioned student engagement activities:

• Indoor capacity is limited to 50% of the capacity of the room/venue, with masking and physical distancing required, and a maximum of 75 people as per City guidelines. The need to remain 6’ apart limits our capacity in many campus locations. Please continue to follow posted room capacity limits.
• Outdoor capacity with physical distancing is limited to 150 individuals. Masking is still required outdoors.

Residence halls = no change
We will continue our current occupancy capacities based on social distancing requirements, hand washing/sanitizing recommendations, and cleaning of surfaces in common areas.

Religious services = some changes
City guidelines currently limit capacity to 50% of normal occupancy and choirs are prohibited. Social distancing is strongly encouraged and masks are required.

As we near the anniversary of our move to online instruction last March, I know that you all are tired of these guidelines. But please keep it up! As we have seen throughout this academic year, these restrictions do allow us to live and learn together safely. With vaccine distribution well underway, we all have hope for easier days to come.

Sincerely, 

Alicia A. Bourque, Ph.D.
Chief Student Affairs Officer 

January 7, 2021

Dear students,

The City of New Orleans is increasing restrictions effective at 6 a.m. tomorrow, January 8, to curb the spread of COVID-19 in our area. New Orleans had some of the lowest COVID rates in the nation, but as many let down their guard over the holidays, our numbers are now rising along with national trends.  

Restaurants will now go back to 25% occupancy, bars to outside service only, and social gatherings (without the requisite six feet of distance) should be limited to existing households. At least our climate makes life outdoors beautiful through May.

Continuing to Function in Hybrid Model 
We have already been operating within the new guidelines, so we will not need to change what we are doing here at Loyola. With our strictly enforced 6 feet of social distancing in classrooms, offices and common areas, we are well within the 25% occupancy limit. Most importantly, we have four months of evidence that our protocols — maintaining distance, wearing face coverings, washing hands/disinfecting surfaces, immediate contact tracing — have prevented any campus spread in classrooms or common spaces.

What We Need From You 
As you know, we are requiring pre-arrival testing from all of you who come to campus in order to start with a clean slate. Those of you in residence halls must test again after you arrive on campus (and will be getting appointments scheduled for you.) All of you are encouraged to do so. (Information to follow on free campus testing during various dates in January.)  

As you also know, testing is no substitute for vigilance. And as tired as all are, the numbers across the nation require us to be extra vigilant. Keep using the #CampusClear app for a daily reminder to check your symptoms. If you are feeling the least bit sick, stay home -- we have made it easy to participate in class virtually.

Most of all, keep your “pod” as small as possible. When we did contact tracing with those who tested positive in the fall, we were very proud of how short your lists were. You made it possible to continue functioning.  

Progress 
Loyola has learned from these experiences in the fall, and from your input, and continued to adjust. We now know that exposure is far more likely from presence near people (respiratory spread) than from surfaces. So we are carefully opening residence hall lounges to make sure you don’t gather too tightly in rooms. We have opened up more spaces for studying. Student Life and Ministry is working to create more outdoor engagement, from distanced music performances to distanced sports. And the CDC guidelines have reduced the necessary quarantine from exposure by a few days.  

But for the most part, we face the same difficult, surreal reality -- hopefully for just one more semester before vaccines make a difference. Hang in there my friends.  

Tania Tetlow

President

January 7, 2021

Dear Faculty and Staff,

The City of New Orleans is moving back to Modified Phase One restrictions effective at 6 a.m. tomorrow, January 8. These restrictions will be in place for three weeks. 

Here at Loyola, we have been operating at what amounts to these same restrictions since we resumed in-person operations in the fall.  With our strictly enforced 6 feet of social distancing in classrooms, offices and common areas, we are well within the 25% occupancy limit. We have replenished cleaning supplies outside of classrooms and common spaces.  Enhanced cleaning protocols remain in place.  We continue to require masks, social distancing and to have no more than a small percentage of our community on campus at any one moment.  

The City’s new restriction on “gatherings” pertains to social gatherings only, not professional ones or classroom instruction. We have four months of evidence that our COVID safety protocols - maintaining distance, wearing face coverings, washing hands/disinfecting surfaces, immediate contact tracing - have prevented any campus spread in classrooms or common spaces.  Our experience shows that teaching and serving our students with careful protocols does not add risk.  

Now is the time to be extra-vigilant about using #CampusClear app to track any symptoms.  Please take a moment to remind yourself of Loyola’s COVID protocols and procedures at faq.loyno.edu.  As always, if you can work from home, please do.  

New Orleans’ COVID numbers were some of the lowest in the nation for many months, but as COVID fatigue set in and people relaxed over the holidays, the City’s infection rate increased.  These new restrictions are a reminder that we must continue to protect our community.  Please do your part to refrain from social gatherings and carefully follow health protocols when you venture out.

Lesli Harris

Chief of Staff

January 5, 2021

We have arranged with the City of New Orleans to provide free COVID-19 testing to the Loyola community on the following dates from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. on a first come, first served basis. 

• January 8
• January 11
• January 12
• January 15
• January 19** limited availability for faculty and staff
• January 22 

Note that this is not open community testing; Loyola IDs will be required for access. The testing will take place on the ground floor of Mercy Hall. No one will be allowed in without masks and social distancing will be strictly enforced. 

This testing is an important part of our safety protocols for the spring semester. We hope that you will take advantage of it.

Dear Loyola students,

We hope you had a good Thanksgiving and are settled comfortably at home as you start exams. I want to share some details with you about our public health protocols for our collective return in January.  

We face a different situation with the current winter surge of the virus than we did in August. For the sake of all of our safety, we will be requiring students to test for COVID within five days before their arrival to campus. We will be sending you links to upload your results and have answers to the many questions you may have here. If you are entirely virtual and not engaging with campus at all, the requirement does not apply.  

You can fulfill the testing requirement with either a PCR or antigen (rapid) test. (A PCR test is more accurate than a rapid test if you don’t have symptoms, but it takes longer, and we recognize the need to maximize flexibility.) For the vast majority of you, there will be easy availability of testing in your own community, testing that is covered by insurance or offered free at government testing sites. We will also let you know how to contact us for guidance if any of you have difficulty. 

If you test positive before your planned return, you’ll be able to start the semester virtually while you isolate at home. 

As we have all learned this year, testing is not a guarantee and no substitute for being careful. We also need you to be extremely careful for the two weeks leading up to your return. At a time of growing danger around the country, the painful truth is that this is not a time for holiday parties or New Year’s celebrations out with friends. This is a time to protect your family, yourself, and ultimately your Loyola community.  

We are also working on the logistics of doing another round of testing after your arrival, particularly for students in the residence halls, so that we can begin the semester with more clarity. More to come on that.  

I cannot describe to you how proud and grateful I am for your achievement this fall. We’ve been running a marathon together, one that didn’t even have a clear finish line. My hope is that now that we have some idea of the distance left to travel, we can bear the burdens a little more easily. But I also know that we sometimes get most tired right before the end. (I haven’t actually ever run a marathon or even come close, but other people tell me that.) 

Some details about the testing are below; please see our FAQ website for more information or contact our public health coordinators at covid@loyno.edu if you have specific questions that aren’t addressed by the FAQs.

We miss you terribly and can’t wait to have you back in 2021.

Tania Tetlow 

President

November 7, 2020

Dear students,

As President Tetlow wrote yesterday, we are nearing the time when you will be returning home to your families, and so far, our COVID cases have stayed low. 

But, we received a number of reports of unsafe behavior over Halloween weekend and, after conducting thorough contact tracing, now have more students in quarantine than at any other point in the semester. And we are hearing similar reports from other universities in the area. 

We know that you are tired of the restrictions, but this is not the time to relax so soon before you travel. Please consider limiting your activities to the essentials - going to class, getting food, going to medical appointments - and if you do engage in social activities, be sure to wear a mask, stay 6’ apart at all times, and wash your hands or use hand sanitizer frequently. 

We continue to enforce the COVID guidelines in our Student Code of Conduct and anyone who observes inappropriate behavior can report it. We all need to continue working together to keep each other safe so we can all enjoy a healthy Thanksgiving with loved ones. 

Sincerely,

Alicia A. Bourque, Ph.D.
Chief Student Affairs Officer 

November 6, 2020

Dear Loyola students,

This is a quick reminder to be extra careful with COVID precautions for the next 14 days, for two reasons:

1. To protect the loved ones you are returning home to (and if that sounds like abstract risk, remember that many Loyola students have already lost family members to this disease.)
2. To be able to get home at all.  The last thing you want is to test positive, be unable to travel, know that all the friends you had contact with will have to quarantine separately, and spend a lonely Thanksgiving week here. For example, if you hang out with someone this weekend and that person happens to test positive on Monday, you won’t be able to go home until after Nov. 23.

We will have COVID testing available for students at Student Health Services from Nov. 12-20, even if you don't have symptoms. If you'd like to get tested prior to going home for the holidays, call Student Health Services to schedule: 504-865-3326. But remember, testing is no substitute for just being careful.  

Also for those heading out of state, check with your families and the news about your state’s rules as to travel.

We’re so close!

Tania Tetlow 
President

October 21, 2020

Dear Loyola Community,

Unless events change dramatically, it looks like our spring semester will resemble the fall. We will continue to function in the HyFlex model, teaching in person as much as we can safely. Through the hard work and sacrifices of all of you, we have made the best of a terrible situation. Now we need the resilience and stamina to keep going.

As we set the spring academic schedule, we realize that it remains dangerous for us to disperse for a spring break and then return to campus with new exposures. We have added those days off instead to the very beginning of the spring semester (which we will start after Martin Luther King Day) and to the reading period before exams. We will also scatter two days to the middle of regular weeks,  so that we can all take a breath once in a while.   

We will still close on Mardi Gras day, but have left Lundi Gras as “to be determined” for now, as we take cues from the city about the nature of carnival celebrations and its attempts to prevent super-spreader events. We also will close on Good Friday, and focus on celebrating Easter week here with each other. 

And for staff, know that we have rescheduled the impacted “liberal leave” days (like Holy Thursday) elsewhere. We will start by putting one of those days on the Monday before Thanksgiving, making the week that students travel home a full week off for all but critical staff. Despite everything, we have much to be grateful for.

All my best, 

Tania Tetlow 
President

September 10, 2020

Dear Loyola,

Many of you (633) took the opportunity for testing at the National Guard site last week and signed waivers for Loyola to receive the results.   I am very happy to report that only one student and one employee tested positive, a rate of .3%.  

For constantly updated information, you can find a current dashboard of all of our active cases on our website.  Currently, we have 4 on-campus students in isolation with positive tests and 12 off-campus.  In a community of almost 4,000 students studying here in person, those numbers are less than half of one percent.  

I am so grateful and so impressed.  These results, three weeks into the semester, are a tribute to your determination to observe our necessary and often annoying protocols.  You are doing an amazing job.   But before we celebrate and jinx ourselves, let’s remember that we’ve also been lucky thus far.  We’ll need to work hard to remain vigilant and keep our momentum going, even as this all gets very old.   

For students, know that Student Health provides COVID testing for symptomatic students, with results back in 30 minutes.  If you have questions about testing, call Student Health at 504-865-3326.  For employees, you can do the same with your own doctor or any Ochsner Urgent Care. 

Some of you have asked why we don’t offer full surveillance testing twice a week, as some universities are doing.  I want to remind you of the reasons.   First, without our own medical school and health system, we do not have access to that number of rapid tests.  (And for surveillance testing, tests that take days to process do not do much to stop the spread.)  More importantly, state and local public health officials have asked us not to redirect tests away from the populations most at risk even if we could.  

We, like most of the country and most universities, have to operate without full awareness of our asymptomatic cases.  We do that by assuming that any one of us may be contagious.  We do that by masking and keeping our distance, except from the smallest possible pod of friends and family. 

We are a community brought together by values and by concern for each other.  Now we have direct evidence of how much that matters.  

Thank you all, and continued prayers, 

Tania Tetlow
President

August 29, 2020 (Revised August 30, 2020)

Dear Loyola community,

Loyola University New Orleans will host free Coronavirus testing for the community on our campus next week. This testing for COVID-19 is sponsored by the City of New Orleans and the State of Louisiana and will be available to all members of our campus community – students, faculty and staff – and residents of the greater New Orleans area. We encourage all of you, especially our students, to take advantage of this opportunity.

Free community testing will be offered from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday, August 31- September 5, at Loyola University New Orleans, 6363 St. Charles Ave., New Orleans, 70118.
  
Drive-thru and walkup testing will be provided at the Calhoun Street (Northeast) entrance to campus. The Loyola community is asked to use walk-up testing, to minimize congestion.

Testing will be provided for 1,000 community members per day, with test results expected within three days, if not sooner.

You can pre-register by going to  www.DoIneedaCovid19test.com. Scroll down to find test locations in Louisiana, choose Loyola and follow the directions to register. You should print your voucher and bring it with you. You can also register at the testing site.
  
Members of the Louisiana National Guard will conduct the tests and results will be analyzed by clinicians and clinical providers through the Louisiana Department of Health.
  
Loyola students who participate in testing are encouraged to sign a release form, which will allow the Louisiana Department of Health to report both positive and negative test results to Loyola. Faculty and staff are asked to report results via the #CampusClear app. This will help us track the presence of COVID-19 in our community and allow us to provide the best support we can to everyone.

To reduce the possibility of asymptomatic spread, we are reminding all students, faculty and staff getting tested to be extremely careful to strictly follow social distancing protocols for two days before testing until after they get their test results. Keep at least six (6) feet of distance between you and any other individuals at all times—this includes while eating, socializing, and in your suite. Results are expected back within three days, if not sooner.

Thanks for doing your part to keep the Wolf Pack safe!

Djoulissa Louis-Jean, M.S.
Public Health Coordinator 

August 21, 2020:

Dear Loyola community,

As we get off on the right foot with our plans for a safe return to Campus, I want to remind everyone what constitutes an acceptable mask or face covering at Loyola. 

In keeping with CDC guidelines and city and state mandates, everyone at Loyola is required to wear a mask in public spaces on campus – both indoors and outdoors – except when alone in private spaces, such as their office or their room in the residence hall.

Bandanas and gaiters – fashionable though they may be – are not acceptable masks or face coverings on campus. Likewise, masks with valves or vents are unacceptable.

The latest public health information shows that these types of face coverings do not prevent transmission of the coronavirus. In fact, one intensive study recently conducted at Duke University showed it may be less effective to wear a bandana or gaiter than to wear no face covering at all.

We have created a website of acceptable face coverings for your reference, and all members of the Loyola community are being provided with a branded mask, thanks to a generous donation from the parent of one of our students. Masks, gloves and other items are also available for purchase in the C-store on campus.

We recommend that everyone has seven acceptable masks, or a weeklong supply, to allow for proper and regular cleaning and storage between each use.

Thank you for respecting public health guidance - and please, don’t forget to wear your mask.

Lesli D. Harris
Chief of Staff

Dear Loyola community,  

Loyola University New Orleans will host free Coronavirus testing for the community on our campus next week. This testing for COVID-19 is sponsored by the City of New Orleans and the State of Louisiana and will be available to all members of our campus community – students, faculty and staff – and residents of the greater New Orleans area. We encourage all of you, especially our students, to take advantage of this opportunity.

Free community testing will be offered from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday, August 24- 29, at Loyola University New Orleans, 6363 St. Charles Ave., New Orleans, 70118.
  
