Dear CSN Family,
The CSN campus community has been resilient this year as the global COVID-19 pandemic has taken hold, and it is time now to come together once again to do our part to help fight this disease.
As you know, data regarding COVID-19 in our nation, our state and our community are trending in the wrong direction. New cases, hospitalizations and fatalities are on the rise and there does not appear to be an immediate end in sight. As a result, Gov. Steve Sisolak announced his Stay at Home 2.0 plan on Tuesday, calling for us all to remain at home as much possible for the next two weeks, wear our masks when we must go out, telework whenever possible, and minimize exposure to those outside our own households.
At CSN, we are taking the governor’s recommendations seriously. Beginning today and going through at least November 30, only essential on-campus college operations will continue. All employees who can work remotely will do so. Employees should work with supervisors and the Campus Vice Presidents & Provosts to stagger visits to campus to retrieve belongings that may be needed during the telework. Any campus visits must be completed by close of business on Friday, November 13. During this period, campus access protocols will be suspended.
Any classes that can be conducted remotely will be conducted remotely; there will be only a few healthcare and career & technical education classes conducted in person. We will strive to maintain academic continuity for all our students, regardless of the method of course delivery. Our faculty and staff are committed to ensuring that we always put our students first — and that means putting safety first in all matters
In addition, all on-campus events scheduled for the remainder of this month have been cancelled or postponed.
Friends, this is serious. The governor has indicated that if our state’s numbers do not show a marked improvement soon, he will be forced to take more serious actions that could further exacerbate the economic problems this pandemic has already caused. Many of us have gotten used to the conditions we are living under, and perhaps are not taking the crisis as seriously as we once did. But we must remain vigilant. This virus will not go away on its own — we must choose to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem.
The CSN campus community has been diligent in the use of mandatory face-coverings, social distancing requirements, limiting gathering capacity, the use of hand sanitizing and good hygiene has been reinforced by of faculty, staff and students. We ask that you continue to be diligent in these COVID-19 mitigation efforts not only at CSN but also in your home and outside experiences.
I know this is difficult, but we are prepared. The ability to pivot or adapt operations to ensure health and safety, informed by science and data, has been part of all of CSN’s planning efforts. We completed the final two months of the spring 2020 semester under such conditions, and we did so successfully. We have an amazing team of people at CSN who will help us all work through this crisis. Leaders in academic affairs, human resources, student services and elsewhere across the college are working together on specific plans for their respective areas. Employees, please look for further information from your supervisors in the coming days. And students, please maintain contact with your instructors to ensure you’re well informed.
As I noted, we hope these new restrictions are temporary and that, by November 30, we can resume activities on a limited basis, as we have been doing for the bulk of this semester. But please know that if the state’s numbers do not improve, we may be forced to remain in an almost completely remote environment through the end of the fall 2020 semester.
As events develop, please check CSN’s Coronavirus web page frequently. CSN will continue to follow recommendations from the governor and health authorities. And as always, my office will keep the entire CSN family informed about a return to campus date — whether that turns out to be November 30 or not.
Stay safe and God bless.
Federico Zaragoza
President
College of Southern Nevada