Getting Ready for Fall 2020
Dear Future and Current Students,
For those who are planning to join us in the fall: welcome new Greeners! And returning students: we salute your hard work and academic success.
At Evergreen, our commitment to racial equity, social justice, environmental stewardship and service in the public interest remains strong. We prioritize the health and safety of our community. Our staff and faculty are here to support and help guide you to your degree, even as life at Evergreen has changed as a result of the pandemic. We are happy to have you with us.
Teaching and learning this fall
For Fall 2020, you can expect a high-quality, affordable and personalized college experience for all students. The quarter will start as planned on September 28. You can enroll now in course and programs, some of which will be a hybrid of remote and in-person instruction. Many offerings will be entirely remote.
Selected programs such The Practice of Organic Farming, Forests, Anthrozoology, Greener Foundations for first-year students, and coursework in art studio and laboratory spaces will have a greater percentage of in-person instruction and hands-on learning. Lectures, workshops and most seminars will be conducted remotely.
You can find full descriptions for each offering in the Evergreen Fall 2020 program and course catalog, where you can search for the remote or hybrid options that work best for you.
Our educational advisors are ready to work with you to find the best fit for your unique needs and circumstances, and you can connect with them over Zoom, by phone and via email. We have Chromebook laptops for students to check out if needed. Other campus services such as Student Wellness Services, First Peoples Multicultural Trans & Queer Services, Registration and Records, Financial Aid, tutoring, the Veterans Resource Center, the Native Student Success Center and tech support are available via phone, email and online.
Staying healthy
The health and safety of our students, staff and faculty are paramount in Evergreen policies and decisions, which we examine through an equity lens. Every person’s situation is different, and our goal is to accommodate members of our diverse community in the best way possible for them.
Thurston County is currently in Phase Three of Washington’s statewide Safe Start process. Evergreen’s plans for Fall 2020 follow the governor’s guidelines for safe operations at our state’s public colleges and universities. Those guidelines include social distancing, the use of masks in enclosed spaces and buildings, symptom monitoring and regular cleaning. Evergreen is finalizing rigorous safety plans for every instructional space on campus. We are in close contact with Thurston County health officials, who will test for and trace any suspected cases of COVID-19 on campus.
We are all responsible for the health of our community. That’s why Evergreen students, staff and faculty are required to wear masks in campus buildings and outdoors if not at least six feet away from each other. Evergreen students, staff and faculty must complete a COVID health verification every day if they are physically coming to campus. Anyone who believes they may have been exposed should quarantine at home for 14 days. And we expect everyone to wash their hands often, use hand sanitizer and monitor their temperature and any changes to their health.
Living on campus
Even though most students, staff and faculty will be off campus, at Evergreen you can still build community and make in-person connections while living on campus. Following recommendations by the Center for Disease Control, we are offering apartment single rooms in a shared living environment for the 2020-21 academic year. Our apartments have single private bedrooms, shared restrooms and kitchens and self-contained heating and ventilation systems. They have separate exterior doors used by no more than six residents.
Students will be provided cleaning kits and instructions on how to clean their common areas. In addition, Evergreen Residential staff will be following CDC guidelines on cleaning common areas outside of the apartment units, such as the laundry facilities. Campus dining will be open and serving meals to residents in the Greenery. We hope to be serving in-person, with to-go options available, and we will tell you more as we get closer to fall quarter.
Keeping up to date
As we look ahead, we know the world is changing and needs people with the skills, knowledge and depth they can get from an Evergreen education. Your dedicated staff and faculty at Evergreen are looking forward to meeting you, or reconnecting with you this fall, as we help you create your future. Together, we will adapt and adjust, emphasizing health and safety as we teach and learn in these complex conditions.
Please visit evergreen.edu/covid19 for frequent updates on Fall 2020 at Evergreen.
Warm regards,
George
George S. Bridges
President
The Evergreen State College