A regularly updated post!
March 17th, 2020, 2:08PM EST
SOCIAL DISTANCING
While there is a lot of information coming in at a rapid pace given the constantly evolving nature of this situation, the most important thing to be mindful of right now is the need to de-densify our community. The best way we can help fight the spread of this disease is through smart, social distancing, and that is why you should not wait until the last minute to move out if you are able to do so sooner.
HEALTH AND WELLNESS
All Harvard University Health Services (HUHS) office remain open and fully operational. Please visit the HUHS website for the latest information.
ACADEMIC ASSIGNMENTS
The Faculty of Arts and Sciences is placing a one week extension on deadlines for all major assignments, including Senior Thesis. We hope that this makes this difficult situation a little bit easier for you, and allows you to focus on the various logistical tasks ahead of you. The College is working carefully to support a successful transition to online learning and provide increased time and flexibility for enrollment decisions.
The deadline to drop courses has been reopened to April 13;
The deadline to change grading status from letter graded to Pass/ Fail or Pass/Fail to letter graded has been reopened to April 13;
Previous course withdrawals from this semester will be automatically converted to a course drop.
The process for these changes will be announced in the coming days.
March 13, 2020 8:23PM EST
March 11, 2020, 5:27PM EST
MOVING OUT
Dining Hall:
The dining hall will be open tonight, Thursday and Friday until 8pm.
Elliot and Kirkland will be open on Saturday and Sunday.
Shipping:
Pack and seal the box. Boxes cannot weigh more than 70lbs.
Visit the UPS shipping website at https://www.ups.com/ship/guided/ to register your parcel, provide payment information and print out a shipping label.
Affix the label to your box. (You can ship more than one box if you wish.)
Starting this afternoon through Sunday afternoon, bring your box to one of the following locations to drop it off for shipping:
Adams, Eliot, Kirkland, Lowell, Winthrop – MAC Quad in front of Winthrop House.
Dunster, Leverett, Mather, Quincy – Corner of Grant and Dewolfe St., across from the Leverett Dining Hall.
Cabot, Currier, Pforzheimer – Quad Roadway, near Cabot HouseYard Dorms – Area in front of Lehman Hall between Grays and Matthews. Or on West side of Thayer Hall.
Olympia Moving and Storage will transfer your parcel to UPS for shipping.
Storage:
Please note that there will be NO ON-CAMPUS STORAGE available in any House or first-year dorm. All items must be stored off-campus.
Go to the Olympia Moving and Storage website to register and pay for your storage www.olympiamoving.com/harvardstudent
Pack your boxes and affix the label (you can get labels from guard’s office)
Affix the label to any furniture or other items (bicycles, mini fridges, etc.) that you wish to store over the summer.
Olympia will retrieve the items and store them over the summer in their climate – controlled warehouse, send you an inventory of your items for your records and will deliver your items to your fall term suite before you return to campus in fall.
Please click here for alternative options NOT affiliated with Harvard.
DONATIONS:
*Any large items that you want to throw away or donate to Harvard Habitat for Humanity, please label prominently with the word “Trash” or “Donate” *
Items left in the rooms after 3/15 that are not labeled will be donated/trashed.
Mail & Packages:
If you have any packages that have come in over the last few days, please make sure you stop by the package room and pick up your items. Check and empty your mailbox in Gore.
If you have not already completed the mail forwarding form, please do so before you depart.
Books:
If you borrowed books from the Standish Library, the JCR or SCR bookshelves please return them before you depart.
Bicycles:
Bicycles locked in the Standish bike room, the main Courtyard or outside H-entry must be removed. If they are not removed, they will be cut from the racks. Please stop by the Building Manager’s office to gain access to the Bike room in Standish (if your bike is there).
Keys:
Each student should have received a key envelope yesterday. If you do not have one or have misplaced the envelope, please come down to the Security Office in Gore. At the time of your departure, please return the completed and sealed key envelope to the Security Office.
BEFORE YOU LEAVE
Check drawers
Check package room and mailbox
Check laundry room
Bicycles locked in the Standish bike room, the main Courtyard or outside H-entry must be removed. If they are not removed, they will be cut from the racks. Please stop by the Building Manager’s office to gain access to the Bike room in Standish (if your bike is there).
Close windows
March 11, 2020, 5:12PM EST
TRAVEL POLICIES AND CAMPUS RESTRICTIONS
Effective now through at least April 30
· All University-related international travel is prohibited.
· All personal international travel is strongly discouraged.
