Thursday, March 12, 2020

Dear Northern Campus Community,

In light of the Coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak and the state of emergency declared by Governor Lujan Grisham on March 11, 2020, Northern is taking steps to ensure the health and safety of our community over the next several weeks. Primarily, this means maintaining operations as much as possible while minimizing in-person contact and physical presence on both of our campuses.

Please be aware that these actions are being taken proactively in order to minimize risk. It is important for us all to remain calm during this time as we continue to monitor this evolving situation. As a College and individually, we can all take actions to prevent the spread of the disease and to protect ourselves, our friends, and our loved ones.

Please note that this and following messages are to be taken seriously and that directives, such as those to vacate or remain off-campus are mandatory.

Anyone experiencing flu-like or cold-like symptoms is not to report to campus under any circumstances. Please inform your supervisor immediately if you begin experiencing these symptoms.

The New Mexico Department of Health advises that anyone with these symptoms call 855-600-3453 before going to the doctor. Additionally, Presbyterian Española Hospital will provide testing in the ER parking lot. Call 753-7111 and select 0 to talk to an operator. Someone will come to your vehicle to assist you.

Closures, Travel, and Cancellations

As previously announced, effective immediately, all on-campus and college sponsored events, and official college travel are cancelled, until further notice. All internal and external facility requests scheduled on campus will be cancelled, and events will be postponed until further notice. Currently, the only exceptions are the required local clinical practicums for Nursing and Health Sciences.

Anyone on personal travel outside of New Mexico is expected to observe a 14-day self-quarantine before returning to campus. Anyone traveling outside of the state is also asked to inform their supervisor of the travel.

Classes and Support Services

Upon approval of the Higher Learning Commission and with the expectation to begin on Monday, March 23, most classes will be moved to an online format. Courses with lab components will receive further instructions no later than March 23. NNMC Email and the NNMC Website will be the primary modes of communication for all changes regarding classes and student services, so please check your email regularly.

We recognize that some students have limited access to internet, and are exploring ways to accommodate these students. Please notify your instructors if moving to an online class format presents any difficulty, so that we can accommodate you. Please also contact the Advisement Center.

Student services staff including financial aid, advising, the registrar, admissions, and disability services will remain available to help students, but students are encouraged to seek help via phone or email rather than coming to campus.

Communications

NNMC Email via the NNMC President and NNMC News accounts will be the primary and official channels for announcements regarding campus health and safety at this time. Eagle Alert text and email will also be utilized for high-priority announcements.

Northern's webpage, Campus Health Information on Coronavirus (Covid-19) will also be updated on a regular basis, and includes detailed information and resources. This page can be accessed from the website homepage at www.nnmc.edu. We will also share all campus health updates via our social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat.

Only information or communications originating from these channels should be considered accurate. Anyone with questions or concerns regarding Northern's response and the virus should email covid19@nnmc.edu.

Employment

Beginning on Monday, March 16, Northern will begin shifting to a work-from-home plan in which all non-essential faculty and staff, to include student employees and work-study, will cease reporting to campus and work remotely. Northern's IT and Distance Education staff are actively working to ensure that all students and staff have access to and support for web-based communication and course delivery methods, including Zoom and Blackboard.

All employees should work with their supervisor to arrange working from home and maintain active communication. All employees should also update their email signatures and outgoing voicemail messages with alternative contact information.

Because employees will work from home, no leave will be used and employees will continue to earn pay as normal. Employees will work with their supervisors to determine work functions to be completed remotely. We are currently exploring ways to accommodate hourly and work-study employees to prevent disruption in pay.

Employees should gather and bring home any materials and technology needed to work remotely by Friday, March 13.

Resuming Operations and Return to Campus

Because this is an evolving situation, the above measures will remain in place until it is considered safe for operations to resume as usual. At this time, we anticipate these measures to remain in-place for at least the next 30 days. Please check campus communication channels regularly for any changes.

Additional directives and updates will be shared as they are developed. Please monitor the NNMC Website and your NNMC Email account closely.

Thank you for your cooperation in maintaining the health and safety of the Northern New Mexico College Community. We will all get through this together!