Author: Diane Brunsting

Trinity Community,

A Trinity student reported to us today that they’ve tested positive for COVID-19. The student is experiencing mild symptoms, and is self-quarantining at home. The student was tested on Thursday, March 26 and was advised by medical professionals to notify anyone with whom they had contact during the two weeks prior to the date of the test. Individuals known to have been in close proximity with the student are being notified. Within the two week period, the student, a commuter, was on campus on the evening of March 12 in Groot Hall and in the DeVos Athletics Complex, including at the men’s volleyball game.

Should you have concerns, please contact a health care provider. And as always, we ask that you continue to pray for this student and for all who are sick.

Peace be with you,

VP Starkenburg

Dear Trinity Students, Faculty, Staff and Community:

I bring you greetings from the eerily quiet campus of Trinity Christian College.

The past weeks have been unlike anything that most of us have ever experienced.  This is true not just at Trinity, of course; nearly every industry and organization has felt the effects of the COVID-19 global pandemic.  This experience truly has brought into focus what matters most in life:  faith, family, and friends.

It has been approximately a week since you last heard directly from me.  Much has happened in that time.  In this message, and in the video that accompanies it, I aim to provide a brief update to you on what has been happening at Trinity and how we are weathering the coronavirus situation.  I also encourage you to regularly visit trnty.edu/covid19 and follow the College’s social media accounts for the latest updates and information.

Thank You.

Before doing that, however, I want to say, “thank you.”

In ways large and small, I have witnessed the Trinity community near and far come together during this pandemic.  I have witnessed our faculty seize the moment and approach teaching the rest of an upended semester with optimism, vigor, a desire simply to serve their students.  I have seen staff go beyond anything remotely on their job descriptions to care for students, to get them home safely, and to do their ongoing regular work during irregular times.

I have personally received notes, messages, and calls from Trinity friends and alumni, as well as parents of our students, offering their encouragement, their support, and their prayers.  I know through conversations across this now-virtual campus, that I am not the only one at Trinity on the receiving end of such generous and uplifting communications.

Thank you very, very much.

Let me confirm for you, yet again, the character of this place by telling you how our wonderful students have reacted to this moment.  Because they have known what true community is, they feel tremendous loss – loss of friendships, loss of human connection with faculty mentors, loss of great collegiate experiences and traditions.  Yet, instead of losing hope or losing faith, our students are rising to the occasion.  They are staring reality squarely in the eye and are determined to define this time instead of being defined by it.

All of us can, and should, be proud of how these tremendous Trinity students are approaching this situation.  This especially is true of our seniors and graduating students.  As you likely have heard, Trinity made the difficult, but necessary, decision to postpone the Spring 2020 Commencement activities.  We have pledged to our students that this is a postponement, not a cancellation.  We will announce in the coming weeks when a rescheduled ceremony will occur.  That is of limited comfort to our graduating students at this moment.  I feel their loss even as all of us understand why we need to take these actions.

Taking Action to Care for the Trinity Community.

Over the course of this semester, Trinity’s leadership had been paying attention to the global spread of the coronavirus, hoping that it would not be as serious as some predicted, but planning to act in case it was.  When we saw the virus spread quickly in Europe and start to appear in the United States, we acted decisively to move all of our instruction on-line and get our students, faculty, and staff home.

Rather than taking half-measures, we right away made these decisions effective for the balance of the semester.  We did so because (i) we believed that controlling the spread of the virus would not occur quickly; (ii) we wanted the Trinity community to have certainty about their education, work, and living arrangements for the rest of the semester; and (iii) because, more than anything, we cared about the health and safety of the Trinity community.  These initial decisions proved to be the right ones; other colleges, over time, arrived at the same conclusions that we did at the beginning of this pandemic.

In the span of a week, we transformed this highly personal, largely residential college into an entirely on-line enterprise.  That was, and is, a herculean undertaking!  Though there have been a few glitches here and there, the transition has been very smooth under the circumstances.  We have now completely transitioned to on-line learning, on-line student and academic support, on-line recruiting, on-line chapel and campus ministries, on-line advising, on-line writing assistance, on-line counseling services, on-line and on-line and on-line!

