Mississippi Valley State University continues to closely monitor the global health emergency and outbreak of the novel Coronavirus, known as COVID-19.
To date, one (1) case of the virus has been confirmed in the State of Mississippi with additional cases identified in nearby states, increasing the possible risk of exposure to our campus community. MVSU’s Emergency Response Team is monitoring this fluid situation by following recommendations from the State Department and the CDC. We are also working closely with government agencies to obtain advice and guidance on managing the campus in the event of a confirmed case.
As a result, the following changes have been implemented, effective Thursday, March 12, 2020, until further notice:
- As of today, all international and non-essential domestic travel has been suspended.
- As is widely known, we are currently on Spring Break with classes scheduled to resume Monday, March 16, 2020. However, to provide adequate time to implement our instructional contingency plan, we have extended Spring Break for one week, with classes resuming Monday, March 23, 2020. At that time, all classes will be taught through alternative instruction, mainly online.
- For those students who reside on campus, we ask that you only return to your residence hall if there are compelling extenuating circumstances that make it absolutely necessary to remain on campus. All students remaining on campus must notify their respective residence hall director of their intent to stay, and we ask that you limit any contact with non-residential visitors. The halls will be monitored and provided with additional sanitizing items. We will also be modifying on-campus dining services to a carryout option to minimize large groupings.
- It is extremely important that we only use our MVSU email for all university communications, especially for online and distance learning. As we move to our instructional contingency plan, it is imperative that all academic course work be completed. This is important for all students, but especially important for those students scheduled to graduate. The university will make every effort to be considerate of faculty and student concerns during this unprecedented situation, and faculty are strongly encouraged to be similarly considerate of students concerns.
- The University will not hold any large gathering or meetings. Academic and other mass events have been postponed until further notice.
The University’s decision to move to online instruction and to postpone or cancel scheduled University events will not affect those students who cannot immediately travel home or must stay on campus. While we encourage and expect that most of our students will choose to study and take online classes from their home, our residence halls will remain open, and we will continue to provide academic support and administrative services to our campus community. Therefore, plan to maintain normal levels of service, while at the same time taking appropriate precautions to protect the health and well-being of all of the members of our community.
If any urgent information needs to be communicated, notifications will be posted at www.mvsu.edu/coronavirus. Students, faculty, and staff will also be notified via MVSU News, ReGroup text messaging, Facebook (@valley.state), and Twitter (@MVSUDevils).
We are an outstanding University, full of outstanding people. Our motto, “Live for Service” resonates even more as we respond to this difficult situation. Assuring our students’ growth and success is first and foremost, and with that, we will definitely keep Valley in Motion!
Sincerely,
Dr. Jerryl Briggs, Sr.
MVSU President