Anna Maria College continues to closely monitor the COVID-19 public health crisis. Although there are currently no recorded COVID-19 virus cases on our campus, the safety of our campus community is our top priority. Accordingly, the College will extend the spring break currently underway through Sunday, March 22, 2020. The extension of the break through March 22 will also allow the College to prepare for remote instruction, should that become necessary. No campus events will take place and students should not return to campus during this time with the exception of resident students needing to pick up necessary items for an additional week away; those students must contact Residence Life to schedule a time to pick up their belongings.
The campus will otherwise remain open and all faculty and staff should continue their regular work schedules the week of March 16-20.
Athletic Director Joe Brady is in touch with his coaches, fellow athletic directors, and the Conference to determine next steps for our athletic teams. We will update you when we know more from his discussions.
To be clear, this public health crisis is a very fluid situation. On Tuesday, March 10, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker declared a state of emergency in the Commonwealth and advised businesses, institutions and residents to follow the guidance of the CDC and the Department of Public Health and take mitigation steps where possible to help slow the spread of the disease, including avoiding large group gatherings. The College already had provided guidance about avoiding travel to high risk areas, accessing campus health services, and maintaining proper hygiene. However, the emergency declaration confirms the seriousness of the situation.
These are not easy decisions and I recognize this is very disruptive to the college experience. However, our top priority is the safety of everyone on our campus. We are committed to working to ensure that coursework will progress unimpeded.
I want to acknowledge the hard work and care shown by our faculty, staff, administrators and Trustees in making this difficult decision. Because this is an evolving situation, please continue checking the COVID-19 information on www.annamaria.edu for further guidance and stay alert to ongoing updates from the College.
Signed,
President Mary Lou Retelle
