Dear Mercy College Community,
I am writing to let you know that Mercy College has just been notified by the Westchester County Department of Health that an adjunct faculty member has tested positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19). The faculty member was last on the Dobbs Ferry Campus on Friday, March 6 and was asymptomatic. We have been in touch with the faculty member who is receiving appropriate care.
Students who may have been present in the classroom with the faculty member will be contacted by Mercy College and the Westchester County Department of Health and will be advised of next steps.
Before this was known, in response to the developing coronavirus situation, the College took a proactive step to cancel classes and events through Sunday, March 15, and will move to online instruction beginning Monday, March 16. During this period, we will assess whether to continue online instruction further. More information about this will follow. This was communicated to the College community on March 10.
The College is implementing the following steps for all campuses and locations to ensure academic and operational continuity:
Residential Students
The residence halls remain open and the Office of Residential Life is working with residential students to assess their needs and provide assistance during this time. Essential services to include food, security, facilities maintenance, and transportation as needed will remain in place for residential students.
Faculty and Staff
For the remainder of today, March 11 and through Sunday, March 15, faculty and staff not deemed essential personnel are expected to work remotely according to their regular schedule. If you have questions about working remotely, please speak with your supervisor.
Cleaning & Disinfecting Campuses
Following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, our Facilities team will continue a thorough cleaning and enhanced disinfection protocol across all campuses and locations.
Academic Instruction
Faculty are ready to move courses online via Blackboard and students have received instructions.
These resources may be helpful to you:
- Westchester County Department of Health:https://health.westchestergov.com/2019-novel-coronavirus
- New York State Department of Health:https://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/coronavirus/
- U.S. Department of State: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/before-you-go/crisis-abroad--be-ready.html
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
- World Health Organization: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019
- Employee Assistance Program: The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a resources available to all employees to help address stress related issues and provide counseling: www.guidanceresource.com
- Mercy Student Health Office: Dobbs Ferry, Main Hall, Room 127, (914) 674-7255
We know this can be a stressful time, which can create fear and anxiety. Please take care and utilize the resources available to you on our webpage. For questions or to provide information that might be useful to the College, please email healthalert@mercy.edu.
We will provide you with additional updates as necessary.
Thank you for your cooperation and patience.
Sincerely,
Tim Hall
President