One of the initiatives that we envisioned and implemented over the last two weeks is the creation of a cadre of Student Success Coaches.  Every Trinity student now has an SSC to provide support and guidance – not to mention, someone who will provide regular human contact over these weeks apart.  Trinity remains committed to creating a caring and supportive educational environment – even when the method of doing so is very different than usual.

Trinity’s leadership, from the Board of Trustees to the President’s Council, has tried to be as open and forthright as we could be in these hectic weeks.  We have operated from a firm belief that regular, transparent communication is the best model – even if every question does not have an immediate answer.  That practice will continue.

We seek to bring more stability into this chaotic environment.  We continue to work with various governmental officials in our area, with the State of Illinois, and with the federal government.  We regularly communicate with our accrediting and licensure bodies.  Clarity and order eventually will come; in the meantime, we ask for your continued patience and understanding.

We also humbly ask the entire Trinity community for your continued support – your prayers, your encouragement, and, if possible, your gifts.  In this our 60^th Year – and in a year where we have seen great momentum in nearly every aspect of this institution – the coronavirus threatens to undo much of that good progress.  We will incur more than $1 million in expenses and lost revenue, much of it from the prorated refunding of room and board revenue to our students and their families.  These are challenging times for us all.  Any assistance that you might be able to provide would strengthen our ability to educate the next generation of prepared and passionate Christian leaders.

Also, if you would, please pray especially for our students and alumni who are on the front lines fighting this pandemic – physicians, nurses, various other health professionals, law enforcement and first responders, pastors and chaplains, social workers, and others living out their faith through their vocations.  This is what these Trinity alumni have been called to do – and trained to do at Trinity.  The importance and value of a Trinity education is evident, especially so in these challenging moments.

We all are in this together.

Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer.

Throughout these unprecedented weeks, we on campus have referred often to Romans 12:12:  “Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer.”  That verse has been very meaningful to me and, I trust, to many of you, too.

Let me share one story of how Trinity has embodied Romans 12:12.  The afternoon before we sent students home, we held, on short notice, an outdoor worship service of sending.  At a time when anxiety was as contagious as the virus itself, I quietly wondered whether anyone would attend.  Rarely have I been so pleased to have been so wrong.  Whatever else is yet to come from this tumultuous moment, that service is something I will never, ever forget.  The tears were real and the shock was evident on every face.  And yet, even in those dark moments, the Trinity community gathered together and declared with one voice that God is in control.  In the words of a contemporary song, Trinity affirmed that, even in the lowest valley and when hearts are heavy, we bless God’s name.

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 to us through Jesus Christ.

Please continue to support one another, stay safe, keep in touch, and uphold Trinity and her people in your prayers.

Kurt D. Dykstra, President

(P.S.  And don’t forget to wash your hands!)

Students,

On Monday, we begin online learning together. As we have promised throughout these days, your faculty and staff at Trinity are with you every step of the way. We believe you will rise up, be successful and embody the Trinity community even in this time. It inspires me greatly to think of our students right now! So, here’s the good news:

Trinity is providing every student in every program a Student Success Coach to help you transition to online learning and finish your semester successfully.

What will my coach help me with?
Our goal is to assure you that you are not alone in this, and that you have a clear first point of contact at the College. Your coach will reach out to you in a high-touch way (beginning with a phone or virtual conversation when possible) to offer support, encouragement, and resources to help you succeed.  Student Success Coaches will continue communication with you throughout the remainder of the semester to support you in finishing well.

Who is my coach? 
Your Student Success Coach will be a current member of Trinity’s staff.

How do we connect?
Your coach will reach out to you early next week (Monday, 3/23 – Wednesday, 3/25) to make a first point of contact and offer support. Each coach may take a different approach – some may call you directly while others may email or text with instructions on scheduling an online video meeting or a phone conversation. Everyone at Trinity now has free access to Microsoft Teams – so download it on your phone or other device, as many of us are already using it. Once the connection has been made, all of our coaches will respond to you within 24 hours of your contacting them throughout the rest of the semester.