Drive-thru and walkup testing will be provided at the Calhoun Street (Northeast) entrance to campus. The Loyola community is asked to use walk-up testing, to minimize congestion.

Testing will be provided for 1,000 community members per day, with test results expected within three days, if not sooner.

Members of the Louisiana National Guard will conduct the tests and results will be analyzed by clinicians and clinical providers through the Louisiana Department of Health.

Loyola students who participate in testing are encouraged to sign a release form, which will allow the Louisiana Department of Health to report both positive and negative test results to Loyola. Faculty and staff are asked to report results via the #CampusClear app. This will help us track the presence of COVID-19 in our community and allow us to provide the best support we can to everyone.

Lesli D. Harris
Chief of Staff and Interim Public Health Compliance Officer

August 18, 2020:

Dear Loyola Community,

We’re excited to announce a new way to enjoy dining services on campus and explore delicious restaurants around New Orleans. We’ve partnered with Grubhub to offer mobile pickup and delivery using your Loyola meal plan. You can order a meal from the Orleans Room for pickup using your daily swipe or use your Wolf Bucks at any of your favorite spots in the Danna Student Center. With our new flexible off-campus option called Iggy Deaux, you can even order from off-campus restaurants available on Grubhub. Here’s how it works!

• Download the Grubhub app in the App Store or Google Play
• Create an account or log into your account if you already have one
• On your “My Grubhub” account page, select the Settings (gear) icon in the top right corner
• Once in your Settings, click on the “Campus Dining” option
• Search for Loyola University New Orleans
• Select your affiliation (i.e., “Class of 2023” or “I am faculty / staff”)
• Click the “Add campus card” button to sign in through your SSO Portal and connect your meal plan to your Grubhub account

Ordering ahead through Grubhub gives you more flexibility and control over how you use your meal plan, and it allows us to reduce density in our shared spaces on campus. We’ve created designated pickup spots separate from our in-house dining experience, so you can easily pick up your meal to enjoy at one of our expanded outdoor seating areas or take back to your room.

• The Orleans Room will have pickups at the entrance separate from the dine-in area.
• Starbucks will offer pickup orders next to the coffee bar, with no need to wait in line.
• Pickup orders for Subway, OBC Grill, Smoothie King, and AFC Sushi will be available inside Carrollton Lounge on the first floor of Carrollton Hall.

By spreading out our pickup locations, we can help reduce lines and crowds inside the Danna Student Center. Additionally, the Orleans Rooms will offer extended continuous daily hours from 7 a.m. – 7:45 p.m. for Grubhub pickup orders. Please see our informational flyer with more information and hours for all campus dining establishments.

Want to try something new? You can add Iggy Deaux to your account and choose from hundreds of restaurants around New Orleans. You can even use your Iggy Deaux for Grubhub orders in a different city or state! It’s our most flexible option for pickup and delivery, no matter where you’re at. You can add Iggy Deaux to your meal plan account in $100 increments. We will provide a form to add Iggy Deaux available on this page soon.

We encourage you to download the Grubhub app now to have ready for the start of the semester. While many dining options will still be available for in-person ordering, we encourage you to take advantage of this contactless option to help everyone on campus stay socially distanced and safe.

Happy eating!

Alicia A. Bourque, Ph.D.
Chief Student Affairs Officer 

Other locations within designated area.

Chief Todd

Director of University Police &

Emergency Management

August 13, 2020

Dear Students,

We are committed to creating a safe campus environment for you this fall. We’re taking many steps to adapt our campus. We’ve introduced updated health and safety policies on our FAQ website, and we hope your COVID-19 and Emergency Preparedness Training in Canvas is equipping you with the knowledge to help do your part to protect our community. 

We’re excited to introduce a new tool as part of our comprehensive prevention strategy. #CampusClear is a daily self-screening app and campus “FastPass” that makes it easy for you to monitor how you’re feeling.  

Unless you are studying entirely remotely with no plans to come to campus this semester, you are required to complete the assessment every day (including weekends) —even if you are not going to be on campus for the day or do not feel any symptoms. It only takes a few seconds to self screen, and your participation helps keep our campus safe for everyone. 

Download the app now from your app store:

Apple App Store
Google Play

If you don’t use a smartphone, you can access #CampusClear through a web interface available on your desktop. 

Here’s how it works: 

• Log in by entering your LOYNO email address 
• Click the confirmation link sent to your email
• Open the app and complete the steps on the screen
• Enable push notifications to get a daily reminder (phone only)

Once you’re logged in, you can see the daily assessment screen. First, you’ll need to select the “I’m a student” option from the menu. Then, select any symptoms that you may have, report that you are symptom-free, or check that you will not be on campus for the day and hit the “See Result” button at the bottom of the screen. If you are symptom-free, you’ll be given a daily “Fast Pass” that you may be asked to show while on campus. Be sure to have it ready at the start of on-campus classes and student activities. 

Please report your symptoms accurately in the application. While you do need to report any new or unexplained symptoms you’re feeling, you won’t need to report symptoms that are related to a previously diagnosed condition, such as chronic migraines or seasonal allergies. By tracking how you feel daily, you’ll be better able to detect new symptoms right away.

If you are not feeling well, have a confirmed COVID exposure, or if you test positive for COVID-19, the app will not clear you to come to campus. You’ll receive instructions on the screen for what to do next. All health information will remain confidential, in accordance with Loyola’s privacy policy.

You can learn more about #CampusClear on our Daily Symptom Assessment page, and please continue to check the FAQ website for new updates and changes. Thank you for ensuring that we have a safe return to campus.

Sincerely,

Alicia A. Bourque, Ph.D.
Chief Student Affairs Officer 

August 13, 2020

Dear Students and Families:

Leaving home for college is always a bittersweet moment, and the pandemic makes it even more complicated. Some of you have packed boxes already waiting by the front door. Others of you are finding the prospect daunting. We want you all to have confidence in the decisions you are making and want to add a potential option for you. If it would help some of you gain confidence to delay your on-campus move for a few weeks, we are happy to facilitate that for you. You could start classes online (or commute if you live nearby) and then come join us in the residence halls. 

Students may opt for two delayed weekend arrival dates: Saturday and Sunday, September 19 and 20 or Saturday and Sunday, October 3 and 4. 

For the rest of you, know that we are ready for Move-In Week. We are looking forward to Wolf Pack Welcome. Our residential life, physical plant, food service teams, faculty and staff have been working around the clock to prepare campus for your safe and socially distanced arrival.  Your health and safety remain our top priority. Loyola is looking forward to welcoming back our community. You are the heart and soul of our campus.

We are hoping that by offering this new opportunity, we will make the decision for some of you easier, and we are confident that our hyflex and online teaching and our virtual student engagement opportunities will still give you an excellent experience while you are at home.  

Services like the library, Student Success Center, and counseling will all be available to you virtually, if you choose to postpone your arrival. All of our engagement activities are inclusive of those students who are studying remotely this semester, and you will be able to jump right in without missing a beat when you feel it’s the right time to come to campus.  

If you choose one of these delayed arrival options, we will prorate your residence hall and meal plan fees accordingly and apply any credit toward your bill. Please use this link no later than 24 hours before your scheduled move-in day to let us know if you are choosing to delay your arrival.

If you are not interested in delayed arrival, there is nothing you need to do, and we will be ready to welcome you at your designated date and time of arrival next week. Classes for all of you begin on August 24.

We cannot wait to see you, next week or soon thereafter.  

We have a series of anticipated questions and answers ready for you on our FAQ site. If you have any additional questions, please call Residential Life at 504.865.2445. We are experiencing a high call volume at this time. Please leave a message and a Student Affairs staff member will call you back. In your message, please indicate that you are calling about a “delayed move-in” and we will route your call appropriately. You can also text us at 504.384.7711 or email us at reslife@loyno.edu.

August 13, 2020

To the Loyola community and our sports complex members,

We hope you are all doing well and your family is healthy and safe.  As we prepare for the fall semester, we wanted to update you on the status of the University Sports Complex. We have partnered with Ochsner Health Systems and continue to follow guidance from the Louisiana Department of Health to ensure appropriate distancing protocols, personal protective equipment guidelines, and sanitation procedures are in place for the campus and USC.  

We are targeting an open date of Monday, August 17, with the facility operating the hours of 

Monday-Friday: 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.,
Saturday: 9 a.m.- 8 p.m.,
Sunday: 1 p.m. - 8 p.m.  

As we build and train our student staff, we will increase our hours accordingly.  Additionally, services such as towels and equipment rental will not be offered at this time.  You are encouraged to bring your own towel, yoga mat, basketball, etc. Guests will be permitted at a later date.  

Cardio equipment has been appropriately socially distanced and maximum occupancy has been posted for the swimming pool, weight rooms, aerobics room, and locker rooms. We will manage these areas on a first come, first serve basis.  A mask is required to be worn at all times.

It is important that we share responsibility in keeping the facility clean and everyone safe.  Please be sure to wipe down the equipment before and after each use. We ask that everyone maintain social distance while working out and navigating the facility.   

Starting August 17, community memberships will be reactivated.  If you have questions regarding your membership, group ex, or personal training, please contact Tim Kettenring at toketten@loyno.edu or 504.864.7374. All other facility questions can be addressed to Jordan Gabriel at jngabrie@loyno.edu or 504-864-7106.  Also, you can call the front desk of the facility at 504-864-7539 and the building manager on duty at 504-864-7367 while the facility is open.

We look forward to seeing you at the University Sports Complex to serve your wellness needs.

Best,

Brett Simpson
Director of Athletics and the University Sports Complex 

August 6, 2020

Faculty and Staff,

Purchasing has received a number of requests across the University campus for a variety of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).  

This email is intended to clarify what the University can provide to members of the staff in terms of PPE and other frequently requested items.

• According to University policy and in compliance with the City of New Orleans, masks on campus are mandatory.
• All University employees are to be provided with three cloth masks that are reusable and washable.  These masks are in Central Receiving and ready for the departments to pick up.  In addition, each employee will be provided with a special Loyola-branded mask, thanks to a generous donation from the parents of one of our students. Details about distribution of those masks will come soon.
• There is a very small supply of disposable masks on hand and those are being distributed for emergency situations and purposes only.
• Masks with clear plastic can be purchased through the regular Purchasing FRS system.
• In general, N95 masks will not be purchased and will not be reimbursed should a faculty/staff member process an expense request for these masks. Any special requests for them must be made directly to me at ladavis1@loyno.edu.
• Hand sanitizer is available in all buildings and all around campus. Departments that are high traffic, transactional areas for students and staff will be provided a 1/2 gallon pump sanitizer for use behind the plexi-glass barriers that are being installed.
• Cleaning wipes/paper towels and other requests are to be funneled to the Building Coordinator for your building.  Requests will be filled using the Physical Plant online job request form and those supplies will be distributed to the Building Coordinator.
• Individual department requests for wipes, paper towels, cleaning supplies, sanitizers, etc., will not be processed on requisitions.  Departments should be using supplies that are distributed on carts through the various buildings and departments.  Other types of supplies should be requested through your Building Coordinator/Manager.  
• In general, face shields will not be provided for by the University (either via Purchasing or via reimbursement).  Any special requests for them must be made directly to me at ladavis1@loyno.edu.

Hopefully this is a clear picture of how the University is approaching the procurement of PPE and other supplies.

Lynn Davis
Director of Purchasing

August 3, 2020

Dear Faculty and Staff Colleagues,

As a follow-up to the Provost’s recent email outlining some of the measures we are taking to ensure a safe work environment for our community, I wanted to share some specific details as it relates to key changes we’ve made to our campus facilities and new operational processes that we look to implement at the outset of the new academic year.

Preparations to Date

Our Physical Plant department has been busy this summer in preparing our facilities for the new year in ways that you will notice right away when you first return to campus. 

• Every space across both campuses has been modified to ensure appropriate levels of social distancing and compliance with reduced occupancy limits. 
• We now have 137 wall-mounted hand sanitizer stations strategically installed across both campuses. 
• We have installed 100 touchless paper towel dispensers strategically throughout campus where a disinfectant and hand sanitizer station will be set up by August 10. 
• All our air filters throughout both campuses have been changed to ensure the highest MERV rating each unit can accommodate. Wherever possible, MERV 13 air filters are installed. Wherever appropriate, filters rated for healthcare or food service applications are installed. Wherever possible, filters with anti-microbial ratings are installed. (NOTE: Air handling units in Monroe Hall and the newer addition to the Law School have UV lighting as an added protection against bacteria). In line with CDC guidelines, filters will be changed at least every 90 days versus the “normal” best practice of 6 months. Outside fresh air intake has been set to the highest settings, maximizing air exchange. 
• Hardware has been added to 90 bathroom doors to enable touchless entry/exit to high-traffic common restrooms across both campuses. 
• By the time students return to campus, signage communicating new occupancy limits, directional flows of traffic in common area hallways, and 6 feet of distancing will be placed throughout both campuses. 

Joint Responsibility in Cleaning/Disinfection

As you prepare to return to campus, I’d like to remind you that the cleanliness and safety of our campus has always been a shared responsibility between LUPD, Physical Plant, Procurement, WFF, and each and every member of our community, including our students. However with COVID-19, this joint responsibility is more important than ever. 

To facilitate this partnership, a Building Manager (and alternate back-up) has been assigned for every building across campus for this coming academic year (see the full roster). They will serve as partners to Physical Plant and Procurement to ensure that your buildings are clean and that all the provisions needed to maintain a safe work environment are provided by the University. Reports and requests related to disinfectant and hand sanitizer supplies, plexiglass barriers, distancing measures and campus cleaning services must be made via your Building Manager, who will work with Physical Plant and Procurement to ensure timely fulfillment of the University’s needs in an organized, efficient manner. Your departments should expect to hear from your Building Manager by Monday, August 10, with information on where the closest disinfectant and hand sanitizer stations are to your classroom and/or office, other key changes to your building’s operations, and how to submit your reports/requests to him/her. 

In preparation for the new academic year, WFF has already begun to implement an expanded scope of cleaning and disinfection that meets CDC guidelines for institutions of higher education throughout our campus. In general, WFF will clean and disinfect with the following frequencies by type of space (includes all high-touch points):

• Twice daily, Monday through Friday: All residential halls
• Once daily, 7 days of the week: Common areas of all other buildings including Monroe Library, Danna Center, Sports Complex and Ignatius Chapel
• Once daily, Monday through Friday: Classrooms
• Once per week: Offices
• As needed: Disinfection of contaminated (confirmed and probable) areas

To the extent that WFF will not be providing 24-7 services and we share in the responsibility to keep our campus clean, there will be at least 100 “common” disinfectant/sanitizer stations placed strategically throughout campus that will be maintained by Physical Plant in partnership with your Building Manager. Specifically for classrooms, the expectation is that students and faculty will disinfect their desk/lectern areas upon arrival to class as an additional measure to WFF’s services. 

To the extent that these disinfectant stations are unable to meet the needs of your department, requests for disinfectant wipes may be made via your Building Manager and will be given careful consideration. We estimate that our current on hand supply of both disinfectant and disinfectant wipes will meet the needs of the University through the end of the fall semester on campus and are actively continuing to source additional supply for the future. 

Hand Sanitizer

In addition to the wall-mounted hand sanitizer stations already installed to date, the University has an additional 75 stations on hand that can be installed upon request via your Building Manager. As referenced above, there will also be at least 100 “common” disinfectant/sanitizer stations placed strategically throughout campus that will be stocked with a gallon container of hand sanitizer. Furthermore, customer service oriented offices/operations (e.g., Post Office and Bursar’s Office) will be provided additional hand sanitizer supplies to be replenished as needed. We estimate that our current supply of hand sanitizer will meet the needs of the University through the end of the fall semester on campus and are actively continuing to source additional supply for the future. 

