Dear IVC Students,

Thank you for your patience. All IVC employees care about your education and we are trying our best.

As you are aware, this past week Coronavirus (COVID-19) was officially declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. Today, March 13, 2020, President Trump declared a national state of emergency. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is recommending that people practice social distancing (avoiding close contact with others) to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. As the situation evolved this week, your college leadership tried to keep you informed and enhanced preventive measures to minimize the spread of the virus. Our main goal is to protect our campus community while maintaining on our core purpose, which is to educate our students.

As of today, March 13, 2020, IVC still has no confirmed cases of COVID-19 on-campus. However, our Board of Trustees held a special meeting this evening and we determined that is it necessary to take further proactive steps to ensure the health and safety of students and employees. The Special Board Presentation can be accessed via:

https://go.boarddocs.com/ca/caiccd/Board.nsf/files/BMNU6C7A7A04/$file/Coronavirus%20Update%20-%20Special%20Board%20Meeting%203-13-2020.pdf

Starting Monday, March 16, 2020 and until further notice, IVC will be partially closed (modified level 2 closure). Instructors are responsible for communicating with students which courses will continue on-campus (some examples: POST, Fire Academy, and Nursing). Students please review your emails, Canvas sites, or other modes of communication for messaging from your instructors.

If it is feasible, we have requested that all faculty immediately convert course offerings and support services to an online format. We understand that this is not going to be easy and we ask you for your patience. However, we believe this is the best option to assist students in completing the semester.

ONLINE INSTRUCTION AND SERVICES DURING CLOSURE Students should expect for most instruction and student services to use Canvas and Zoom.

· To access Canvas, use the student portal: https://my.imperial.edu/login?return=aHR0cHM6Ly9teS5pbXBlcmlhbC5lZHUv

· If you need help with using Canvas, this is the link to the student Canvas help page: https://www.imperial.edu/courses-and-programs/distance-education/helpdesk/

You have a Canvas dashboard for assistance.

Support services for students are available online here: https://www.imperial.edu/courses-and-programs/distance-education/for-students/onlinesupport/

Please be aware:

· Chips & Salsa will be closed. Please plan accordingly since there will be no food service.

· IVC Bookstore will be closed. If you need to from IVC Bookstore, the bookstore is offering free ground shipping for any textbooks or other orders. Shop here: https://www.bkstr.com/imperialvalleystore/home

We will continue to post information and updates about COVID-19 (the link is available from the IVC homepage). Additional resources for students will be posted as they become available.

EVENTS AND OTHER ACTIVITIES

· Effective March 16, 2020, all community events scheduled by outside agencies at IVC are cancelled.

· Effective March 16, 2020, all IVC student and employee activities/events scheduled at IVC that are estimated to attract more than 100 people, will be postponed, modified or cancelled. This decision is in accordance with the guidance from the California Department of Public Health on mass gatherings

· During campus closure, employees and students should avoid gathering in groups outside at campus.

TRAVEL

All out-of-state and international business travel has been cancelled and in-state travel will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Note that many events and conferences throughout the state are being cancelled.

Employees and students are encouraged to avoid traveling to any area affected by COVID-19. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has issued Travel Health Notices with recommendations of areas to avoid.

NEXT STEPS

This is a rapidly changing situation. College leadership will continue to review guidance from the Public Health Department and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Please continue to review your email for the latest updates.

We acknowledge that these are stressful times for everyone. We need to show care and kindness to each other.

P.S. Please excuse any errors in this email. It has been a long two weeks. Take care, we are in this situation together.

Martha O. Garcia, Ed.D.

Superintendent /President

Imperial Valley College

380 East Aten Road Imperial, CA 92251

Phone: (760) 355-6219 / Fax: (760) 355-6461