Dear CSN Family,
I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you in the CSN family who participated in our Town Hall meetings last week. Your guidance and feedback are critical. As such, today’s message is a direct response to two important topics raised by you that we must continue to clarify. The topics of remote instruction and remote working environment.
I continue working with Chancellor Reilly as we plan for the rest of the semester and the summer sessions during this evolving crisis. As you may recall, last week the Chancellor directed all NSHE institutions to teach only in a remote learning environment until June 30. This means all courses will continue as is for the rest of the current semester, and all courses offered during the summer will be remote only. This does not mean campuses will necessarily remain inaccessible through June 30. We must be prepared to adapt to directives from the Governor’s Office and NSHE.
We have received revised direction on essential on-campus employees. Only public safety employees, those providing health care services to students or the community, custodial and facilities staff and information technology employees who cannot work remotely may be on campus. Any other exceptions, including those involving administrative faculty, must be approved by my office.
In addition, we will not hold classes this summer that require access to labs and heavy equipment, such as science labs, automotive and welding labs, and field experiences. Exceptions to this mandate include classes that prepare students for jobs in health care, such as nursing and paramedic classes. In fact, we are discussing how we might accelerate instruction in these areas so we can help meet the need for workers in the healthcare sector. During the next week, we will closely inspect our instructional spaces to determine the best way to facilitate this critical instruction while making sure to adhere to social distancing and deep cleaning protocols.
Please keep our healthcare professionals in your prayers as they are at work at the front lines of this crisis; remember, one in three nurses in the region are CSN graduates. They are there because of you and the knowledge that you imparted while they were with us. Remember that the health and safety of our CSN Family remains our top priority. We are in this together.
Stay Safe & God Bless.
Federico Zaragoza
President
College of Southern Nevada