Masks

The University will be providing every employee with 3 cloth masks to ensure every employee’s compliance with the University’s current mask policy. These masks will be available for pick up by a department representative in Central Receiving starting Monday, August 3. You will be able to pick up your set of masks from your department when you return to campus, as directed by your supervisor. Please help us minimize our need to purchase and provide disposable masks but ensure that any and all visitors you receive on campus comply with our mask policy as well.

Please contact me or your Building Manager with any questions, concerns or suggestions as it relates to the University’s preparations and plans to ensure that we provide and maintain a safe working environment for our entire community. 

Thank you in advance for your partnership and support.

Gratefully,

Carol Markowitz
Chief Operating Officer

July 30, 2020

Dear Loyola Students, 

We are preparing campus for your return with determination and eagerness to see you. This question came up frequently in our recent town halls, so I want to talk to you today about COVID testing and the need to spend the two weeks before coming to campus being very careful about your exposure.

We will have testing available through Student Health Services for anyone with symptoms, or for anyone who has been exposed to someone who tests positive. The costs of those tests generally are covered by your health insurance. (For those without insurance and who cannot make use of a free testing site, we will pay for those tests from our Student Hardship Fund, which we created to support students during this pandemic.)

We are not conducting regular testing of all 4,000 of you for several reasons that I want to explain. 

• Testing capacity locally (as with many areas nationally) is limited, and needed far more elsewhere. There are important moral issues with demanding those testing resources for baseline testing of college-age students, most of whom are among the lowest risk populations. 
• The supply of rapid response tests is even lower. Testing asymptomatic people does not do much good unless they quarantine while waiting for results, which can take days and sometimes longer. 
• Even if we did do a test of everyone at a particular moment, it would provide us information and assurance for a very fleeting period. It is a mere snapshot. Testing is no substitute for the fact that we all have to assume that we might be contagious and act accordingly, every day. It is not a panacea. 
• As such, neither the CDC, nor state and local health officials are recommending baseline testing for higher education, and though we understand some universities are spending millions on testing, we respectfully disagree with that use of resources at a moment like this given the very limited safety it will purchase. See this brief video filmed by Ochsner doctors advising us on this and other campus safety issues. 
• There is no way around the fact that our level of risk will really be defined by our behavior. For those of you choosing to come to campus rather than participate virtually, we need you to make the commitment to be careful, disciplined and concerned for our community. 

For those of you about to join us on campus, we need you to spend the two weeks leading up to the start of school isolating, reducing your risk and remembering that what you do will affect our community and ability to function on campus. And as you know once you get here, we will be requiring that of you. 

If there’s some reason you haven’t been able to be extremely careful for the 14 days before we start, I ask you to get a test before you come (if that’s possible and responsible within the capacity of your community’s testing resources.) Please do so in time to get the results before you travel. If you are positive, you can stay home a little longer and participate in the first week or two of classes virtually. There’s no need to send us your results – we just ask that you notify Student Health Services so they can notify your professors and Residential Life that you will be arriving later. You can reach them at 504-865-3326 between the hours of 8:30 a.m.–4:45 p.m., Monday–Friday. 

We are working with the City and the State to have a free community testing site on campus on August 24-29. Details to come.

But please remember this. Those negative tests that the vast majority of you will receive mean nothing more than that you weren’t contagious the day you got the test. I need you to resist the temptation to take a negative test as proof that whatever risks you took beforehand were therefore okay. While it is possible to crowd into parties and not pick up the disease, your luck will run out. You will be making it more likely that you will infect someone – like a classmate with a health vulnerability or a beloved faculty member – who might in fact get seriously ill or worse. The stakes are that high, both on our campus and anywhere else you may be.     

If there’s any community capable of putting each other first, it’s this one. I have faith in you.  

All my best, 

Tania Tetlow
President

P.S. - We have updated a number of our FAQs following the recent town halls, particularly the Coronavirus and Student Residential Life sections. We will continue to address remaining topics from the town halls, but also, please contact us at letters@loyno.edu with any questions that you have. 

July 28, 2020

Dear Students,

I hope that you are doing well and have remained safe and healthy through this crisis. First, let me introduce myself. My name is Tanuja Singh and I am the new Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs at Loyola. I arrived in the beautiful city of New Orleans in the middle of June. Even though I began my official role as Provost on July 1, the wonderful welcome extended to me by the campus community makes me feel that I have been here much longer. I love our beautiful campus, our commitment to academic excellence, and our Jesuit values of caring for each other and the community in which we live and work.

A major part of this care, especially under these challenging times, requires all of us to ensure that we do our best to create and maintain a safe and healthy environment for each other. If we are to be successful in mitigating the effects of Coronavirus on our community, we each need to do our part.  We need to model the behavior that we want others to follow. Based upon what I know about our students, I have no doubt that you will do your part in keeping our community safe and secure.

Therefore, I am personally asking for your assistance in keeping our promise to our community.  To ensure that each of you understands your obligations to others in the campus community and to ensure that we have accurate information on your plans in the event of a COVID-19 diagnosis (or a hurricane), we are requiring you to complete a brief training. We are also requiring you to complete and submit some important forms. You will not be allowed to return to campus until these forms are complete. So, please complete them as soon as possible and speak with a family member or loved one if you need to. The deadline to complete the training and submit your forms is August 10. If you haven’t already done so, please let your advisor or Associate Dean know if you plan to work all online by that date as well.     

This training takes place in our new learning management system Canvas and we are really excited to introduce you to this state-of-the-art system that I am sure you will love. Soon you will receive an invitation to “Streetcar to Canvas,” our self-paced orientation to Canvas that will help you prepare for your fall courses, but this Health and Wellness training will give you an opportunity to get some experience with the platform.

To log on go to Single Sign On ( sso.loyno.edu) and enter your credentials. If you are a new student who has not yet set up your SSO you can find more information here or watch this short video. 

Once inside Canvas you will see a course in your Dashboard called “COVID-19 and Emergency Preparedness” in this training you will:

-   Watch short videos and read the COVID Student Code of Conduct to help you understand what you need to do to keep the campus safe

-   Take a quick quiz to show us that you understand your obligations

-   Sign a commitment to caring for our community

-   Submit a plan for how you would like to be supported through a COVID+ diagnosis (this is especially important for residential students for whom we need to know if you will stay on campus in isolation or return home). We ask all students to do this even if they are not in residence.

-   Submit a plan that details your hurricane evacuation plans

-   Review the information on student health and health insurance

I am looking forward to seeing you back on campus and wish you continued health and well-being.

If you have any questions during the course of your training you may contact Student Health at studenthealth@loyno.edu.

Tanuja Singh, D.B.A.
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs

July 27, 2020 - Faculty and Staff Return to Work Training

Dear Colleagues,

We are now scheduling faculty and staff Return to Work training to review the expectations and changes you’ll be experiencing as we move forward with a thoughtful, phased reopening. We expect that many of our faculty and staff will continue to work remotely during the Fall 2020 semester. 

Whether it’s teaching, providing student services, or any of the myriad things we do across our campus to serve our students and make our Loyola a truly exceptional and life-changing experience, we succeeded in delivering that during the spring and over the summer. We have been and will continue to provide a safe and healthy workplace for our community. 

Many of the things you will see in the training may be familiar to you, but how we are integrating them into our workplace is important for you to know and understand. This will help to keep all of us safe and healthy during these uncertain times. While nothing is 100% guaranteed in life, we are taking prudent and necessary steps to comply with all federal, state, and local requirements. 

Some of the information provided in this training will specifically address the information requirements that the City of New Orleans has mandated for employees –that is, our faculty, staff, and student workers. First, we are going to talk about some very important requirements for on-campus, workplace expectations. Then we will discuss in more detail about how we are maintaining a healthy workplace.

We will also share information about CampusClear, an app developed by our fellow Jesuit institution, Creighton University. This is an easy-to-use symptom checker that you will use every day prior to coming to campus. Watch this video to learn more prior to training.

We have scheduled ten one-hour training sessions over the next two weeks. If necessary, we will schedule additional sessions to accommodate all of our faculty and staff.

In compliance with the requirements of the City of New Orleans regulations, please use this link to sign up for the required return to work training. You will need to use your loyno.edu email to complete the form and sign in to the Google meet training at the scheduled time you choose.

Rachel Dirmann
Director of Human Resources

July 16, 2020: Message from President Tetlow 

Dear Loyola students,

As we prepare to come together as a campus community, I need you to know that you, collectively, will be the drivers of our fate. We are working furiously to prepare the campus, to establish guidelines and rules, to create more space and protection.  (For details, look here.) But we will be relying on your care for Loyola to make it work.  

Our local and state governments have used data-driven responses and made available massive testing to “flatten the curve.”  It worked.  New Orleans made dramatic progress this spring and has been able to carefully and gradually reopen.  But I’m afraid that in recent weeks we, like many parts of the country, are seeing a new spike of infections – particularly in the rest of the state, but also here in New Orleans.  

This time, that spike is driven most notably by young people, which is why I want to reach out to you today.  That fact isn’t surprising. Younger people are lucky enough to have some of the lowest levels of risk and often feel less vulnerable.  You miss your friends. You want to be free. 

But even if you think you are at lower risk (which is not always true), you can be the drivers of the infection to others at higher risk. For most of you, I know I’m preaching to the choir. Some of you have lost loved ones and are well aware of the danger of this deadly disease.  You know that it hits those made vulnerable by age or health conditions.  You know that it has dramatically revealed the health disparities that make African-Americans and Latinx populations far more likely to be infected and to die.

My hope for Loyola is that the values that drive us – that attracted each of you to us – will help sustain us.  We are different here.  Even our chosen name – the Wolf Pack – symbolizes how fiercely we care about each other. 

By wearing a mask, we practice compassion. By staying home if we are ill, we embody the Magis. By thanking our friends for washing their hands, we show a deep abiding gratitude and our respect for others.

But also, to put it in self-interested terms, the only way we can function in person on campus is if we are careful. Some people are making this moment about politics, but the reality is we are all players in a global pandemic and there is math to this. The more the cases, the higher the risk. (Not to mention, the tighter the community restrictions.) We need to remember that six feet apart is much better than entirely apart.  I can only imagine how hard that will be and how unfair it all feels (and is). But I also know how strong you all are.

If anyone can do it, it is us.  We care about each other.  We are a creative people who will find new ways to engage with each other (and make remarkable fashion statements out of masks – I can’t wait to see what you come up with). We desperately want to be together, and will do what it takes to make it work.

Each generation of students decides again what kind of community Loyola will be. But in our century-old history, few Loyola students have faced the kind of dramatic stakes that you do.   

I believe in you.

Tania Tetlow

President

July 10, 2020: Our Commitment to Our International Students

Dear Loyola community,

More than 30 years ago, I arrived in the US as an international student. My dreams were no different than those of many like me--I wanted to be in a country that offered me an opportunity to grow, learn, and become part of something bigger than myself. I can still remember the excitement combined with a bit of trepidation as I embarked upon this journey to get to know the country that I now call home. So, this message I send on behalf of Loyola to the community and especially to our international students is personal. 

We at Loyola are committed to our international students because we are members of the same global community. International students enrich us by sharing their passion, their talent and their dedication to making this world a better place. Our commitment to our international students is deeply rooted in our values.  Our spirit of cura personalis extends beyond just the classroom, it includes caring for the whole person. 

I want to assure you that at Loyola we are committed to helping every one of our international students continue and complete their education. Here is how we are addressing the guidance set forth by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) administered by the U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE).  We have approximately 90 international students in F-1 student status at Loyola. All of these students will be able to continue their education at Loyola this fall through in-person or HyFlex courses if they want to be here in New Orleans or remotely from their home countries if that's what they prefer. 

While we are confident that our HyFlex course offerings will allow every student to complete their current program of study in a way that complies with the new SEVP guidance, we are also prepared to offer additional courses that meet the requirement of in-person instruction. I am particularly grateful to the many faculty who have written to us offering to deliver a free, in-person course for international students should one be needed. This is yet another testament to how deeply Loyola's faculty care for our students. 

At a national level, the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU) issued a formal statement on Monday, July 6, urging the U.S. Acting Secretary of Homeland Security, Hon. Chad Wolf, on behalf of the 27 Jesuit universities and colleges including Loyola New Orleans, to withdraw the current guidance. I am encouraged by many other institutions around the country joining hands in this effort. 

Tanuja Singh, D.B.A.
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs

July 8, 2020: Update for International Students

Dear International Students,

I am sure that you have been following the recent US federal guidance on international students enrolled in US universities. This guidance specifying which accommodations will be available for F-1 international students taking online classes continues to evolve and we have been following it closely. We also know that you have questions about how these guidelines apply to you and what Loyola is doing to ensure that your educational experience remains what you have come to expect from us—excellent in every respect.

You can rest assured that you will be able to carry out your Loyola studies this coming fall semester, whether through in-person and HyFlex classes on campus or through online classes from abroad. Loyola and our Center of International Education (CIE) will be working with you to determine the exact format that will work best for you and your class schedule for the fall. We remain committed to supporting you academically and personally through every step of your Loyola education.

I want to also assure you that we are closely following the continuing updates on this new guidance. As with any federal guidance, it is important that we look at it carefully and put it into context with Loyola's Fall 2020 Reopening Plan. We expect that over the next few days there will be a clearer understanding of the exact implications of this guidance for your course requirements this fall semester. We will work with each of you to ensure that you are able to continue your education at Loyola to achieve your professional and personal goals.

We will be updating our COVID-19 FAQs on the Loyola website accordingly next week with an overview of what these new accommodations and requirements mean for you as an F-1 international student at Loyola.

We are committed to supporting you by developing course schedules that meet the federal guidance while ensuring that your academic experience remains rigorous, fulfilling and transformative.

With my very best wishes, 

Tanuja Singh, D.B.A.
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs

June 24, 2020: Update on Fall Health and Safety Planning

Dear Faculty and Staff,

Today, we sent the communication below to students, sharing further details on what to expect in the fall. 

As you read through this email, you will see general guidelines for our campus community -- we will be masking, social distancing and implementing other practices to keep our community safe. Further details can be found in our COVID-19 Guide for Returning to Campus.

We have done a tremendous amount of work to ensure our students receive the best of a Loyola education, as we strive to keep our community healthy and safe. Every individual will need to do their part to learn and follow these policies designed to prevent community spread and keep one another safe. We will be counting on you to help lead the way.

We are grateful for your cooperation and commitment to Loyola.

Dear Loyola students,  

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the safety of our campus and Loyola community has driven and will always drive our decisions. This summer, our facilities crew, faculty, staff, and administration are working diligently to put in place plans and practices to ensure an outstanding academic year despite any restrictions. Your health and safety are of paramount importance - and if we want not only to return to campus, but to stay on campus, and to keep everyone safe, it’s essential that everyone do their part.

Here is a look ahead:

Expert Health Guidance

Planning for the safety and protection of 5,000 people is no simple task. To ensure we are implementing best practices and safety measures, we have engaged Ochsner Health Care, one of the finest hospital systems in the country, to help us prepare for a safe return to campus.

In addition to the 24/7 telehealth services for students implemented this spring, and the on-call healthcare support provided by Student Health Services for the last 10 years, Ochsner will now also provide an employee hotline, priority access to medical care, and public health guidance throughout the year.

