In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, there has been an unprecedented amount of changes taking place all over the world and by our institution in recent weeks. Every day, there are a lot of new things happening within the school, and it can be a lot to keep up with. It’s easy to get lost in the swarm of emails being sent out and not get the whole story. To simplify things a bit, and make sure that everyone stays up-to-date on how the Coronavirus is being handled on campus, this article will consolidate all of the SSU COVID-19 updates released this week in order of student importance:

• New this week, the university announced that there will be a Virtual Commencement Ceremony will be held on May 9. Spring Graduates and their families are also invited to attend Fall Commencement on campus Dec. 12, 2020. Graduates are asked to submit photos and video as part of the ceremony and a commemorative Class of 2020 video. Further details about both events will be shared over the coming weeks.
• In light of this development, some students have expressed how they believe that this is inadequate reparations. One student, Kathlena Broughton, has started a petition on change.org titled “Give SSU ’20 graduates a Summer ceremony.” Attached to the petition is her argument for why she has decided to try to have a summer ceremony stating:

“Both of these options feel inadequate for celebrating our accomplishments. Sharing a graduation with the December graduates would take away from both groups of students, and we also lack adequate space for such a large commencement ceremony. In addition, many of the Spring 2020 graduates will have moved away and started new jobs and lives which wouldn’t allow them to return in December, even if they wished to. As a Spring 2020 graduate, I am asking you to sign this petition in hopes that we can receive a ceremony in late July or early August. Makeup clinicals and labs have been set for these months, so there is no reason that a graduation cannot also be planned for this time. If the pandemic situation is still the same in late Summer, SSU leaders can reevaluate and then push the graduation back again. Please give us a chance to properly celebrate our accomplishments!”

The petition was posted on Apr. 1, and has already amassed over 750 signatures at the time of this article being written. It cannot be said for certain whether or not this will have an impact on the university’s decision, but if you feel inclined check out the petition, you can do so at https://www.change.org/p/ssu-staff-give-ssu-20-graduates-a-summer-ceremony.

• As Kathlena mentioned in her argument, Spring semester clinical/preceptor hours will be delivered in a compressed time frame. Tentatively, Shawnee State will offer these hours in a Clinical Completion Session Jun. 1-19, 2020, at no cost to students. These dates depend on ODH guidelines at that time and availability of clinical sites. These dates are subject to change with new developments of the Coronavirus, but as of now, SSU has been taking steps to ensure that the outbreak has a lesser impact on students’ future.
• This week, SSU announced that the deadline to apply to convert a course to pass/no-credit has been extended to Apr. 24 due to the transition to remote instruction. The pass/non-credit option is designed to permit you to take a select number of courses for which no traditional letter grade (of “A” through “F”) is recorded on your grade report and transcript. If you wish to take a course on a pass/non-credit basis, complete the application online. During normal operations, the application must be completed within the first 14 calendar days of a regular semester or the first 7 calendar days of a 5-week term. Your decision to take a class on a pass/no-credit basis is not subject to change. To be eligible for the pass/non-credit option, you must have earned a cumulative G.P.A. of 2.0 or better. First semester freshmen are considered as having met the above requirement.
• The Summer Honors Institute and College FIRST summer programs are canceled for 2020. No tentative reschedule has been announced as of yet.
• As mentioned in last weeks update, the SSU Clinic Health Clinic is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday-Friday for students, staff, and faculty who need medical treatment. New this week, however, they now has the ability to see individuals located in Ohio and Kentucky through telemedicine. To schedule a telemedicine appointment, contact the clinic at 740-351-4DOC. Everyone will be screened by phone prior to face-to-face health service. Anyone experiencing life-threatening symptoms should call 911.
• Residential students who moved off campus due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, on or before Mar. 31, 2020, are receiving a credit for housing charges (including communication and residential programming charges) and meal plan charges (if applicable) that could not be used for the remainder of the spring semester. The credit can be distributed in one of two ways: you can apply the credit to the Fall 2020 semester housing charges (must be enrolled in Fall 2020 by Apr. 10); or you can request a refund of the credit amount on your account. If this option is selected, the credit adjustment will be posted to your account no later than Apr. 17, 2020 and will be processed no later than Apr. 24, 2020. If you are a student that qualifies, you can fill out the Spring 2020 Housing/and or Meal Plan Credit Request Form online. If you qualify and do not file the online request by Apr. 10, 2020, Shawnee State University will proceed with processing a refund for the credit balance.

To stay up-to-date with the latest developments, check your student email daily, follow the Shawnee State University Chronicle’s website, or like the Chronicle’s Facebook page. Most importantly, as the Governor has mandated, stay inside unless absolutely necessary; wash your hands for at least twenty seconds, sanitize and disinfect surfaces you touch daily, and limit you contact with others.  Keep your heads up, Bears, this is a trying time and it will get worse in the coming weeks, so everyone must play their part to help flatten the curb and slow the spread.

Check out the previous compilation here!