President Donald Trump declared a state of national emergency due to the novel coronavirus outbreak Friday afternoon, one day after Mayor de Blasio declared a state of emergency in New York City. Both declarations follow an increase in the number of confirmed cases. President Trump’s announcement allows states to utilize $50 billion to help fight the pandemic. Mayor de Blasio has acknowledged that the city’s emergency regulations, such as the limitation of occupancy level or the designation of emergency medical shelters, are difficult but are necessary for the safety of New York’s citizens.
As the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 rose to 154 in New York City, as of Friday afternoon, the norm has very much been disrupted as residents are staying indoors and flocking to grocery stores to prepare for decreased time outdoors to prevent the spread of COVID-19. For New School students, the next month will be an adjustment to the unprecedented hosting of online classes, virtual advising, and off-campus experiences.
The following is accurate as of 5 p.m March 13.
After March 12th, all classes and campus activities were cancelled, according to an email sent Thursday afternoon from the Provost office. The New School has released an schedule for dealing with the outbreak, categorizing the time between March 12th and April 12th into three sections:
- Spring Break will continue as usual from March 16th through the 20th.
- The next week, March 23rd-29th, has been labelled as a “Study Week”, in which there will be no classes and students as well as faculty will prepare for online or alternative classes.
- March 30th through April 12th, categorized as “Post Study Week”, will signal the start of online or alternative classes.
Residence Halls
Residence halls will remain open through Spring Break, Study Week, and the Post Study Week return of classes. Due to “reduced staffing”, hours for residence hall offices have been reduced. General Office Hours will be from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily while Package Pick Up Hours will now run from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. daily. Due to RAs covering multiple communities, lockout response times may be longer. Health and Safety inspections across residence halls have been suspended as well. Also, all residential students are no longer permitted short term or extended stay guests.
Dining services will remain open during Spring Break, between the hours of 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and with a modified menu focused on grab-and-go prepackaged items. The Deli, Pizza, and Grill stations will remain open during Spring Break with modified menus. Throughout the weeks after Spring Break, “the Dining Hours will operate as normal with regular menu offerings,” according to an email sent to Residential Students on March 13th. Vegetarian options will be continually available during Spring Break and beyond.
Registration
Registration for the fall semester will continue as scheduled for March 30. Students can schedule appointments with their academic advisors via Starfish; these meetings will be held on Zoom through April 12.
Facilities
The Making Center will be “closed through April 13th,” the school announced in an email to students and faculty. These closures will include all core facilities previously slated to be open: L0 Printmaking Studio, N2 General Shop, L2 Making Center Tool Checkout/Store, 3D Print Lab, L3 CNC Shop, Darkroom, UC Specialty Sewing Lab, Laser Lab, E4 Wood Shop, E4 Metal Shop, E4 TCO and Store, MoCap Only, L10 Design Lab, and M100 Book Arts.
Professors have been told that “current student projects that need the Making Center may go unfinished or need to be reworked in new materials”. Additionally, “student grades should not be impacted negatively if these projects are unfinished.”
Concerns have been voiced from both students and professors as to how to proceed teaching their classes remotely when classes rely on the access to these facilities and spaces. For that reason, workshops for faculty will be taking place during the study week to provide guidance on how to “create alternative course assignments that do not require the use of on-site studio equipment or technology”. Furthermore, “if previously assigned coursework requires use of any New School facilities to be completed, instructors must provide students with an alternative or waive that assignment (or the relevant portion of the assignment).”
The University and all of its buildings are scheduled to remain open during this time period.
Faculty
During Spring Break and the week after, utilizing The New School provided Remote Learning Resources, Faculty will log on to a Remote Teaching Workshop in order to further consider their intended learning methods.
“Students are not and should not be expected to submit assignments during the study week,” according to a March 12th The New School COVID-19 update. Faculty cannot require students to come to campus on the week of March 23rd-27th, though students are allowed to use school facilities as necessary and available during that week. While the University remains committed to “ensuring the academic continuity and progress of our students” with on campus learning, any update to the current plan is claimed to be communicated as early as possible.
All policies issued are remaining in place till April 12, the school said. It has not yet been made clear if the remainder of the semester will be continued remotely. Though the University has mentioned the academic calendar provides the university with two make up days May 12 -13 as of March 12.
We will continue to post updates on newschoolfreepress.com and on Twitter and Instagram. Follow us at @nsfreepress.
The New York Times is offering free access to the latest updates concerning the coverage of Coronavirus; this includes what The Times considers to be “the most important news to help readers understand the pandemic”.
Live Updates concerning NY : https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/12/nyregion/coronavirus-new-york-update.html
https://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/health/health-topics/coronavirus.page