This spring, a public health and policy team from Ochsner visited both the Broadway and main campuses and conducted an environmental assessment of work spaces, classrooms, common areas, public spaces, and dining halls to name a few. The Ochsner team made recommendations on how we can go about the business of campus and academic life, while taking essential measures to protect our community.

New directional and capacity signs are going up all over campus, furniture is being removed or decommissioned, and we have reduced density in residence halls. We are making plans for testing and contact tracing, where needed. Our facilities staff are working to organize classrooms so we can social distance while learning and engaging meaningfully with one another. 

Learn more about our partnership with Ocshner and Safe Return to Campus plans on our FAQ website.

Masks

My mask protects you, your mask protects me. In keeping with city, state and federal health guidelines, we will be both physically distancing and wearing masks in classroom and public settings to keep one another safe. And in true Loyola New Orleans fashion, I fully expect your creativity to be on full display. (I am wearing my glitter mask while writing this).

To keep things fun, the parents of a Loyola student have generously donated Loyola-branded masks, so we can show our Wolf Pack pride. Students, faculty and staff will each receive one of these masks – and Loyola alumni and friends will have the opportunity to receive one if they make a gift at a particular level.

We expect these Loyola-branded masks to arrive on campus by late July. Division heads will hand them out to employees, and Student Affairs will provide one per student, just in time for Move-In and the first day of classes.

(You will want to have a handful of masks on hand as you head back to campus. Show us your style, Loyola!)

Cura Apostolica  

Our core values as a university call on us to care for the whole person – mind, body and soul – and to live and work as men and women for and with others. Those values also ask us to care for the institution – Loyola, a place that we all love.  To return to and remain on campus safely and successfully, we all must make significant changes to the way we live, study and work – and success will only be achieved if all members of the Loyola community each do their parts. 

We are continually updating our FAQ website with protocols for campus life during COVID-19. 

Like other universities, we are committing as a community to doing what we can to ensure the health and safety of all those who live and work on our campus.

We expect every member of our campus to follow these practices:   

• All members of the Loyola community—faculty, students, staff, visitors—will be required to wear masks in classroom and public settings and practice physical distancing as mandated by local law and university policy.
• All students will complete daily health checks and report concerning symptoms to the Student Health Services.
• All students living in on-campus or off-campus housing will be expected to remain in the New Orleans area during the semester, refraining from unnecessary travel until we go home at Thanksgiving.
• All students who report symptoms will have to follow the testing, contact tracing and quarantine protocols established by Loyola and the State of Louisiana should they become ill or exposed to COVID-19.
• While many co-curricular and extra-curricular activities (lectures, performances, club activities, events) will be held virtually, there will be opportunities for in-person gatherings that meet university and public health guidelines.
• On-campus dining will provide expanded take-out options.
• Directional signage will guide our use of stairwells and hallways.
• Access to campus facilities by students, faculty, staff and visitors will be restricted and new guidelines on space configuration, capacity, traffic flow, cleaning and sanitation protocols will be in place.
• Anyone experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 during their daily wellness check needs to report potential illness immediately and through the proper channels – HR for faculty and staff, Student Health Services for students. Those who have been exposed or confirmed with illness will be asked to self-isolate.   

See the complete COVID-19 Guide for Returning to Campus on our website for a comprehensive look.

More than ever before, the actions of one member of our community can have catastrophic implications for everyone. It will be incumbent on each and every one of us to adhere to health and safety guidelines so that we can safely remain on our beautiful campus. We will take these new health policies seriously, and if necessary will pursue disciplinary and other actions to protect the health and safety of the Loyola community.

Finally, this is a highly fluid and ever-changing situation. We will continue to adapt as needed based on public health guidance, medical advice, local conditions and laws, and variables that may not even be known to us today.

We will get through this – and we will do it with grace. 

Lesli D. Harris
Chief of Staff

June 23, 2020: Academic Planning Update

Our faculty, staff and administration have been working diligently all summer to adapt course work, make needed changes and ready our campus for a safe return this fall. We are determined not to let the global pandemic gravely interrupt your dreams or plans for the future.

Many of you have had questions about what the fall semester will look like. Let me address your questions about academics here. 

Class Schedules

Reorganizing academic schedules to ensure as much flexibility and safety as possible in the face of a global pandemic is truly challenging work — and I could not be more grateful to the team in student records, college office staff, deans and our faculty. This summer, we have meticulously reconfigured class options so that, as much as possible, students will be able to continue in courses they chose during registration.

We understand that many of you are eager for a schedule that is final -- and what you see on LORA today reflects our best effort to accurately represent for you the fall schedule as you will live it. (There may still be some changes as we stay up to date with the best state and CDC guidance, but by and large we expect your schedules to look as they do now unless you request changes.) 

In a small number of classes, we are still scheduling first-year students or are hiring an instructor, but for the most part, the information you see on LORA reflects the fact that we have found a way to schedule over 1,000 course sections in classrooms and other spaces that still allow people to socially distance. 

The vast majority of courses this fall (nearly 65 percent) will be held fully in person or designed as HyFlex courses, which means the majority of courses are on ground, in full or in part, but with enough flexibility for those who need to stay off campus to do so.  This will also help us in the event we need to go online for an extended period due to concerns about the coronavirus. 

HyFlex Learning 

We have a new term in our vocabulary at Loyola — “HyFlex,” which stands for hybrid/flexible learning. This format is the best of both worlds — it allows for an on-campus component for those of you who are physically present, while also keeping the community safe by allowing for social distancing in smaller classrooms and allowing for virtual participation for those who need to work from elsewhere. Universities around the world have adopted this approach, and many of our undergraduate courses are designed this way for the fall semester.

A Monday-Wednesday-Friday lecture class may have one-third of the students on each day with students who need accommodations or otherwise need to work remotely participating synchronously from a distance, for example. In another class, the lecture material may be provided online while the class meets in smaller in-person groups to work on projects, have rich discussion with their peers, or otherwise apply their learning in context. These are just two examples of the “HyFlex” design which will ensure we are maintaining required social distancing rules to keep our community healthy while providing excellent instruction.

Virtual Learning

This spring, we loaned many of you hotspots and laptop computers in our efforts to bridge digital inequalities. As we move into the fall semester, we plan for our on-campus computer facilities to remain open with social distancing and we are working to provide even more laptops to loan to students with financial need. If you have the resources, please return to campus with a working laptop. 

We are asking all students to complete a brief survey to tell us more about your technology needs, at home and at school, and about your experience with virtual learning in the spring. We are already upgrading our technology, but the survey asks you to share with us your hopes for your fall semester college experience.

We have scheduled other classes online for two reasons.  First, social distancing means we have had to spread out classes into bigger rooms, which is only possible if we move other courses fully online.  Second, some of our faculty have underlying health conditions that make online teaching far safer as we work to reduce risk and keep our campus open.  

These online courses will come in two formats — asynchronous with no set meeting time (about 10 percent) and synchronous or “live” with a standard meeting time (about 20 percent).  

We have altered the information presented on LORA to make more clear which format a course is offered in. You will be able to see if a course is Online, Online with Standard Meeting Time (Live), HyFlex, or Fully In Person. In addition, more details of how the class will function will be provided in the course syllabus and by your professors. If you have any questions or concerns, you can reach out to your course instructor for more information.

Caring for Our Community

We are ideally striving for our students to have a mix of course selections that provides them a balance between campus life and virtual work. We also must be flexible in providing a safe working environment for faculty and staff who are at increased risk for COVID-19. 

If you are dissatisfied with your schedule as it is, you should work with your academic advisor to ensure one that optimizes your preferred form of learning and takes into account any special constraints you may be facing as a result of the pandemic. Some of you may be looking to move online, others will be wanting more on-ground opportunities. We will do our very best to help you find the schedule that works for you. 

Some of you have inquired — for health reasons and other concerns — whether you may complete the fall semester fully online. We would of course prefer to have each and every one of you back on campus and partaking in our community. But if you believe it most appropriate for you to study from home for the fall semester, we encourage you to work with your academic advisor and the associate dean of your college to construct a schedule that is optimized to ensure you are having the best possible learning experience. We can help you work through any issues you are facing. Your education and wellbeing are our top priority.

Canvas

Our faculty and staff are working hard this summer to design courses in Canvas, our significantly upgraded learning platform, which will replace Blackboard in the fall.  This is a time to make sure we have the best technology. 

Students will be hearing more about the move to Canvas in the coming weeks and we will be providing training and resources to ensure this experience is smooth for you. If you are taking the free Understanding COVID-19 course this summer, you will get a sneak peak at learning in Canvas. Two weeks into implementation, I have heard great reports from faculty on this significant university investment.

Academic Calendar

The semester is not shorter, but on-ground classes will move online after Thanksgiving, with the exam period to follow. This will reduce the risk of transmission in our community that might come from holiday travel and make it more affordable for students to return home once and not twice. Make sure to look at our revised fall calendar. The regular spring semester starts January 15.  

This is a lot of information to digest. This website has been redesigned to share these details and more. We are constantly updating it and hope you will refer to it often. And stay tuned for a message from Chief of Staff Lesli Harris, who will write tomorrow to share more about what we are doing in terms of protecting everyone’s health and safety. 

May 20, 2020: Fall 2020 Plans

This is a moment of hopefulness. Our city and state have worked very hard to “flatten the curve” and reduce the rates of infection and hospitalization to a point where we can start to cautiously move forward. The sacrifices we made have mattered.

How does that affect Loyola? Right now, we are in our own Phase 1. Those who can work from home should continue to do so, which means most of us right now. For faculty and staff, I know that some of you are desperate for the comfort of your offices and to escape the mayhem of your home (I certainly am), but we need to wait. We will reopen some critical research activities on campus, but otherwise we will focus the university’s resources on planning and preparing for the fall semester.

For students, summer school will remain online (as most of it was intended to be anyway). Summer school registration is up, probably in part because you are all more experienced at online. Faculty and staff will remain committed to being there for you, wherever you are. We ask that you continue to stay safe and be careful.

Let me describe our plans for Phase 2, the fall semester. These plans will continue to be made more specific as we work through every logistical detail. And our plans will remain flexible, as we make sure we can react to the changes that will inevitably come our way. We are working closely with Ochsner Health System, one of the best in the country, to help us with our planning and to continue to run our student health clinic. Through them, we also will have better access to testing.

Fundamentally, the more we do to limit the risk to our community, the more likely we are both to stay safe and to continue to function on campus. Here’s a thought experiment that has helped us in our planning. Imagine, once classes begin, that you had to make a contact tracing list of everyone you had potentially exposed. How long would your list be and how many people would then have to also isolate for two weeks? The shorter we can keep those lists, the more cautious and disciplined we are, the better we’ll be able to continue.

Here is what our new world will look like.

Learning: 
Students will need to sit six feet apart in the classroom. Some classes will move into larger classrooms to spread out seating. Other classes will be divided into cohorts between virtual days and in-person days. Faculty who have health vulnerabilities and those over 65 will be encouraged to teach entirely online so we can protect them while reducing crowds on campus in general. And we will work to protect our most vulnerable students.

We will teach in hybrid, flexible ways using the opportunities that technology has to offer. And we will be installing more technology in as many classrooms as possible. Students, please know that means that faculty are working very hard this summer to find the very best ways to teach under entirely new circumstances. You saw how well they did with a few days notice this spring. Because they are (as they often tell me) obsessed with teaching you well and mattering to your lives, they will be finding new and creative ways to do more.

After Thanksgiving, we will move to online operations for the remainder of the semester. For students, that saves many of you the expense of two trips home and it protects our community from the exposures of travel.

In January, the University’s spring semester now begins later, on January 19 for all but the College of Law, which will start on January 11. This later start gives us additional flexibility to handle any disruption in the fall. And we will be launching a new two-week (entirely optional) January term for undergraduates, with exciting courses. More details to follow for undergraduates, graduate students, and the College of Law.

Common Spaces: 
We will work on ways to stagger travel between classes. Elevator capacity will be limited to avoid crowding, so those of us who can take the stairs are going to get into better shape. Stairways will have clear directions.

We have been working with Ochsner to walk the campus, thinking through the configuration of our residence halls, dining areas, libraries, common areas, offices and classrooms. We will be moving out lots of chairs into storage to make sure we stay farther apart. In good weather, we will do more outdoors – from teaching to eating. We will be wearing masks in most settings, and, I hope, using the opportunity to create new forms of individual expression and make the best of it.

Constant cleaning: 
We will focus our cleaning efforts on bathrooms, common areas, doorknobs, elevator buttons, and the surfaces that need them most. And we will have cleaning supplies everywhere so we can all help spray surfaces before we touch them.

Student life: 
We will have less density in our residence halls and particular public health efforts aimed at students who live on campus, including regular temperature checks. Students, we will be relying on your tight-knit community and fierce loyalty to Loyola to help us keep the virus off of our campus.

We will continue our intensive support of students through everything from the Student Success Center to Campus Ministry, from academic advising to student counseling.

We will avoid large gatherings -- student performances and athletics will have far more virtual audiences, which will include family and friends around the world. We will be more creative about creating community without our usual hugs and crowds. And despite the logistical obstacles, or because of them, those experiences will bond students together in friendships like nothing before.

Offices: 
For faculty and staff, those of us who can do our work from home will continue to do so, possibly coming in with staggered shifts. We have created a Returning to Work website with some information and will continue to update and refine it as our plans evolve. I know we’ll get through this together. Because here is the thing -- Loyola survived the last pandemic a century ago, and since then, two world wars and Katrina. To be a Jesuit institution means to be innovative, to solve problems with duct tape and ingenuity. To be Jesuit means to be ambitious on behalf of mission and determined beyond measure. And it means to create community regardless of distance, because our values and our passion get through any obstacle.

We got this.

May 5, 2020: CARES Act Funds Distribution
To Students from the Senior Vice President for Enrollment, Marketing and Student Affairs 
 (Update on Nov. 17 2020: the final Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund Report is now available.)

In response to the unprecedented economic and social impacts of COVID-19, the United States Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The largest relief act in American history, the CARES Act makes provisions for institutions of higher education and stipulates that at least 50 percent of institutional relief funds must be used to provide students emergency financial aid grants to help cover expenses related to the disruption of on-campus operations due to the coronavirus. Eligible student expenses include: food, housing, course materials, travel expenses, technology, health care and child care. Recipients of the funds must be eligible to receive federal grants or loans, and only students in on-ground programs as of March 13 are eligible.  

Last week, Loyola University New Orleans received $2,913,258 total, and half of that ($1,456,629) is being dispersed to our neediest students who have been impacted by the disruption caused by COVID-19, many of whom are facing financial challenges and struggling to make ends meet.  

Working with deliberate speed, Loyola has developed a two-phase system and process for dispersing these funds.  

• In the first phase, Loyola will distribute $1,243,800 of the funds immediately to students with the highest demonstrated need.  
• All Loyola students who filed a FAFSA this academic year and who had an Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) of $0 - $5,500 will receive a CARES Act grant from Loyola in the amount of $900. Approximately 1,100 undergraduate students and 300 law and graduate students are eligible for the grant under these criteria. Students will receive notification from the Student Financial Services office notifying them of their eligibility and the process for receiving their grant.   
• Loyola has set aside the remaining 17 percent (approximately $213,000) to provide CARES Act grants to students who do not meet initial eligibility requirements but have incurred expenses as a result of COVID-19.  We created an online form to request funds.  A committee will review requests weekly until the remaining funds have been depleted.  

