Dear members of the St. Francis College community,

Thank you for your patience and support during these challenging times.

Please be assured that although classes are moving online next Wednesday, March 18th, after an extended Spring Break through March 17th, the St. Francis College community remains as supportive of you as always. We are closely following the guidance of public health authorities, including the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and elected officials.

• We understand the concern and anxiety expressed by our community of students, faculty, staff and families and I want to let you know more about resources available to you.We strongly encourage anyone experiencing cold- or flu-like symptoms to stay home and contact your primary doctor. Your physical health is our top concern right now. You can also contact the New York State Department of Health at the Novel Coronavirus Hotline at 1.888.364.3065.

• If your home is in another state or country, and you are remaining in the residence hall for the remainder of the semester, please do not hesitate to contact Anilsa Nunez, Director of Student Engagement and Residence Life or Ruben Gonzalez, Assistant Dean of Student Activities with any questions or concerns.

• Experiencing stress and frustration at times like this is absolutely normal. Students can make appointments for free, virtual counseling sessions by emailing Natasha Edwards, Director of Student Health Services at [email protected] at any time. If you have been attending counseling services at SFC already, you can continue to work with your counselor remotely even while in-person classes are suspended.

• Maintaining the highest standards of cleanliness on campus is critically important to everyone's health. Even though many of you will not be on campus next week, I want to assure you our facilities staff is letting nothing slip through the cracks. As I have said many times before, that team must be celebrated.
  • We have taken precautionary measures by increasing frequency of cleaning and disinfecting commonly touched surfaces and HVAC units.
  • The library is cleaned every four hours.
  • The Athletics Facilities are cleaned daily.
  • Bathrooms are cleaned every four hours.

Finally, as a reminder, there is no food service in the cafeteria until further notice.

These circumstances are forcing us to learn in new ways, as administrators, faculty, students and as a college community. This is daunting for sure, but opportunity always abounds if we are willing to lean into learning. Let's lean into learning as we lean on each other. All of us at St. Francis College know that the potential for learning increases exponentially when we do it together as a Franciscan community.

In Peace and Friendship,
Miguel Martinez-Saenz