What if I don’t need or want a coach?
That’s okay – not everyone needs a Student Success Coach. But, we do think everyone needs human connection, especially now. So, we hope that the connection your coach will provide will help you know that your Trinity family cares! If you are doing well, just tell your coach you got this for now, but know you can always reach back out to your Coach if you need additional support or for a first point of contact with the College.

Will normal student life and academic services be available and how do I access them?
Put simply – Yes! We are updating the Trollweb Student Resources tab to reflect resources available during this season.

I have other questions and so do my parents, help!
We will be sure to actively update Trollweb and the Trinity COVID-19 information page – everything gets updated every day. If you find that you can’t get the question answered that you need either from the webpage or from your Student Success Coach, please email studentlife@trnty.edu and Mabia Shadel will respond to you within 24 hours.

We serve a Living God who is with us.

Peace be with you,

VP Starkenburg

Dear Trinity Students, Faculty, and Staff:

Good Friday afternoon.

As we end our first week apart and prepare for the new, on-line weeks to come, I write you to share some news that I regret having to share, though it is news that I suspect will not come as a surprise to you given all that has happened around the world in recent weeks.

In light of the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic, the College leadership has made the difficult decision to postpone our May 2, 2020, Commencement celebration, as well as all other Commencement related events.

Commencement is the culminating event in the life of the College.  More importantly, it is an important moment for graduates, as well as their families and friends, and one that recognizes hard work, success, and achievement.

This is the latest in a series of recent announcements that you have received from me conveying lousy news.  This announcement is especially disappointing for our graduating students.  However, given the public health situation around the country (and the world), the fact that the State of Illinois has recommended the postponement of large gatherings anywhere in the state until at least May 1, the fact that we (including faculty and staff) are no longer gathered together on campus, and the fact that society collectively needs to defeat this virus in order to return to normal, we have made this hard and unfortunate decision.

Some colleges and universities already have postponed (or outright canceled) their commencements; more are sure to do so in the coming weeks.  We made the decision now, in part, so that you, your families, and your friends can plan accordingly and, in part, because we do not think that it is even realistic to believe that such a gathering could take place in six weeks.

What will replace the May 2 Commencement ceremony and when will it take place?  In time, we will know more and will communicate those future plans accordingly.  However, know that Trinity is committed to finding a way to celebrate our graduates’ achievements at a future date; our graduates have earned their degrees and they deserve our plaudits!

Also, please understand that postponing a ceremony does not equal postponing the conferral of a degree!  All students who have completed the requirements of their programs in May will have their degrees conferred as previously scheduled.  “Only” (and it is a big “Only,” I recognize) the ceremony will be postponed.  The Registrar’s Office will continue as your point of contact as you complete your requirements and have your degree conferred.

Students, please forward this information to your family members – who also can sign-up for direct parent communication from Trinity by registering here.  Please also continue to check your email and visit trnty.edu/covid19 for regularly updated information.

This is hard news to share – and surely hard news to hear.  Even so, let us keep strong, keep the faith, and remain a Romans 12:12 people!

Next week is another week – and an important one for all of us at Trinity.  Much learning will occur.  Great relationships will continue.  The mode of educational delivery will be different, but we are still the same, united campus community.

The faculty have been busily preparing for a re-launch on Monday; students, I trust that you are ready, too.  Scratch that – I know that you are ready, too!  There surely will be bumps along the way.  But with grace and grit, we successfully will finish this historic semester together!

Let us be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer.

Kurt D. Dykstra, President

As you know, the world continues to change, so here is an update of registrar-ish things for the week.

Old information: Don’t forget that course withdrawal deadlines have been pushed back one week. Details in the message below.

New information: The physical registrar’s office is now closed, but it remains open via email. Please continue to send messages to registrar@trnty.edu whenever you have questions. Alas, you will have to snag your own Starbursts and Snicker minis, as Kathy’s bowls aren’t available.

 

New information: Paper copies of official transcripts can’t be ordered. However, electronic copies can! The link is still available on the Trinity Registrar’s Office webpage, but for your convenience, Donna has also added a direct link to it from the Student Portal homepage (see screenshot below). If you need an unofficial copy, you can print one from the Portal.