We realize that the financial needs of our community are likely greater than these funds can cover.  If you are not sure whether you qualify for funding under the CARES Act, we strongly encourage you to fill out the form.  If you do not meet the qualifications for the federal aid, there may be other emergency funding or institutional aid available to help you. We will filter every application through every option available to best meet as much need as possible.

We have set up an FAQ page that will hopefully address your questions.  As always, we are here to help.  Please email sfscenter@loyno.edu or call us at 504-865-3337.  Good luck with finals and stay healthy and safe.  

May 1, 2020: Making an Impact
To the Loyola Community from President Tetlow

We’ve almost made it.  We’re almost through exams and the academic year.  And I know I keep saying it, but I need to tell you yet again how proud I am of all of you and how grateful.   

And I want to brag about what a difference Loyola men and women for others are making.  Here are just a few examples.

• Loyola’s science, art and design departments made two large donations of personal protective gear to local healthcare systems.
• The Facilities Department cleaned and sterilized empty residence halls to provide housing for healthcare workers and first responders in the battle against COVID-19, extending the offer to local healthcare systems and the City of New Orleans.  The city has flattened the curve enough not to need the housing, but we stand ready to help. 
• Loyola biophysics senior Baasel Syed is spearheading Project Wolf Shield, a plan to manufacture 300 face shields using Loyola’s state-of-the-art 3-D printing equipment.  Baasel and Art and Design Chair John Seefeldt secured $4,000 in grants from the Community Catholic Foundation and the Almar Foundation to help them buy supplies.
• Countless of our nurses are working on the front lines saving lives.  Our own Kate Kemplin, MSN, DNP, launched the Ryan Larkin Field Hospital in New York. The incoming president of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, is Loyola alum Sophia Thomas, DNP, who is helping set policy and fight for workplace safety. 
• The law school’s Workplace Justice Project is helping area residents cope with workforce impacts caused by COVID-19, including drafting unemployment legislation, working to secure paid leave and relief funds from the public money generated by workers in hospitality, service and tourism industries, and serving as an essential communication and resource hub.
• Before leaving campus in March, many students used their Wolf Bucks to make last-minute donations to Iggy’s Cupboard (because that’s how Loyola students roll) and it continues to provide food to students remaining on campus and in the area. 
• Loyola’s Community Mental Health Clinic, launched last year by the Counseling Department, continues to serve its existing client base and is working on additional capacity to counsel first responders.  
• The Recirculating Farms Coalition, led by Marianne Cufone, director of the Center for Environmental Law at Loyola, assembles low-cost fresh food bags and delivers them door-to-door to residents in low-income neighborhoods.
• Alumni Affairs launched “Check in with the Pack”, a virtual opportunity to connect with older “Golden Wolves” keeping safe at home.
• The Jesuit community continues to livestream Sunday 10:30 a.m. Mass with help from Student Life and Ministry, which has created vast online resources available to students, faculty, staff and residents.
• Two Loyola professors – Dr. Simone Rambotti and Tavell Kindall, RN, APRN, DNP – recently joined the state’s COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force.
• The College of Law is now partnering with the United Way of Southeast Louisiana to provide legal guidance to help child care providers seeking relief funding to navigate the crisis.
• Graduate students in the teacher education program quickly pivoted to teaching online while learning to be teachers at the same time. Many of them work in schools that serve children from impoverished backgrounds or those who have special needs.

Whether members of the Wolf Pack are making masks at home, teaching and learning in virtual classrooms or serving daily on the front lines, we bring a passion and spirit to anything we do.

April 28, 2020: An Update on Fall Planning
To Students from President Tetlow

I can’t tell you how much I wish I could eliminate all uncertainty right now and tell you exactly what the next several months hold. Or how eager we all are to give you back every opportunity the world has put on hold for you.  What is within our power -- and what we are working tirelessly to do -- is to make careful plans to maximize our chances of being together in person, and to handle whatever life may throw at us.   If state and local officials allow it, we will  reopen on campus for the fall semester on time, prepared for any further periods of disruption.  

1. Health and safety.   Careful reopening will require new realities for us -- a campus in which we protect the most vulnerable in our community by allowing them to work and learn from home, while the rest of us are able to return to campus precisely because we will be very careful.  

We have partnered with Ochsner Health System, a national industry leader and one of the largest hospital systems in the country, to help us develop safety protocols.  We will have access to far more testing, including antibody testing.  We will obsessively clean and facilitate your ability to wipe down surfaces.  We will spread ourselves out in classrooms and common spaces to avoid large gatherings.  We will give each other lots of love and respect, but without hugs and physical contact.  

2. Flexibility in forms of teaching.  We are also preparing for the possibility of disruption, and praying hard that it will not happen again.  Faculty will put enormous effort this summer into ensuring their classes can be taught effectively and creatively both in person or on-line.  Providing the highest quality Loyola education will be their guiding principle. This time they will have far more time to maximize what technology can achieve, to share their best ideas, and to help those colleagues who may have struggled with the online format.  Faculty will be working very hard this summer to make sure you get the excellence you deserve.  Course teaching evaluations are now open and students can communicate with their faculty what works and what they think needs improvement in the courses. And we will be asking you soon what worked well, including ways we should keep using technology permanently to improve our teaching, and what needs improvement. 

3. Flexibility in schedule.   We still plan to start classes on August 24th, but if waiting a little longer helps us to reopen in person, we will wait a little longer.  We are also discussing the possibility of finishing in-person instruction at Thanksgiving, with the last week of class and exams online.  This would allow those of you who need to travel to head home and stay there through the Christmas holiday.  We understand that this requires a balance of the notice you need to make plans versus maximizing our ability to bring you back to campus.   We will make decisions as quickly as the fog of uncertainty clears, but no later than early July.  

4. Focus on your future.  Loyola prides itself on giving you the skills, the strategy and the contacts to get jobs after you graduate.  We know from our job placement data that we succeed.   Now, as the economy has shifted so dramatically under the feet of graduating students, we are even more determined to help you start your career.  Loyola’s career services programs have been working tirelessly to help students adjust to new realities and to help foresee where opportunities will shift.  We also offered many graduating seniors admission and scholarships to our graduate programs, and for those who are seeking jobs, our career services will be available to them after they graduate.  Know that we are determined to get you across the finish line of graduation, but also beyond.   Cura personalis means that we care enormously about you and the rest of your life, long after you achieve your degree.

Know that Loyola has overcome serious obstacles in our century-old history, including Katrina, and we will do it again now.  Because we are not a huge bureaucracy, we have the ability to be nimble and creative.  Because we are utterly obsessed with your futures, we will be working incredibly hard -- planning and preparing for every possibility.   What drives us is how eager we are to see your faces again, even if it will be a while before we can give you the big hugs we know you need right now.  

April 17, 2020: A Video Message from President Tetlow

April 8, 2020: Commencement
To Graduating Students from the President

We know how deeply important it is to you and your families to celebrate all of your hard work, and to honor your achievements with due pomp and circumstance.  We need to come together in New Orleans, to give you the opportunity to hear your name and walk across the stage to receive your diploma, just as you’ve planned since your first day at Loyola. 

We plan to hold our formal 2020 Commencement ceremony the weekend of August 7-8, at one of the most beautiful venues in the city - Loyola University New Orleans. 

We will make this into a super-spectacular commencement/homecoming weekend with as many of our traditional events as possible. While some of the details are still being worked out, we have created these FAQs to address some of your questions and concerns, and we will be reaching out to you again soon to gather some information that will help us plan.

In the meantime, we will have far more certainty as the weeks and months progress, so please don’t buy nonrefundable plane tickets or hotel rooms. As we get closer, we’ll release a schedule of events, compressed to make it easier for those of you coming from afar. We will also livestream the ceremonies for those who cannot make it in person, so your families can celebrate you properly.

I can’t wait until we can be together again to celebrate all your wonderful accomplishments, but in the meantime, we can have a little fun online. As I mentioned in my email Monday, we will hold a virtual celebration on May 9th to mark the original commencement date.  The May 9th broadcast will be a celebration, not a virtual graduation ceremony.  We want a chance for you to connect with your friends and professors, and a moment to turn to your loved ones at home, and say: “I did it!”

We continue to hope and pray for the safety of our communities, and for the opportunity to come together in August.

April 6, 2020: Portal to Select Pass/Fail Grading Is Now Open
To Students from the Interim Provost

I am writing to let you know that the portal in LORA to select Pass/Fail grading is now open. It is important that before you make your selections you consult with an academic advisor and/or your course instructors and review the FAQs we have put together for P/F as there may be special circumstances related to your major or to your financial aid situation that you will want to carefully consider. The deadline for making this choice is April 26th so you have plenty of time to consider your options.

This short video put together by Dr. Paul Buehler, Director of Academic Advising in the PanAmerican Life Student Success Center will guide you through the mechanics of making the choice.

https://app.vidgrid.com/view/QJ8GHCMyMlfE/?sr=SgUrFM

I know that whatever grading scale you choose, that you are committed to the Jesuit ideal of the pursuit of excellence. Even in these trying times, we know that you are doing your very best and we are here to support you.

April 3, 2020: We Made It Through Week Three
To Students from the President

We made it through week three, though it seems like month three. I’ve heard from so many of you about the obstacles you have overcome, and I can’t tell you how humbled I am by you. All of you are dealing with disruption, anxiety and the absence of your friends and community. Many of you are scrambling to find internet and laptops (please let us help you with that!) and struggling to find a quiet and safe spot to study. Many of you are losing jobs you needed and comforting your families through their own financial hardship. And some of you work in health care and other essential industries and are on the front lines, risking your lives for the rest of us.

As I talk to the faculty and staff, who are doing their own similar juggling, I can’t quite describe how proud they are of you. We have always bragged about how fiercely determined Loyola students are – now you take our breath away. We are determined too, working as hard as we can to give you the opportunity you deserve.

Know that we will spend time next year making sense of all of this, of thinking through what the crisis has revealed about the cracks that exist in our society. From criminal justice, to education, to the widening disparities of wealth, this has given us a stark reminder of where we need to do better. And at Loyola, we have even more motivation to hone your skills to go out into the world, solve complicated problems, and make your lives and career matter.

For those of you graduating, I sent this by a separate email to you, but I cannot wait for the chance to celebrate your achievement in person. We will come together virtually on May 9th, but as soon as the fog of uncertainty lifts, we will also come together in person as soon as possible. I am determined to hand you your diploma, to hear the cheers of your supporters and to hug every one of you.

Please keep sending me your questions, your thoughts, your stories and pictures of your new “classmates” at home.

April 3, 2020: Update for Graduating Students
To Graduating Students from the President

After incredible amounts of hard work, and now utter heroics to get to the finish line, you are the cusp of achieving your dreams. And I am determined to hand you a diploma in person.

It is clear now that it won’t yet be safe to do that on May 9th. We have been busy working on an alternative plan, studying the public health research to choose a date with the most opportunity of sticking. Ideally, the situation will have lifted and we can move forward later this summer, with enough lead time to give you proper notice and ability to plan. But we do not yet know if that will be possible.

On May 9th, we will do something together virtually to mark the occasion, and for purposes of your resume and future plans, you will be official by then. But that will not be a substitute for coming together in person.

I can’t quite describe how much I wish I could offer you certainty, so you can continue to imagine that lovely moment when we can be together again to celebrate, with even more joy than usual. Right now, the world has denied me that power. Know that it is an enormous priority for us, and we will stay in constant contact with you. I know you have many other questions about Commencement. We are preparing FAQs and will share them with you next week.

April 3, 2020: Important Information About Room, Board and Parking Credits/Refunds
To Students from the Senior Vice President of Enrollment, Marketing, and Student Affairs

As promised, I am writing with an update about room, board and parking credits/refunds due to Loyola’s move to online classes and reduction in campus programs and services. Thank you for your patience as we worked through the details of this unprecedented event.

If you lived in campus housing, we are in the process of posting prorated room credits to your student accounts. Your individual credit amount is based on the last day of the week you officially checked out of campus housing; whether it was the week ending March 16th or the week ending March 23rd. Students who left campus housing after March 23rd will receive further prorated room credits based on weekly increments. The amount will appear on your student account as a credit that will be applied to any remaining balance owed to Loyola for the 2019-20 academic year. If you do not owe a balance, the credit will be applied to your Fall 2020 semester bill. If you are a senior who has applied for graduation and does not owe a balance, you will automatically receive a refund to the address we have on record. If you would prefer to receive a refund rather than a credit, please use this link to make the request.

We are also in the process of posting prorated meal plan credits to your accounts. For residential students, the credit is based on the last day of the week you officially checked out of campus housing. For commuter students the prorated credit is based on your remaining balance as of March16, 2020. Any remaining Wolfbucks will automatically roll over to the fall semester and will need to be used by December 31, 2020. Only graduating seniors with remaining Wolfbucks are eligible for refunds on declining balances.

Finally, we are issuing prorated credits for parking fees based on the week ending March 16, 2020. This credit will also post to your student account, if applicable.

Each of these credits will appear separately on your student account and will be named:

• 20S Covid-19 Refund - Housing
• 20S Covid-19 Refund - Meal Plan
• 20S Covid-19 Refund - Parking

We are proceeding this way to ensure as much accuracy and transparency as possible. Please note: Due to our information systems, credits will appear as they are posted over the next two weeks and may not appear all at once.

We realize that many of you may have questions. The teams in Financial Aid, Student Financial Services, Residential Life and Information Technology are working as quickly as possible to apply these credits. More information can be found on the FAQ website.

Please contact Student Financial Services at sfscenter@loyno.edu or 504-865-3337 for help with your specific questions. If you choose to call, remember that folks are working remotely and please be ready to leave a voicemail. Your message will be returned by the next business day.

March 30, 2020: Extension of the Last Date to Withdraw
To Students from the Interim Provost

I hope that you are adjusting to your online classes. The deans and I know that the faculty are working very hard to help you continue on your paths to your degrees, but we also realize that this is a very stressful time for everyone and that many of you may be juggling your studies with family obligations. The deans and I have approved an extension of the last day to withdraw for many undergraduate students this spring. All undergraduate students, except for RN-BSN students, are eligible to withdraw up until the last day of classes--April 29th. This is true for students who were online-only students before the COVID-19 situation and for students who were on-campus students. We hope that you will continue to do your best in your courses, but want to give you this flexibility in these unprecedented times.

Loyola’s faculty and staff want to offer you as much support as they can while our community is spread out all over the country. Now, more than ever, It is very important that Loyola has up-to-date contact information for you so we can get in touch to see how you are doing and how we can help. Please log into LORA and make sure we have the correct information on file by Friday, April 3. Follow these steps to check and update your record.

1. Sign into your LORA account
2. Select Personal Info
3. Select Personal Phone Numbers

There are several options:

cell phone (your cell phone #),
parent's cell #,
emergency notification (this number receives alerts about immediate threats on campus including severe weather and active shooters - in almost all cases, this should be your cell phone #)

March 27, 2020: Observing the Easter Holidays
To the Loyola Community From President Tetlow

So much has happened to all of us over the past few weeks, it feels like we’ve lived a year in the span of 14 days. All of you have been working so hard: from adjusting to teaching or learning online, to moving home, to managing your teams remotely. You’ve achieved it all at a moment when you and your families are dealing with great difficulty. I am so proud of each and every one of you, and I know that when we look back on this time, we will be amazed by what we have accomplished together.