· All University-related non-essential domestic air travel is prohibited.
· We strongly urge extreme caution and judgment for your personal domestic travel.
· We strongly discourage any non-essential meetings or events of 25 people or more.
· Anyone who returns or arrives to campus from a location with a CDC level 3 travel warning for COVID-19, must complete this confidential health form at least 48 hours before your return/arrival to campus and self-isolate using guidance from Harvard University Health Services. Most self-isolations will last 14 days.
March 11, 2020, 3:30PM EST
Please be particularly mindful about your health and safety – in addition to taking measures to prevent viral illness, please be responsible with alcohol and use good judgement to keep yourself and others out of harm’s way. For example, do not climb on the roof or fire escapes and risk potential accidents. Remember that local hospitals are dealing with a public health emergency, so let’s all try and stay safe and healthy.
New Move-Out Rules and Support!
For students on financial aid, the College will provide up to $200 to assist you with shipping or storing your items. Details here.
On Libraries:
renewals for books that students want to take home with them? In most cases, books renew automatically until a certain date (usually more than a year from the time of first check out). It's also possible for students to return them by mail.
access to course reserve materials? Many books on reserve are also available in online formats, and the library is actively reviewing that list to add online options where they can. In cases where an electronic version simply isn’t available, Scan & Deliver is probably the best option.
The library also urges students to remember that they can direct their questions to ask.library.harvard.edu. The librarians there are eager to help them solve any problems of access!
On Academic Support from the Academic Resource Center:
All Academic Resource Center’s services will be available online via Zoom.
The ARC will offer Zoom Academic Coaching and Peer Tutoring one-on-one appointments as well as Zoom Workshops, Power Hours, and Accountability Groups.
A range of services will be available from 9:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. EST to accommodate various time zones. All services are free to Harvard College students.
Academic Coaching and Workshop topics include but are not limited to the following:
Creating a home learning environment;
Creating structure and routine away from campus;
Setting goals and targets for assignments;Using resources and networking remotely;
Study strategies for final exams;
Time management during Reading Period.
In the coming days please stay connected to the ARC website for a calendar of remote sessions and to sign up for individual coaching or tutoring appointments.
March 11, 2020, 10AM EST
Dear Winthrop,
It's not often that you wake up to a different world, when so many expectations about tomorrow, next week, and next month have to somehow be remade. We've heard today about the financial and logistical challenges of this sudden change. We've heard today your sorrow at having to leave a place you love because of the people you love. We're so sorry this is happening.
The University hopes that by acting now, we can help slow the spread of the coronavirus, not only to protect you, but also to protect the most vulnerable members of our community, and of your communities back home. This requires a sacrifice, and your resilience and patience as we work through the details is so greatly appreciated. Here are a few points to bear in mind in the coming days:
Please continue to check the FAQs (updated daily) and the University planning page. Regarding classes, exams, and assignments: your instructors have been asked to show flexibility on deadlines and will provide updates directly.Today you should receive a move-out checklist with reminders about turning in your key, setting up mail-forwarding, etc.
Harvard is granting rare exceptions to the Sunday move-out deadline, primarily for cases where students don't have somewhere they can go. The deadline to submit the petition form is 9pm today, and you need to write to me to get the link: winthrophousedean@fas.harvard.edu
Winthrop's dining hall will remain open until 8pm through Friday. For Saturday and Sunday, Eliot and four others are open (details here).
See my previous post with advice from CAMHS about taking care of yourself and processing the anxiety of this situation. Harvard is doing all it can in real time to get you the most up-to-date information and support.
To that end, I will follow up with a listing of any and all off-campus resources such as alumni groups and the Mayors Office. Stay tuned.
A word about parties and quiet hours: Winthrop is observing 11:00pm quiet hours through Thursday, and will have 12:00am quiet hours on Friday and Saturday. We need to support everyone's efforts to prepare for move-out while continuing with classes.Parties are not allowed in order to keep below the 25 person limit on social gatherings. We understand that you need opportunities to process this situation with friends and say goodbye to the people you care about. We ask that you observe the gathering limit and quiet hours, and that you keep an eye on medical safety and your interpersonal safety for yourself and those around you.Please take good care of yourself and others during this challenging and bewildering time. Please reach out to us or the tutors if you have questions, need support, or just want to talk. On the other side of this move-out and spring break, you'll still be hearing from us as we all begin the second half of the semester online. Yours, Mark, Mary, Linda, your tutors and the House Fam!