Registration for SU-20 is still open.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

Monday, March 30 is the start of FA-20 registration for the traditional undergraduate program! In order to be ready to go, Donna recommends that you:

• Check your FA-20 registration link in the Portal to see when you are scheduled to register.
• And while you are there, make sure your advisor hold is off. If it isn’t, connect with your advisor by email.
• Check for holds
  1. Graduation application—fill out the application (along the left column) or contact donna.kamp@trnty.edu
  2. Financial hold—review your statement (along the left column) or contact student.accounts@trnty.edu
  3. Immunization holds—check your emails or contact mabia.shadel@trnty.edu

As always, remember to allow for pop-ups.    And if you have any questions or issues, email registrar@trnty.edu

From the proper physical social distance but also the closeness of our hearts—
All of us in the Registrar’s Office

Dear Trinity Faculty and Staff:

Thank you for a very positive, if somewhat odd, first couple days of the Spring Semester Rebooted.  I sensed – even if at a distance! – the continuation of the attitude that I described last Friday.  To a person, we are doing what needs to be done so that we can serve our students best.  We are a missional place and comprised of missional people.  We know that God remains in control and that, Jesus, who not only healed the sick but also conquered death itself, remains our Lord and Savior.  In those moments where life seems most out of control, I cannot help but think of that phrase from the Heidelberg Catechism that “without the will of my heavenly Father not a hair can fall from my head.”  These are comforting words, indeed.

Trinity’s senior administration keeps up with all of the policy changes being enacted by federal and state entities.  As you know, starting today, at the order of the Governor, all bars and restaurants are closed to the public.  The President last night announced additional restrictions and urged additional voluntary measures to “flatten the curve” of the virus’ spread.

This remains a fluid situation; things have, can, and will change in this unprecedented situation.  You have been receiving various email updates over the past week or so.  We could send fewer messages or less comprehensive ones, I suppose.  I prefer that you have the relevant information before you.  My hope is that having regular updates (even if that update includes more than a few “we’re still figuring that out” or “that is what we know for now” or “due to changed circumstances, here is what we’re doing now” sentences) is helpful to you and provides some calm in these turbulent times

So, in that spirit, here are some updates for your consideration.

REMOTE WORK PRESUMPTION
Last week, the Human Resources office offered guidance on remaining home if you believed that your health was already impacted or that you were concerned that your health could be impacted by attending work.  Some have utilized these options with the support of your supervisors.

Starting tomorrow, we ask that you elect to work from home if you are able to do so.  If you have particular responsibilities at Trinity that make working from home impracticable or especially difficult, please contact your supervisor.  The same is true if your responsibilities at Trinity could be done from home but you have some technology needs in order to do so.  Your supervisors and the senior leadership of the College will work to resolve these issues as best as possible as quickly as possible.

You received on Friday a very helpful email from IT’s Kevin Jacobs, regarding resources to help with remote work.  I encourage you to keep that email – and the links in it – close at hand in the coming weeks.  As a personal aside, let me highly recommend Microsoft Teams; the President’s Council (and other groups on campus) have been using it this week and are impressed by it (and I’m a Mac guy, remember!).

We will let you know when this remote work arrangement changes or is lifted.

TEMPORARILY SHRINKING THE CAMPUS FOOTPRINT
Beginning tomorrow, all campus buildings (with exceptions noted below) will be able to be accessed by key-card only.  This action saves human resources, natural resources, financial resources, and hopefully slows (if not outright restricts) the spread of germs.  All campus buildings (with the exceptions noted below) also will have lights turned off and the HVAC set to an “away” mode.  Rest assured, you will be able to access these buildings with your key card, but we simply do not want people working regularly from them.

Only the Administration Building, the Huizenga Library, and Tibstra Hall will remain in normal operational mode.  Even so, please utilize telephonic or electronic means as much as possible to communicate with persons in these “normal” buildings; we are a social people but we are a smart people, too!

The Campus Safety Office will be moving temporarily into Fusion59 in the Huizenga Library.  Its telephone numbers will remain the same during this temporary relocation.

The BBC remains open for limited hours and service through Wednesday.  Please note that it is only Grab and Go service – no dining seating is permitted.