I also know that we are all tired, and for that reason, I want to be sure that we all take a break for the Easter holidays as scheduled. I am asking all faculty to suspend synchronous classes on Thursday, April 9, Friday, April 10, and Monday, April 13. And I am asking supervisors to let their employees enjoy those days off unless they are providing essential services. It is important for all of us to take some time to reflect, refresh and recharge before we finish this strange semester.

We also need this time to observe Easter week and Passover. I hope that many of you will join me in watching our live-streamed Masses on Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter from Ignatius Chapel, with some added solos from our world-class music faculty. (Details to follow). I’ll also be joining friends, this time online, for our usual Seder meal. This year, we will listen to the stories of sacrifice, suffering and redemption with new ears and open hearts. We will continue the work of finding spiritual meaning in this disruption -- finding the lessons that will make us better people at the end of it all.

March 24, 2020: A Video Message From President Tetlow

Our beautiful campus feels empty without you. I stopped by today to check on some of our essential workers and recorded this video message to you.

Wolf Pack, we got this!

March 22, 2020: La. Gov. Issues Stay at Home Orders
To Students from the Director of University Police & Emergency Management

Today, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards issued a statewide stay-at-home order that will go into effect at 5 p.m. on Monday, March 15 until April 12.This order comes on the heels of guidance from New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell on Friday, March 20, advising residents to stay home except for essential needs. While we have been encouraging social distancing and city officials have been asking residents to stay home as much as possible, the governor’s order underscores the importance of staying inside and physical distancing as a means to prevent continued spread of COVID-19.

Allowable activities:

• Shopping at grocery stores, convenience stores and pharmacies
• Medical appointments, although many providers are offering virtual visits
• Picking up food at restaurants (either take-out or drive-thru)
• Delivering food
• Personal exercise outdoors, including walking pets

We realize that these restrictions are hard on most of you. A number of local grocery stores are now offering delivery, Grubhub and DoorDash drivers are still delivering food, and many restaurants now offer curbside pickup. And while playgrounds may be closed, some parks are still open for general recreation for small groups of ten or less, providing everyone maintains a distance of 6 feet from one another.

Louisiana currently has the fastest growth rate of confirmed cases in the world, and it is important that we all do our parts to avoid contact with others to slow the spread of the virus. There are a lot of plans for ways to keep our community connected during this time. Keep checking your email and watch our social media.

March 19, 2020: Online Town Hall with President Tetlow

March 19, 2020: Extension of the Tenure Clock
To Faculty from the Interim Provost

I hope everyone continues to adjust to our new reality of teaching online and other methods of social distancing and I hope everyone remains healthy.

I wanted to give you a few updates and reminders:

1. In recognition of disruptions to research projects and other professional responsibilities, the deans and I have approved an optional extension of the tenure clock by one year for all tenure-track faculty. Keep in mind that the decision to delay the tenure review for a year rests on the individual tenure-track faculty member. Some may decide that they are ready for the tenure review in their original timeline, which is perfectly fine. If you have any questions, please consult with your chair and dean.
2. This is a reminder of the Q&A Zoom meeting for faculty with me and the deans scheduled for today at 3 p.m. The purpose of this meeting is to informally connect and to address any questions you may have that have not been addressed already.
3. The president has also scheduled a town hall meeting for today at 7 p.m. This event is open to faculty, staff, and students.
4. In recognition of the disruption that the Coronavirus has placed and will continue to place on our students, the University Courses and Curriculum Committee and university leadership have decided to provide undergraduate students with expanded access to the Pass/Fail grading option for the remainder of the Spring 2020 semester. The first eight-week session ended before the current crisis and therefore is not eligible for the P/F option. Many students have contacted me thanking me for this decision and telling me they plan on working very hard to achieve A’s in their courses. The uncertainty of whether they or someone in their families will fall sick and that their studies will suffer makes this option one that they are very happy to have. Some courses will not be eligible for the P/F option, depending on accreditation or major requirements. We are working on identifying these courses with the deans. We are also developing a process through LORA for students to select into this option and Q&As on how this will proceed and will inform everyone as soon as we can.

The anonymous survey is still available to report issues and concerns. We received several reports with the following trends:

1. Some of you are still uncomfortable with Zoom or other technologies. Since the survey was anonymous, we cannot follow up to help. Erin Dupuis and the online learning team are available for one-on-one support, as are a number of your colleagues. If you would like help, I encourage you to reach out. The OLT can even “observe” a Bb course and give you quick tips or add you as a guest to an existing online course so you can get ideas for your own courses.
2. People are concerned about digital equity for students and faculty. We are too, which is why the library loaned laptops to students for the duration of the semester, IT purchased additional iPads that will be distributed to those in need when they arrive, and deans are lending equipment to faculty and students. If you know of a student with a particular hardship please submit a BIT report so that we can respond systematically to requests and document needs. If BIT receives reports that indicate that the demand is higher than what is available through the library and IT we may seek donations of older equipment from members of the community who want to help. If a faculty member has a particular hardship they can reach out to their deans or to me. Many internet providers are expanding access to their clients. Please check with your internet and/or cell providers to learn if this is available to you. Deborah Poole, Dean of University Libraries, put together this hot spot guide.
3. Some raised a concern about the administration not reaching out enough to off-campus students. Rest assured that we continue to communicate with off-campus students about the situation and that we have made available to them the possibility of borrowing technology and access to Iggy’s Cupboard. We will keep assessing what more we can do for off-campus students in light of current events.
4. Faculty report that students in 8-week online courses, including online program students, have raised concerns about expectations in these courses. While instruction “was always online” in these courses, we ask that you please keep in mind that students enrolled in online-only courses are also facing great difficulties. They may be sharing technology with siblings or with their own children, facing economic hardship, or trying to work from home while also homeschooling. It may make sense to waive deadline/late penalties in these courses or to make other course adjustments in order to allow our students to succeed in this unusually difficult situation.

I continue to be inspired by the work of our community. Today I will recognize and thank two librarians: Laurie Philips and Susan Brower. Laurie continues to work tirelessly to acquire free textbooks and materials for our students. Just recently her proposal to the Louisiana Library Network (LOUIS) to provide expanded materials was fully funded. Susan’s hard work was instrumental for Loyola to get Zoom! Thanks Laurie and Susan for your selfless service. Please note that while the library building is closed, the team in the library continues to provide many of the supports we have come to rely on. For example, you can continue to use this form to request streaming video be added to your courses.

March 18, 2020: Expanded Access to Pass/Fail Grading Option for Undergraduates
To Undergraduates from the Interim Provost

It is Day Three of Loyola-from-a-Distance and we are so proud of the way you and your faculty have shown your resilience during this time. Many of you are quickly hitting your online stride and are on track to have a great semester. Others are worried about what online learning will be like and still others, many of our students with learning differences, know that the move to online learning poses particular challenges. We still have students in the transition of leaving campus and know that this is a stressful time. In our Jesuit tradition of cura personalis, it is important that we support you not just as learners but as people.

In light of Loyola’s decision to transition temporarily to an online delivery model and in recognition of the challenges this may pose to students and the seriousness of the national situation, the University Courses and Curriculum Committee and university leadership have decided to provide students with expanded access to the Pass/Fail grading option for the Spring 2020 semester.

In early April, undergraduate students, with the exception of RN-BSN students, may elect to switch some or all of their Spring 2020 courses to P/F. This includes students in programs that were fully online before the COVID-19-related move to online instruction. The deadline to switch to the P/F option will be April 26th. You will have ample time to think carefully about the decision. It is important to stress that this is an option. If you do not switch to the P/F option for one or more of your courses, you will receive a letter grade. As the system to indicate your preference opens up, we will be back in touch with more details including FAQs.

We strongly recommend students consult with an advisor before making this choice and the pre-registration advising period is an excellent time to do so. In addition, there are circumstances that Loyola cannot control including the future admissions requirements of graduate and professional programs, the information requested by employers, and the documentation needed to maintain good academic standing for certain scholarships.

Moving to Pass/Fail does not change the course requirements but a Pass/Fail grade allows you to focus on successfully completing a class without worrying about how a letter grade would impact your GPA. Expanded access to the P/F grade mode aims to fulfill our mission of cura personalis or “care for the whole person”, while still providing a pathway to fulfill program and degree requirements. Students may decide to continue to pursue a letter grade (A-F) as we continue to offer a high quality online experience and work to ensure students have the resources they need to be successful.

I am grateful to the faculty members who suggested this move to best support their students and grateful to be part of a community that is committed to putting students first.

Keep up the good work and make us proud, Wolf Pack!

March 18, 2020: Answers to Some of Your Questions
To Faculty and Staff from President Tetlow

I have such an overwhelming desire to hug each of you, so when this is all over, get ready. In the meantime, I’ve gotten a few questions about how this will impact us as an institution that I want to address.

Given that we just regained our financial footing, how is Loyola doing? The financial impact of this has hit us with lost conference revenue, filming, and prorated refunds we felt compelled to make on housing (and probably meal plan as we negotiate with Sodexo.) Thus far, knock on wood, the impact should be within our current cash flow. For those of you who speak accounting, while we won’t have a balanced budget under generally accepted accounting principles -- which require us to budget millions for depreciation -- we should still have an operating cash surplus.

How does this affect jobs? We have no intention of making layoffs and need all of you more than ever.

What do we face in the future? Right now, we face uncertainty about the potential impact of the crisis on next year’s retention rate and admissions. I am happy to tell you that we are at least starting from a position of strength. Our undergraduate retention rate from fall to spring was 95% -- our highest ever. (Law and graduate also remain high.) Initial undergraduate admissions results were up over last year’s good year, and law is holding even despite fewer LSAT test takers.

What we can’t yet know is how this will impact the future choices of students around the country, and indeed the world. Will students want to stay closer to home? Will they end up preferring online, or will they get a massive reminder of how precious a campus community really is? Will students take time off in the fall rather than deal with any ongoing uncertainty? Your thoughts on these subjects are very welcome. The institutions that best predict the future and adjust will be in a far better place.

Some of you have asked me what you can do. We are working on ways you will be able to help us recruit admitted students once things calm down. Meanwhile, each and every one of you affects retention. My hope is that Loyola students will understand the value of being in a place where they are known -- surrounded by warmth and kindness. So while this is a very trying moment for all of us (I’m typing this as Lucy keeps insisting that she wants to add emoticons), it is crucial that we communicate well and frequently. Whether you teach, or advise, or work in student finance, you’ll have to deal with displaced anger, heightened anxiety and general angst. (Face it, many of us have that in our households right now.) Let’s lead with empathy. Let’s summon stores of patience we never knew we had. Let’s overwhelm them with our Loyola-ness.

Whatever comes, all of higher ed is in much the same boat. We will continue to scurry and adjust in the short term, but also turn our eyes towards the future. We will use our Jesuit training to see beyond the noise and find the best strategy to go forward. After all, we’ve had any traces of denial or complacency stripped from us years ago, replaced with creativity and gumption. We are Katrina-trained. We are determined. We can do this.

March 16, 2020: Additional Information as You Prepare to Leave Campus
To Students from the Chief Communications Officer

I am sure you are tired of getting so many emails, but there is much to communicate with you in this rapidly-evolving situation. Here is some additional information you need to know as you prepare to leave campus.

In keeping with guidance from the city of New Orleans, the University Sports Complex has closed indefinitely. We will freeze all community memberships until we reopen. For personal training clients, unused personal training sessions will remain on your respective accounts until we restart training sessions. Members with locker rentals, please contact Assistant Athletic Director Jordan Gabriel ( jngabrie@loyno.edu) or Facility Coordinator Tim Kettenring ( toketten@loyno.edu) to set up appointments to retrieve the contents of your lockers. We hope that everyone remains safe and healthy and look forward to seeing all of you again when we resume business operations.

LUPD will be doing our “Check My Ride” program to help students assure their vehicle is safe and roadworthy as they depart campus. Students are encouraged to stop by LUPD on their way out to have an officer accompany them to check their vehicle.

The following services will be provided:

• Check of engine oil and other fluids
• Check of tire condition and tire pressure (including spare)
• Check of wiper blades
• Window cleaning
• Air Freshener
• Instruction on how to conduct their own safety check of their vehicles (if desired)
• Checklist of items checked and notes of any concerns for future reference

The J. Edgar and Monroe S. Library hours are now reduced to:
Monday-Thursday: 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m.
Friday: 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.

Thank you for your cooperation - and please continue to check your email. We will continue to provide timely information.

Take care, and stay healthy.

March 16, 2020: Campus Availability to Pick Up Materials
To Faculty and Staff from the Interim Provost

The situation related to COVID-19 is changing very rapidly. We have indications that it is possible that Mayor Cantrell may impose significant restrictions in the City of New Orleans. For that reason I am asking all faculty to come to campus to get any and all materials they may need to teach for the remaining of the semester.

To that end, our main campus buildings will be available Tuesday and Wednesday between 8 am and 4 pm for faculty to retrieve all needed materials. After these times we cannot provide access to offices as LUPD will be concentrating their efforts on the safety and wellbeing of our remaining students on campus. If this provides an undue hardship for you, please let me know.

As with other campus evacuations, our Continuity of Operations Plan contemplates the need of allowing certain science faculty access to campus to take care of labs (for example the rat lab). This access will be available through card access with their ID cards. To the extent allowed by city and state authorities this is still possible with an authorized access card to Monroe Hall.

I appreciate your support and hard work during these uncertain times.

March 16, 2020: An Important Message to Students Still in New Orleans
To Students from President Tetlow

COVID-19 is spreading more quickly in New Orleans than in other areas and we suspect (although we do not have any insider information) that travel restrictions and stricter bans on public gatherings may be imminent. For students off campus, be aware that if you intend to head to a home farther away, you should make those plans quickly.

For students on campus: we currently have more than 400 students who have elected to remain in the residence halls. We are concerned that the state may soon ask us to empty our campus of all but those who absolutely cannot go anywhere else. We are aware, for example, that some of you cannot return to families currently infected or isolating, or to countries with border closures. We know that some of you may literally not have another home to go to. But for the rest of you, we worry that our ability to provide emergency services for so many of you is not adequate to the potential situation.

We are asking you to leave the residence halls quickly unless you have an emergency reason to ask to remain. (You can apply for that permission here by tomorrow at 9 a.m.) For anyone who goes, we will issue a pro-rated refund as previously announced. Our current deadline for you to pack up and make it home is this Friday, March 20th, but if travel restrictions are issued before then, you may effectively get less time.

We know it may be more difficult for many of you to get all of your belongings home, so we will be working on storage options and will communicate directly with you about those. And we will continue to offer shuttles to the airport and all the help we can.

I’m really sorry that this is hitting you on the first day of online classes. We made sure that those classes would be recorded, so you can always catch up if events get in the way. Faculty are working to be entirely flexible and we will let them know about this change in events. And I’m sorry about the changing rules. We had hoped that this wouldn’t be necessary and that keeping the campus more open was the best way to serve our students. Like you, we are working with constantly changing circumstances and a new reality that has been hard to fathom. Thank you for your patience. Right now, we all need to focus on safety.

March 15, 2020: Keeping Our Communities Safe
To Students from President Tetlow

Whether you’re living in New Orleans right now or elsewhere, we need your help in keeping our communities safe. There was a St. Patrick’s Day party on Magazine Street yesterday that made national news. People gathered in dangerous crowds and some loudly bragged about spreading the virus. I cannot imagine that Loyola students would act that way, but I want to reach out and ask you to live up to our values.

