March 18, 2020 – All spring term classes will be remote access

Dear EOU Community,

As we complete finals and head for spring break, we share these operational decisions from Eastern Oregon University (EOU) for the spring term.

EOU will be instituting remote access for all campus-based classes for the entirety of spring term. Students will not have classes or labs in-person. We will also begin working with employees to enable them, where possible, to work from home and further expand our efforts in social distancing. Spring term will begin on Monday, March 30, as published in the current year academic calendar.

We are taking these actions out of concern for the health of our students, faculty and staff. Fortunately, EOU is experienced in delivering excellence in remote access education. Many of our faculty already lead remote instruction, and 67% of our student body already take at least one class online. Nearly 50% of our students already enroll in distance learning.

Residence halls will remain open for the spring term. For those remaining on campus during spring break, residence halls and food services will be accessible with provisions for social distancing. These services will remain open through the spring term. Unfortunately, we are not able to keep the Student Health and Counseling Center open during spring break, but it will reopen and be available for spring term. Students who may need support or assistance with physical or mental health during spring break should contact Student Affairs.

To ensure student success during this period of remote access learning, additional support through tutorials and remote advising will be available to students. The Learning Center is expanding e-tutoring services, and Library resources are being made available remotely.  

This was a difficult decision because there is great value in having a physical center of academic excellence on a university campus. But our priority remains focused on how to deliver the highest quality education, while also protecting the EOU community’s health and well-being. This is an unprecedented time that demands that we temporarily do things differently so that every student, regardless of circumstances, can continue their progress toward a degree.

Our priority remains on the health and success of our academic community. While doing our part to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, we remain committed to our students’ success. We expect all students scheduled to graduate at the end of this term to do so, and we expect that all students will be able to complete their full course load as planned.

There are still some operational details to finalize, and we will communicate those details to you as we complete them. Please look for more updates in the coming days and weeks and continue to monitor the eou.edu/coronavirus website. The EOU leadership team is available to support you with any assistance you may need.

We know this is a difficult time for everyone — our students, faculty, staff and community. Be assured EOU will be ready for spring term and prepared to support our students in their academic pursuits, even as the path may be a bit different than anticipated. Together, it’s possible.

Sincerely,

EOU Leadership