LIMITING DEPARTMENTAL EXPENSES
Effective immediately and until further notice, all campus departments are expected to suspend any discretionary purchases.  Please adhere to the spirit, as well as letter, of this policy change as a way to reduce our campus expenditures.  Divisional vice presidential written approval is required for any discretionary purchase.

UPDATE ON STUDENTS RETURNING HOME
Nearly all of the students have returned home.  Student Life has worked with a very small number of students who, for one reason or another, cannot leave campus.  Student Life continues to work with these remaining students to ensure that they will be cared for, will have food, and will have the necessary support during their residence on campus.

Eventually, these remaining students will be housed in Tibstra Hall, where full kitchens are available in every apartment.  I am very grateful to the Student Life staff for making this a smooth transition, all things considered.  Our Area Directors, in particular, have been exceptional in this process – and remember, they, along with a few others, live full time on campus.  For these few employees, Trinity’s campus, literally, is home.  Student Life surely received helpful assistance from others on campus (e.g., Campus Safety, Physical Plant, certain faculty members, Creative Dining Services, etc.) and I am grateful for the collaborative, pragmatic, student-centric approach that we took.

Though we really did not want to do so, it has proved a very good decision to announce last week that our students needed to return home rather than have general options for remaining in campus housing.  In fact, we are seeing other campuses across the country who last week took a more permissive approach to campus housing, this week adopt a more Trinity-esque approach.

UPDATE ON STUDENTS STUDYING OFF CAMPUS
We have been working with our students studying off campus, whether in downtown Chicago or internationally, making sure that they are safe, generally, by getting them home promptly.  These are both Trinity students and students from other institutions studying in Trinity programs (e.g., Chicago Semester and Semester in Spain).  That work continues, and we are hopeful that it will be completely resolved in the next couple of days.  I received a text message even this morning that one of our students finally was able to arrive safely in the United States and was back with family.

This message, others before it, and a growing array of information for you, for students and their families, and for the general public is available at www.trnty.edu/covid19.  That page will continue to grow and change over time.  But it is our repository of information related to the coronavirus situation.  Please keep checking that site for information, along with keeping a close read of your email and following Trinity’s social media accounts.

We are a Romans 12:12 people.

Let us be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer.

Kurt D. Dykstra, President

Dear Trinity Students:

In this ever-changing situation and in light of the notification that you received just after noon today (which is reprinted in its entirety below) I write to update you of news that we learned today, how that news impacts the Trinity campus community, and to again urge you, if you have not already done so, to vacate campus.

Here is the email message that was sent to the campus community today at approximately 12:20 p.m.:

Students, let me be blunt:  It is time to go home.  That means today if you are able.  This is not a time for impromptu social gatherings, parties, or group outings during newly found “free time” this weekend and early next week.  We set a residence hall closure deadline of Wednesday, March 18 at 5 p.m. so that students who have to make challenging travel arrangements (e.g., flights, etc.) had time to make those arrangements.

News like that sent a few minutes ago (and reprinted above) could accelerate.  This is a virus.  Your best way to avoid becoming infected – and infecting others – is through social distancing.  Read this informed report from the executive director of Ariadne Labs in Boston (which was passed along to me first by one of our long-time science faculty members) entitled, “Social Distancing:  This is not a Snow Day.”  https://www.ariadnelabs.org/resources/articles/news/social-distancing-this-is-not-a-snow-day/

Again, Students:  it is time for you to go home.

As a reminder, if you have a difficult situation where you need to remain living at Trinity even after Wednesday, please let us know so that we can serve you.  Of course, this applies especially to our international students and other students with extenuating circumstances.  Please also review these words that Vice President for Student Life Becky Starkenburg shared yesterday on how to make such requests:

All students who have submitted requests using this form for housing during the coming period of time will be contacted. We know that some of you are still on the fence about your housing needs. We encourage you to make a request as soon as possible so that we can begin a dialogue with you about options – even if you are still looking for options. Earlier requests will allow Student Life staff to help you and think about what this might look like.

Students, I urge you for your own health and for the health of those around you, please head home as soon as possible.  Please also pray for your fellow students, for your faculty and staff, for your families, and for those around the world who are ill with this virus.  Romans 12:12.

Let us be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer.

Kurt D. Dykstra, President