We are relieved that this disease seems to have much less impact on the young. But remember that COVID-19 could have a devastating impact on some of your classmates who have health conditions, as well as all of us older people. I remember feeling immortal at your age, but we have never had a stronger reminder that the risks we choose affect other people.

I can only imagine how eager you are to gather in groups and comfort each other. This is a bewildering situation when we cannot reach out to each other in a crisis – we can’t even hug. But the reality we face is that being there for each other means doing it at a distance. (New Orleans has issued the following guidance to bars and restaurants and we have a social distancing plan on our website.)

Wolf Pack – some day you will tell your grandchildren about this. ave a story that you will be proud of. Remember who we are.

March 15, 2020: Moving to Online Teaching and Learning Tomorrow
To Students from the Interim Provost

Tomorrow, the Loyola community starts a new challenge: online teaching and learning. I know the spirit, work ethics and determination of our students, so I know you will rise to the occasion. Please know that your faculty are here for you. If you encounter difficulties, raise your hand (electronically) and let them know. Also, know the Pan-American Life Student Success Center is here for you with coaching, advising, accommodations, and tutoring.

As we make the move to online teaching, we will inevitably experience some technical glitches. Our providers (Blackboard, Zoom, etc.) are working with many institutions across the country simultaneously going online, so they may also face some difficulties. Be patient with us, and we will sort it all out.

If you encounter difficulty logging into Single Sign On, you can email helpdesk@loyno.edu, and Blackboard Support is available through our Online Learning Team. Visit this page, which covers some of the basics of Blackboard and has the contact information of people who can help.

We have assembled a set of FAQs on our website and are updating them frequently. We are also posting information about the hours when various services and buildings will be open for students remaining on campus, and how to access services online. If you still have questions, please submit them to letters@loyno.edu.

Please keep checking your Loyno email and the website, as we continue to communicate as quickly as possible.

Above all, take good care of yourselves and each other.

March 14, 2020: Answers to Some of Your Questions
To Students from President Tetlow

You’ve had a great many questions that we are eager to answer.

Commencement

For graduating seniors, graduate students and 3Ls, I can’t tell you how much my heart breaks that this crisis has robbed you of your last months on campus. I spoke to a senior yesterday who wanted me to know that as a first generation student (like so many of our students), her family must see her walk across that stage and achieve their collective dream. I want you to know that we are determined, whatever the world throws at us, to have Commencement. We also want to host as many of the activities leading up to it as possible, with added student performances if we can. My hope is that this will happen as scheduled in May, but if events force our hand, we will delay rather than cancel.

Online

I have no doubt there will be hiccups on Monday, so thank you for having patience. As hard as our faculty have prepared, there will be inevitable struggles for them. Our technical providers also face an unprecedented increase in traffic as much of higher education, and now K-12, move online.

We also quickly purchased more computers to lend to students at the library and are trying to think of ways we can help make sure all of you have the ability to make this sudden transition.

I want you to know that our faculty have been remarkably creative. Music ensembles will perform on video meeting software. We have found ways to teach science labs online. And we have all been learning new tricks. Former Loyola president Fr. Jim Carter, 92 years old, is eagerly learning how to edit lecture videos for his physics class.

Residence Halls

While we strongly recommend students go to the greater safety of home if they can, we realize that for some of you leaving the residence halls is very difficult, particularly on short notice. For that reason, we have kept the campus open for these remaining students and are making some facilities available to them, including the library and the health clinic. We will do everything within our power to keep students on campus safe, though we continue to urge those who can to head home.

For those of you who made the decision to move out from the residence halls (or will be doing so by next week) we have made the decision to offer a prorated housing refund. This represents a financial loss for us – our costs do not go down during this period because we will not be laying off any staff. But we have decided that we need to make the offer to help you at a time of real financial uncertainty. We are also asking those families who can afford it to donate towards the students who most need it right now.

(Here are the logistical details – the credit will appear on students’ accounts and be put toward balances owed, if any, and reduce the balances of monthly payment plans, if used. For those accounts with no balances, students can opt to receive a refund or put the credit toward their fall bill. Graduating students without account balances will automatically receive a refund. We will be designing a system to communicate with you efficiently about this.)

Meal Plans

We are also in negotiations with Sodexo, with whom we contract for food service, about meal plans and Wolf Bucks. At a minimum, there will be lower food costs we expect to pass back to you. We will get back to you as quickly as we can.

And for all of the students who rushed to the campus store this weekend to donate food to Iggy’s Cupboard, you blow me away!

Creating Community

We are busily working on ideas to stay together across this isolation we all now face – watch our website for updates. We want to use our Loyola YouTube channels to communicate regularly and to broadcast your thoughts and your talents. So be thinking of ways we can do that well because we are going to need your help to create as much virtual Loyola as we can.

March 13, 2020: A Video Message from President Tania Tetlow

March 12, 2020: Answers to Some Questions We're Hearing
To Students from the Senior Vice President of Enrollment, Marketing, and Student Affairs

I want to applaud you for rallying to solve problems, get things done, and show up for one another despite any shock following yesterday’s announcement. As you know, things are rapidly evolving, and it’s important that we all continue to work together as a community.

We are responding first to primary concerns regarding the health and safety of our campus, while continuing our teaching mission. Our top priorities include moving all classes online as we help students to make contingency plans, and in many cases, to leave campus. All decisions are being made with the greater good and our entire campus community in mind.

Questions are popping up all the time, and we have noticed some consistent themes. This email is meant to provide more information so you and your families can more easily make better decisions. I also encourage you to continue to look closely at the Student FAQs at loyno.edu/coronavirus, where we are housing all messages and information.

Tuition Refunds
There are no plans for any adjustments to tuition. The University has put significant time and resources into planning and preparation for this sort of scenario. It’s a wonderful development in the digital age to know we can move to teaching online swiftly and continue our academics with minimal disruption to students’ academic progress. You will have the same faculty member teaching the same course but in online format, which pedagogically has been shown to be as effective as classroom instruction for student learning. We realize that there may be a perception that there could be a loss of community feel in moving to online, but our instructional design experts are working to make sure that our students will continue to benefit from the same small class size; personal attention and community feel that are the hallmarks of a Loyola education.

Room and Board Refunds
We have received many questions related to room and board and whether there will be any refunds. Unfortunately, we are not able to refund housing or meal plans. However, we hear your concerns and are considering other alternatives. This is a rapidly evolving situation. We will continue to communicate as decisions are made.

Student Employment
Student employment at Loyola will continue. All student workers will be paid, whether they participate in the Federal Work Study program or work directly for Loyola. They will also have work to do. That work may look different - students who stay on campus may be moved to a new department and students who go home may be assigned new work online. We are getting creative so we can provide opportunities and fulfill our promise of employment to you. Be on the lookout for more information in the coming days.

Computers
If you have a significant financial hardship and do not have a computer at home, we have a limited number of computers available for checkout at the library.

Residential Life
All students have been asked to complete a form indicating their housing plans for the semester. The deadline to complete the form is 5 p.m. on Friday, March 13.

Move Out
Students are encouraged to return home for the rest of the semester - and handle their academics remotely. Those who leave campus are asked to pack up their rooms and move out their belongings before they go. Vacated rooms will likely be used to rearrange occupancy in the most ideal way for safety, health and comfort and the semester progresses.

We ask that students leaving campus make every effort to depart by Sunday evening, however, departure dates remain flexible and at the discretion of the student’s and family’s needs. All students returning home must turn in their keys - if you need to return later this semester you may do so, by appointment. Please call Residential Life at 504.865.2445.

Storage
If you are not able to bring your belongings with you, you may work with a local storage company for your needs. University and Student Services (USS) is the new preferred vendor of Residential Life and will assist in arranging boxes, pick up and storage, or shipment home. Personal items may not be stored in your room. If you have general questions about storage, please call Residential Life at 504.865.2445.

Media outlets are also reporting that U-Haul is offering 30 days of free storage for students returning home for reasons related to coronavirus. This is something you should explore on your own.

Shuttles to the Airport
In partnership with Tulane, Loyola is offering free shuttles to the Louis Armstrong International Airport.

I hope you find this information helpful. Loyola will continue to communicate with you regularly as this situation evolves.

March 11, 2020: Message From the Interim Provost About Moving to Online Instruction
To Students from the Interim Provost

As President Tetlow just announced, like many universities around the country dealing with the Coronavirus situation, we will transition to online teaching starting on Monday, March 16th, 2020. The remainder of the spring semester 2020 will be completed online. To help everyone in the transition to online teaching, classes will be cancelled on Thursday, March 12th and Friday, March 13th.

Faculty will contact you on Monday, March 16th with instructions, materials, assignments, and other communications regarding how to proceed with your courses. Check your my.loyno.edu email often, log into Blackboard, and follow your professors’ instructions. As many of you are digital natives, I am confident that you will step up to the challenge of online learning and will find it an enjoyable and engaging experience but your professors are also here to support you with this transition. Please be open with them if you are having difficulty navigating the course or have questions about how to do something you have not done before. If you have had success in online courses in the past, we hope you will help your friends and fellow students who are newer to this.

We will inevitably experience some technical glitches as we move online. Our providers are working with many institutions across the country simultaneously, so they may also face some hurdles. Be patient with us and we will sort it all out.

If you encounter difficulty logging into Single Sign On you can email helpdesk@loyno.edu and Blackboard Support is available through our Online Learning Team. Visit this page which covers some of the basics of Blackboard and has the contact information of people who can help.

I expect that many of you will go home and continue your spring semester from there. Some students will need to remain in New Orleans. The Monroe Library, the Danna Center, the Rec Plex, Monroe Hall and the Communication Music Complex will be available for student use, unless further communication states otherwise. The team in the Pan-American Life Student Success Center will be able to support you with success coaching and advising, tutoring, and career development from wherever you are this semester.

I am sure you have many questions about internships, independent studies, service learning, undergraduate research, etc. Your first point of reference is the faculty member teaching your course. We also have assembled a set of FAQs here. If you still have questions please submit them to letters@loyno.edu.

Please know that our number one priority in Academic Affairs is working with your professors to do everything within our power to ensure that you finish the semester strong and that you remain on the path to timely graduation.

Above all, take good care of yourselves and each other.

March 11, 2020: Additional information about the move to online instruction
To Faculty from the Interim Provost

President Tetlow just announced that we are suspending on-campus courses effective Thursday, March 12th and Friday, March 13th, in order to give all of us time to prepare to go to full online teaching starting Monday, March 16th, 2020. The remainder of the spring semester 2020 will be completed online.

As a campus community, we have been preparing for online teaching for quite some time and most of you are fully prepared for the transition. Here are additional resources we are making available to help you with the transition:

1. The online learning team (Jim Dugan, Dan Guo, and Eric Wiltz) and Erin Dupuis (Associate Provost and Director of the Center for Faculty Innovation) will be available virtually and for in-person sessions for one-on-one training. Please fill out this form if you need one of us to contact you for a session.
2. We will host a series of webinars with topics ranging from the very basics of Blackboard to mastering more complex features. These webinars will allow ample time for individual questions. We are also opening up the self-paced Blackboard 101 training we offer to faculty before they start teaching online and have made some adjustments to allow faculty to complete only those modules that they need. For those who want the most crucial content, we recommend starting with the third module on creating a course in Blackboard. Please contact Dan ( dguo@loyno.edu) if you would like to be added to this course. For all information related to these options, please see this document
3. Please check the CFI website for more information and for links to tutorials. This page is a work-in-progress and will continue to be updated with new information, including resources and webinar schedules.
4. All faculty currently teaching courses were added to Zoom as licensed users. You need to accept the invitation received via email for the system to add you. More information about Zoom integration into Blackboard is coming soon.

At a time like this, it is important that we come together and help those in our community who may struggle with this transition. If you are a faculty member with experience teaching online or using Blackboard and you would like to volunteer to assist other faculty, please fill out this volunteer form. Depending on the volume of requests for assistance, we may need your additional expertise to help all of Loyola’s courses run smoothly.

It is likely that many students will return home and continue with the online courses there. The Danna Student Center, the Monroe Library, Monroe Hall, SportsPlex, and the Music and Communications Complex and many Student Affairs offices will remain open in order to meet the needs of students who are not able to travel or have no place to go. Some students will remain in the residence halls. WFF will concentrate their efforts in keeping these areas clean. The Law dean will have specific information about law student access in the Broadway campus.

Faculty are encouraged to work from home, but if you need to access your offices to prepare courses, you will be able to do so. Let us know through this Google form if you will need access to campus facilities. If you are a staff member who teaches you will get additional guidance from HR as it relates to your staff responsibilities.

Make contact with your classes on Monday, March 16th with instructions, materials, assignments, and communications regarding how to proceed with the courses. We would like to remind you that you are not expected to have a fully functioning online course and to recreate your classroom within a matter of days. Start by assessing your syllabus. What do you need to adjust? What needs to be prioritized? Develop an immediate presence on your Blackboard course and communicate with students what the new expectations are. Post your “new” syllabus for students to review. Work on getting up the basics - readings, PowerPoint presentations, etc. The Online Learning Team and CFI can help you make your course more engaging (and help you post assignments, quizzes, and exams) once we get the basics finished. (Law faculty should await instructions from your dean.)

There will inevitably be challenges as we work to move online. As you know many universities nationally are moving to online teaching, which will add pressure to systems like Blackboard, Zoom etc and system crashes beyond Loyola’s immediate control are possible. Please be patient and try to remain creative and positive through this. We have developed FAQs. Check there first and if your question is not answered submit it to letters@loyno.edu.

Above all, take good care of yourselves and your families. We are incredibly grateful for flexibility, creativity and effort.

March 11, 2020: Additional Information About the Move to Online Instruction
To Students from the Senior Vice President of Enrollment, Marketing, and Student Affairs

As President Tetlow mentioned in her email to campus, I am writing to provide more information about campus operations in the coming days as we prepare to finish the semester online.

Classes are suspended Thursday and Friday to allow faculty members time to prepare for online teaching and to allow those of you who can to head home. Undergraduate students will be receiving a form asking you to let us know your plans so that we can best support you throughout the rest of the semester. For those living farther away, several airlines have reduced ticket prices in order to fill empty seats and enacted extra safety and cleanliness protocols. If you already had a ticket for Easter break or to go home at the end of the semester, airlines are being far more flexible about change fees. We are asking that all students who do leave campus housing, at whatever point, pack up their belongings as you would at the end of the semester.

Please know we will accommodate any students who need to remain on campus, but you are likely to be more comfortable at home. We anticipate the need to move students who are staying on campus to different rooms, perhaps even different residence halls, so that we can ensure the safety and comfort of our residential students in light of the possibility of a smaller staff presence.

While many University offices will remain open, we anticipate services will be modified, with reduced hours or changes to normal operating procedures. We will keep this information updated on our website. For example, beginning, Monday, March 16th, the Orleans Room will be the only on-campus dining option and will change to a grab-and-go format. That is important to create “social distancing.” The Monroe Library and the University Sports Complex will remain open.

Student health remains a primary concern regardless of where you are located. Student Health Services is available for phone consultation by calling 504-865-3326. Office hours are 8:30 am --4:45 pm, M--F. For virtual healthcare, please use the Ochsner Anywhere app. The Ochsner On Call nurse consultation line is also available 24/7 at 1.800.231.5257. The University Counseling Center remains open for the duration of this week and will be moving to online operations on March 16th.

We realize that this is a significant disruption to the semester but in light of the most recent guidance we’ve received from local, state and national outlets we feel compelled to take these steps. Our Loyola community remains strong.

