March 18, 5:07 pm (Central Time)
Dear Simpson College Community,
We are committed to keeping our promise to you – to inform you of what decisions we have made based on the information available even as the situation shifts rapidly. I want to share that we are continuing to keep the FOCUS of our work on ensuring the safety of our campus and the greater community. Please know, we are working diligently to respond and address your needs, interests, and concerns. Together, we are working toward answers and solutions as quickly as possible.
College-Owned Housing/Room Update
The Simpson College Leadership & Crisis Management Team have made the decision to close all college housing March 31, 2020 at 8 p.m. for all students other than those with special permission to stay. The choice of a deadline almost two weeks away is to allow our students time to move their belongings and make arrangements for housing. We are strongly encouraging students who aren’t receiving permission to stay to make other arrangements for housing whenever possible. We request that students not be in residential environments unless they meet one of the reasons below or are actively moving out. An email will be sent to students residing in college-owned housing on March 18, 2020 by Dean of Students, Luke Behaunek with additional details to address questions.
- You have housing insecurity or a precarious living situation.
- If you have a Simpson College related reason that requires you to be on campus.
- You do not have reliable internet to complete your coursework at home.
- It would be unsafe for you or your family due to your own or family members’ health conditions.
- You have issues with arranging travel that will require access after April 1.
If you have questions after reviewing today’s email from Dean Behaunek, please contact him directly at luke.behaunek@simpson.edu.
Room and Board Refunds
Simpson College is working on partial room and board refunds for those students not returning to campus. We must comply with federal guidelines and are navigating that process now. We recognize this is of significant importance and promise to provide more details soon.
Building & Mailroom Hours
All campus events and on-campus student activities for Spring 2020 [March 17-April 30] are cancelled. We will be announcing limited hours for select buildings on campus. If you have immediate questions or access issues, please contact Chris Frerichs, Director of Campus Security.
We continue to maintain and respond to all questions submits through our dedicated email address. Please email, COVIDResponse@simpson.edu.
Please continue to monitor your emails and check the Simpson College COVID19 webpage for updates.
No matter what the future brings, I want you to know the ideals of what makes Simpson College special will always remain.
Thank you,
Bob Lane ‘81
Interim President
March 18, 10:09 am (Central Time)
Dear Simpson College Community,
In an effort to keep our campus community as up-to-date as possible, we are working through two key items of particular importance.
Later today, we will provide decisions related to student housing and work from home arrangements for Simpson College staff.
We thank you in advance for your unending patience, time, and attentiveness to these matters.
Thank you,
Bob Lane ‘81
Interim President