In an email sent to the Suffolk community Wednesday, Dean of Students Ann Coyne announced that Suffolk University faculty and staff, except for essential personnel, will begin working remotely starting Thursday, March 19.
“Classes will continue online, while the libraries will be closed and campus offices and individual employees will be conducting business remotely,” Coyne said in the email.
Students should expect services such as advising, medical care and counseling to be held remotely.
Work study students and student workers should not report for work on campus, Coyne said.
Counseling Health and Wellness (CHW) will roll out online services to better accommodate the community and will no longer provide face-to-face services. Until Wednesday, CHW was still offering in-person services.
Students can schedule phone medical advice appointments with a CHW medical provider through the student health portal.
“During these phone medical appointments students will be provided medical triage, advice, and referrals specific to each individual student’s need,” according to the email.
Students must forward a preferred phone number through the student health portal to the CHW medical provider that they have an appointment with.
Telehealth services are available for counseling appointments through CHW. Students can expect confidential Zoom technology to be utilized for short-term counseling, follow-up visits, referrals, or crisis consultations. Counseling providers are only licensed in Massachusetts, according to CHW. For students outside of Massachusetts, the office can assist in mental health referrals.
The Division of Student Success is also using Zoom and phones to assist students seeking academic support.
Tutoring through The Center for Learning and Academic Success continues to be offered via Zoom, including one-on-one appointments, study groups, and English language workshops. Academic advising will continue to take place and appointments can still be made.
For students with disabilities, accommodations through the Office of Disability Services (ODS) will continue for the remainder of the semester. According to the email, students are encouraged to speak directly with their professors to see how their accommodations would apply. Exams will not be proctored at ODS but other options will be available.
The Sawyer Library will be closed starting Wednesday. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, many internet providers are providing reduced rates and free internet access to students for 60 days.
“We are working to ensure that all students (commuter or in residence) who need to use Suffolk computers have access to them. We are ensuring key library resources are available remotely, and we will continue to assess and take similar steps as needed,” said Coyne.