March 11, 2020: Moving to Online Instruction on Monday
To the Loyola Community from the President

In consultation with state and city government, we are going to move to online instruction beginning Monday, March 16th, for the rest of the spring semester. In the last few days, it has become clear that there now exists community spread of COVID-19 in New Orleans.

We will cancel classes tomorrow and Friday to give faculty time to finalize their preparations, and to give students time to pack and move out if they plan to leave. Faculty will begin teaching online on Monday.

The campus will remain open , but we will now avoid gatherings in classes and we will begin canceling public events (more on that soon.) We will continue to keep campus housing open because we recognize that it will prove difficult for some of you to get home. But we encourage those who can to head home and work from there.

Academic and Student Affairs will follow up shortly with many more details and our webpage should answer many of the questions you may have. We appreciate your patience with us as we try to communicate as efficiently as possible.

For staff , those of you who can do your jobs from home without affecting the ability of the campus to care for students and function, and anyone with particular health concerns, should work from home beginning Monday. (Supervisors will have those conversations immediately and we will all use these next two days to prepare). Faculty should teach from home. For now, Whelan Child Care Center remains open.

This is not the basis for our decision, but I also want to inform you that a faculty member and two of our undergraduate students had lunch this weekend, at a downtown conference, with someone who was subsequently diagnosed with COVID-19. They discovered and reported this last night. The professor and these two students, who all live off-campus, are self-isolating and do not have any symptoms. I have spoken to the director of state public health, who tells me that there is not a reason to broaden that circle more widely -- those who later interacted with the faculty and students do not also need to self-isolate. We will continue to update you on all such information.

I cannot tell you how proud I am of our community for remaining calm, quickly solving problems and being there for each other. We are living through history here, and reacting in a way we’ll be proud of later. However it is that you pray, please do. Pray for those who are sick around the world. Pray for all of us to get through the impacts of the disruption, particularly the most vulnerable among us. And pray for the health care workers and all of those who bravely care for us.

March 10, 2020: Clarification of Travel Guidance Related to COVID-19
To Faculty and Staff from the President

To give a little more clarity to the travel guidance:

• All University-related international travel is prohibited.
• All personal international travel is strongly discouraged.
• All official non-crucial domestic air travel is prohibited. If you have questions about that, talk to your supervisor, department head or dean.
• We strongly urge extreme caution and judgment for your personal domestic travel.

Academic classes and dining operations will continue as normal with heightened cleaning protocols and great flexibility about sick leave, attendance policies, and any individual who has heightened personal risk.

Anyone who returns to campus from a location with community spread (this is very hard for me to define given constantly changing circumstances, but I am asking you to be on your honor about where there is risk), must fill out this form to see whether you must self-isolate first. The form should be open to anyone, but if you have trouble accessing it, be sure you are logged into your Loyola gmail account in the web browser you are using.

March 9, 2020: Travel Advisory
To Faculty and Staff from the President

This is an update on travel, both personal and professional. As the virus spreads domestically, it becomes much harder to create categorical protections.

1. If you return from a place where there is community spread of coronavirus, we will need for you to tell us via this form. It will probably be necessary for you to self-isolate upon your return to be sure that you do not unwittingly spread the virus to our community. You can find a constantly updated map of all reported cases here.

2. For official travel, we do not travel as frequently as many bigger institutions, so we have the capacity to make case-by-case decisions about what it is prudent and crucial. For those of you who have already booked travel through Concur, we will be in touch if we have questions about whether your trip is necessary. If you booked outside of Concur, please use the form to discuss it with us.

For future travel, please speak to your supervisor or department chair or dean about whether it is important enough to go forward right now.

Thank you for your patience, your honesty, and your concern for the people around you.

March 9, 2020: Coronavirus Update
To Students from the President

There was an announcement today of the first presumptive diagnosis of coronavirus in Louisiana, a person who lives in Jefferson Parish and is currently at a hospital here in New Orleans.

At this point, we are NOT yet moving to online teaching, but I want to begin talking about that possibility and what it might look like. We are in close touch with state and city public health officials and will react very quickly to any guidance they might give us about the need to create social distancing.

We have invested a great deal of time, for more than a year now, in preparing our faculty to teach online in case of an emergency. (I never thought I would be so grateful for the obligation to do hurricane planning.) Some classes will be easier to move online than others, but we will be creative and flexible and make it work. And I pray that it does not become necessary.

In the meantime, this is a moment for us to continue to up our game on health and safety. We have been focusing our campus cleaning more on bathrooms, doorknobs, and high-traffic areas. We are thinking through every contingency.

Many of you have asked us what you need to be doing right now. Here is what we ─ really all of us around the country right now ─ need to be doing.

1. Most obviously, washing hands ─ thoroughly and constantly. Remind each other. Take pride in it. Make up silly songs that last the recommended 20 seconds so it won’t seem like such an eternity. Havoc has some tips to help you stay healthy.
2. This is now a moment for “social distancing.” We at Loyola are affectionate people ─ we have a hard time with the awkwardness of not reaching out for a hug. Let’s collectively transition to elbow bumps or foot greetings and calling each other “boo.” We are getting to the point where it is very hard to predict where the virus may be across the country. It is time we create some physical distance from each other, as hard as that is in practice.
3. If you have symptoms including fever, cough, or shortness of breath, contact the Student Health Services at (504) 865-3326 or your own doctor. Loyola has also partnered with Ochsner Health to provide a new virtual clinic to give us increased access to medical care.
4. Stay home if you are sick. I want you to know that we have asked faculty to be very flexible about mandatory attendance policies so that any student who is sick understands that they can and should stay home (which by the way, is always the case and we have reminded them of that too.) Student Health Services continues to work with the students in our community who have particular health concerns. If you have particular health issues that put you at greater risk and have not yet reached out to them, please do so.
5. I can only imagine how anxious this is making most of you feel. I struggle ─ I think we all do right now ─ to put the risks in context without minimizing the suffering the virus (and our necessary reaction to its danger) is causing. Please feel free to reach out to the Counseling Center when you need help, as well as to faculty, staff and all of us.
6. Avoid travel in general. We are lucky that we have already completed Mardi Gras break safely, but we ask that you think twice about traveling at all during these next months, including Easter break. I don’t ask that lightly and want you to know that airlines are being fairly flexible about change fees right now.

We particularly ask that you avoid personal travel to any place where there is community spread of coronavirus, including in the U.S., because if you do so, it may become necessary for you to self-isolate before returning to campus to avoid unwittingly spreading the virus to our community. You can find a constantly updated map of all reported cases here. If you have engaged in such travel anyway, you must tell us via this form before you can return to campus. We may get to a point where such travel restrictions become moot, but right now it is important for us to support the attempts by public health officials to isolate the virus.

If you have questions not answered here, or on our webpage, you can email letters@loyno.edu.

While we may be forgoing hugs for the time being, this is the time to come together in spirit and support each other.

March 5, 2020: Coronavirus and Care for the Whole Person
To the Loyola Community from the President

As we return from spring break, I want to assure you that Loyola remains vigilant in preparing for coronavirus, or COVID-2019. We are in constant touch with healthcare officials to make our plans with their guidance. We will continue to communicate frequently with all of you and to update our website with need-to-know information.

As we struggle with uncertainty and vulnerability ─ two of my least favorite emotions ─ I want to take a moment to reflect on what we might learn from this strange experience. Because ultimately, the moral challenges presented by this crisis are actually the same ones we face every day in less dramatic circumstances.

As we make decisions about our own health and safety, we now have a visceral reminder that what we do affects others. We do not act alone in the risks we choose to take.

As we begin to look askance at every friend who sneezes, we are reminded that the opposite of love isn’t hate; it’s fear.

I worry that we might make pariahs out of those exposed in our community, or someday, those actually infected. It would be ironic to behave that way at exactly the moment we all understand that we might find ourselves in the same situation as those we shun. And yet, it is all too human to preserve our own sense of safety by wanting to blame those who suffer. It’s human, but irrational and mean.

Here is the thing. If there is any community capable of resisting those temptations, it is Loyola. You take such pride in being there for each other. You have such courage, rooted in faith and values.

I pray (hard) that we will not face dramatic moral tests in the days ahead and that our Loyola community will remain safe. But I think it’s worth remembering that these are the same moral decisions that will challenge us for the rest of our lives. Some of them come labeled as a crisis and a clear test, but most of them don’t.

Let’s use this moment to double down on being men and women for others. Let’s remember that our very vulnerability and uncertainty makes us human ─ capable of great love and courage.

February 28, 2020: Important Information Regarding COVID-19 (Corona) Virus and Mardi Gras Break Travel
To Students from the Senior Vice President for Enrollment, Marketing, and Student Affairs

Loyola University New Orleans is closely monitoring the COVID-19 (Corona) virus and working with local, state, national and international partners to keep our campus safe and healthy. As of today, there are no known cases in New Orleans or Louisiana. As we return from the break, we need to take steps to protect our community.

If you traveled to one of the countries listed on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Level 2 watch list (currently, Italy, Iran and Japan), it is crucial that you respond to this email letting us know. We can then decide whether you will need to delay your return to campus, or self-isolate, to ensure that you ─ and our community ─ are ok. We will work with your professors to make sure you can continue in your courses. This applies to all students, whether or not you live in University housing. We are also requiring the same of our faculty and staff members who traveled to these countries over the break.

Loyola has set up a website with the most up-to-date information and FAQs about COVID-19 (Corona) virus. Again, if you traveled to Italy, Iran, Japan or any affected area over the break, please respond directly to this email and we will help you.

February 28, 2020: Returning From Travel in Light of COVID-19
To Faculty and Staff from the President

We are going to err on the side of over-communication right now, but I have a few things to tell you right away.

First and foremost, if you are sick, please stay home. It’s cold and flu season, and we need to keep our community healthy right now. (And this is a radical idea that I’m just starting to learn myself, but you actually get better faster when you rest.) If you have concerns about your amount of sick leave, contact your supervisor so that we can be flexible.

Very importantly, if you have traveled to any of the countries where the CDC recommends avoiding nonessential travel or where the virus has begun to spread, contact a supervisor or dean to discuss whether it’s safer for you to self-isolate for two weeks to make sure you’re OK. This is mandatory, and we will be sending the same message to students before they return from spring break. We would find ways that you could work from home or teach online.

On campus, we will be asking WFF to focus on better cleaning of bathrooms, doorknobs, etc. Feel free to become obsessive about wiping surfaces. We should model for the students and each other washing hands thoroughly and constantly.

We have gathered together a group for emergency response and have been busy planning and preparing, consulting with health officials and our own School of Nursing. We will also, all of us, pray hard that our community and the rest of the world will be spared the worst impacts of the virus.

In the meantime, let’s be vigilant, remain calm for our students and stay aware.

February 28, 2020: From the Interim Provost on the Coronavirus...
To Faculty from the Interim Provost

In keeping with our monitoring of the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19), I am seeking your help.

When they come back from break, students will range from being oblivious to being incredibly anxious about Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Please try to signal appropriate awareness and calm to reassure them.

If this disease spreads in pockets of the U.S., as now seems likely, the CDC guidance warns of a real possibility of bans on social gatherings, which would explicitly include schools. Many schools in China have moved to fully online teaching in a matter of three weeks, as covered here. My expectation is that we are well prepared to teach online given all our hurricane evacuation planning, but let’s take a moment to reflect and prepare.

As part of our ongoing Blackboard support and Continuity of Operations Plan, please take a moment to complete this year’s new Annual Blackboard Readiness Check. The deadline for completion of this check is Wednesday, March 4th. If you do not fill in the survey by this date, your dean or department head will be in touch with you. I estimate that this will take you less than five minutes to complete, so please complete it as soon as possible. We cannot over prepare for interruptions to our normal operations, and this exercise can only serve to keep us vigilant and ready for any situation. Here is the link to the survey: https://bit.ly/2wTHm7a

Over the last three years as part of our efforts to develop online programs, we have been able to train more than 150 faculty in best practices for online teaching through a rigorous five-week training course. For those of you who have not had the opportunity to participate in this training, we can now provide the opportunity to enroll in a self-paced online training course. Please email Carol Ann MacGregor to find out how to register for this training. The Online Learning Team also offers one-one consultations for those faculty interested in further support.

Keep in mind that the decision to move courses online may come sooner to individual faculty. For example, if you are sick, you should avoid coming to campus so as to prevent the spread of your illness. Or, if you have traveled to one of the countries where the CDC recommends avoiding nonessential travel or where they are experiencing sustained community transmission of respiratory illness caused by COVID-19, you should self-isolate for 14 days. In that case you may be able to teach your courses online, as appropriate.

Additionally, I ask that you provide accommodations to sick students in your courses. There may also be a few students who may be asked to quarantine at their homes because they may have been exposed to COVID-19 due to travel or through contact with infected people. Please make all efforts to provide these students with ways to make up missed materials and assignments. Faculty may be able to use Collaborate, FaceTime or Google Hangouts to connect with students. Please contact your Associate Dean or Carol Ann MacGregor with related questions.

I take this opportunity to remind you that all international travel has to be approved by your dean and by me, particularly travel to places where the CDC recommends avoiding nonessential travel. In addition, I ask that you stay abreast of the latest information from Loyola regarding COVID-19 on this website, which includes FAQs.

Finally, I also ask that you take some time to once again familiarize yourself with our Continuity of Operations Plan over the next week or so. I’m asking Department Chairs and Deans to check in with you to make sure everyone is ready. In the meantime, we are busily preparing for all of the other logistical challenges we might face.

February 27, 2020: Continuing to Monitor Coronavirus (COVID-19)
To the Loyola Community from the President

We are all watching the impact of the coronavirus in an increasing number of countries around the world and praying for those who are affected. We are in close contact with Loyola students studying abroad. And I want you to know that we are making thorough preparations in case the virus spreads closer to home, preparations that we hope will prove unnecessary. You can check this website for updates and information about the virus.

For now, we require that any travel to areas where the CDC recommends avoiding nonessential travel by faculty, staff or students be approved by the Provost.

In the meantime, I hope you will exercise the kind of caution that is a good idea through every regular flu season. Wash your hands regularly and thoroughly. Stay home if you are sick. This is a good time for us to take good care of ourselves and each other.

Each of you will have your own response to the onslaught of news surrounding coronavirus. Some of you may feel invulnerable and need to be reminded to pay attention. Others may be expending valuable emotional energy worrying in a way that doesn’t actually help. This is a moment to be aware, and to recognize the interconnectedness of our world as a source of empathy, and not just fear.

January 23, 2020: Recent Travel to China
To Faculty and Staff from the Director of University Police & Emergency Management

Please be aware that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is closely monitoring a new coronavirus first identified in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. The CDC is closely monitoring the situation and working with the World Health Organization.

From the CDC:
“Chinese authorities identified the new coronavirus, which has resulted in close to 300 confirmed cases in China, including cases outside Wuhan, with additional cases being identified in a growing number of countries internationally. The first case in the United States was announced on January 21, 2020. There are ongoing investigations to learn more.”

Anyone traveling to Wuhan should follow the CDC’s enhanced precautions. The CDC has begun entry screening of passengers on direct and connecting flights from Wuhan, China, to the three main points of entry in the United States and will expand that screening to Atlanta and Chicago in the coming days.

While the CDC considers this a serious public health concern, they consider the immediate health risk to the general American public to be low at this time. They will update information on the CDC website as the situation evolves. We will provide further updates if the illness presents a more direct risk to the Loyola community.