Update from President Kurt Dykstra, March 13, 2020
Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff:
I write to give you an update on our efforts to keep you safe, get you home, and transition Trinity Christian College to deliver a quality education entirely on-line for the remainder of this semester. First, however, permit me to offer a few sentences of reflection about this week.
Monday seems like an eternity ago. At that time, I gathered the faculty and staff together for an update on what we knew about the COVID-19 virus (largely from external sources like the CDC and our own internal COVID-19 Impact Preparedness Group) and together we began to wrap our heads around what it would take for us to move Trinity into an on-line institution for a temporary period of time. That meeting followed up on some earlier emails that both Provost Kuecker and Vice President Starkenburg had sent to faculty and staff late last week.
Neither last week nor even on Monday did we have any inkling that, by Thursday, we would be putting any of this into motion. Rather, we wanted to think about what it would take to accomplish such a herculean feat and formulate the outlines of plans that we hoped we would not use and surely did not expect to use so quickly. Frankly at that point, we hoped that such “planning” would be a worthy exercise but one whose results could simply be added to the manual of contingent plans that the College maintains for a host of possible-but-not-likely scenarios.
Over the course of the week, and especially by Wednesday afternoon, the situation changed. Rapidly. The COVID-19 virus continued to spread and health agencies intensified their warnings. Many organizations began to act, including significant sporting leagues modifying their schedules and large research universities starting to close their campuses (some for the first time in their centuries-old histories). Still, we were hopeful even as of Wednesday morning that, aside from bringing home students studying overseas in potential COVID-19 hot spots, we could carry on if we were careful and prudent.
Unfortunately, by Wednesday evening, many prominent public health experts and agencies encouraged social distancing and the enactment of extraordinary preventative measures. Hundreds of organizations, including some of the most prominent in the world (e.g., NBA, MLB, NCAA, Broadway theaters, etc.) undertook actions that seemed unthinkable even 48 hours earlier. (A week ago, who among us could have imagined a March without Madness?
The senior administration at Trinity, after many meetings and conversations – not to mention, much prayer – made the difficult decision that I announced yesterday. We were not the first college or university to do so and more have done so after we did. The Governor of Illinois, who previously issued a disaster proclamation, yesterday announced restrictions, and in some instances outright prohibitions, on social gatherings above a certain size. (https://www2.illinois.gov/Pages/news-item.aspx?ReleaseID=21245) This afternoon, the Governor announced the closure of K-12 schools in Illinois beginning next week.
This truly is an unprecedented and constantly-changing situation!
At the same time, I have been so overwhelmingly impressed by your incredible attitude and spirit. We are a Romans 12:12 people! Yesterday’s outdoor worship service of sending was something that I will never forget. There may well be other very memorable moments yet to occur in this roller coaster experience, but I am confident that the most enduring memories I will have of this period in our history will include worshipping with you in the amphitheater yesterday afternoon.
Your emails of encouragement (even those with suggestions!), your prayers for this campus, your positive-if-disappointed demeanor in departing campus early, your simply going about what you are called to do differently in very challenging times has been evident to those both on and off campus. Yes, this is hard and, no, we do not have all of the answers at this point. But you have demonstrated in word and deed that we will do what needs doing. You already have proved that, together, the Trinity community will remain strong and deep learning will continue to happen.
Thank you so very, very much for all of this.
Now, let me update you on some particular items and policy changes in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. This surely will not be the last such update, but I want to keep you up to date as best as possible.
Official College Travel (Primarily for Faculty and Staff)
We have suspended all College-sponsored domestic and international air travel effective today and until further notice. Anyone seeking exceptions to this policy must submit them, in writing, to the President’s Office (president@trnty.edu). Waivers will be rare at best, and granted only for especially compelling circumstances. Non-essential college travel by other means (e.g., passenger vehicle, bus, train) also is strongly discouraged.
Personal Travel
We urge all members of the Trinity community to carefully consider their intended destinations for personal trips and check on any restrictions or quarantine measures that may be recommended or required by the CDC upon arrival or return. Obviously, we want our students to get home as expeditiously as is possible. Personal international travel for U.S.-based persons is strongly discouraged.
Leah and I have taken this advice to heart. We had planned trips over the next two months to, among other places, Michigan, Iowa, South Dakota, Central Indiana, Florida, The Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. As of yesterday, we are going on none of them.
For faculty and staff, what if you must travel? The CDC has recommended that places like Trinity keep a record of such travel (especially international) in the event that the future spread of the virus necessitates increased precautionary measures. We would ask that you let our Human Resources office (human.resources@trnty.edu) know if you will be traveling (1) internationally, (2) domestically by flight or common carrier (e.g., train or bus (other than CTA, Metra, or other public transit services); or (3) outside of the Tri-State area (Chicagoland, Southeastern Wisconsin, and Northwest Indiana). I recognize that item (3), in particular, is not described with exactitude. I ask that you use common sense and prudence in registering such travel with Human Resources. Please also know that the College will keep reported information confidential and solely for this purpose – and will dispose of that information as quickly as the public health conditions warrant.
Events at Trinity
Trinity has cancelled all events scheduled to occur on campus through the month of April. That date could be extended, depending upon future conditions. This cancellation includes Trinity events (e.g., theater performances and athletic contests) as well as outside organizations (e.g., the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra and the Southwest Symphony). This cancellation also extends to official Trinity group gatherings or meetings that occur off campus (e.g., the 60th Anniversary Alumni gatherings and the Concert Choir tour). Please adhere to the spirit of this policy as well as the letter of it: do not evade this policy by moving something off campus that under normal circumstances would have occurred on campus. Please contact your divisional vice president with questions or particular issues related to this policy change.
Visitation Policy
While most students have departed campus, will do so this weekend, and need to do so by Wednesday, March 18 at 5 p.m., we will have a small group of students who, for exceptional reasons, have been permitted to remain in Trinity housing. In order to better protect the health and welfare of these remaining students, as of Wednesday, March 18, visitors will no longer be allowed in any Trinity Residence Hall, including any such facility used to house students who remain on campus. Of course, our remaining students living in residence will be free to come and go as they please (exercising appropriate precautions), but no visitors will be permitted in the residence halls themselves. We understand that this might be an inconvenience; the nature of this public health pandemic, however, compels us to implement such a policy for the foreseeable future.
Student Worker Policy
We have undertaken these extraordinary campus actions in order to best ensure the health, safety, and welfare of our students and the campus community. That is also why we are insistent and adamant that as many students return home as possible. For these reasons, and consistent with these actions, departments are not allowed to utilize student workers without approval from their divisional vice president. To obtain such an approval, which will not be readily granted, please contact the appropriate vice president in writing and explain the exceptional circumstances that you believe warrant an exception.
Chicago Semester
Today, Trinity’s Chicago Semester program announced that it is suspending its residential operations and transitioning to online learning, similar in nature to what we announced for Trinity’s Palos Heights campus yesterday. The Chicago Semester staff is in full communication with the affected students to facilitate this transition.
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That is all for now! More updates are sure to follow, so please continue to check your Trinity email. We also will cross-post these important updates at www.trnty.edu/covid19 and have created (and will be regularly updating) an “FAQ” section for your convenience. Continue also to follow Trinity’s social media accounts for additional ways to remain up to date with these fast-moving events.
God’s blessings to you in this time of transition. We are embarking together on something new, an adventure we neither asked for nor predicted. Yet, here we are – and from here we will go. Extending abundant grace to one another and providing genuine care for one another is a reflection of our character, Trinity’s essential nature, and the love that has been granted us in Jesus Christ.
Let us be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer.
Kurt D. Dykstra, President
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