***This article was originally posted at www.sebts.edu and can be found HERE

Dear Southeastern Family,

Tuesday afternoon North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency over the spread of the coronavirus. You can read the full statement by clicking here. Wednesday, the World Health Organization classified COVID-19 as a pandemic.

In order to mitigate the risk for our students, faculty and staff, Southeastern Seminary and The College at Southeastern will be cancelling all classes next week, March 16-20. Classes will continue through the end of this week for doctoral seminars. All on-campus and hybrid courses will be transitioned to online instruction indefinitely beginning Monday, March 23. During this time, the campus will remain operational in a limited capacity. 

Please note that this is not a quarantine order. This is simply a precaution to ensure the safety of the Southeastern Seminary community as much as possible from the spread of COVID-19. There are no diagnosed cases of COVID-19 in the Southeastern Seminary student body, faculty, or staff. We know there will be many questions in response to this email. Please be patient and flexible during this time of transition. We will have answers to your questions promptly.

Guidance for Classes

• Students will receive an email shortly with instructions for accessing courses online.
• Online classes are also cancelled March 16-20 and will resume on Monday, March 23.
• Communication moving forward will take place via email. We strongly encourage all students to regularly check their email during this time.
• More information will come soon regarding classes. Please be patient as we move classes from hybrid and on-campus formats to online formats.

Hybrid Weekends and Ph.D. Colloquiums 

• You will be contacted soon with further information about your classes. On-campus meetings are cancelled.
• Hybrid courses will be converted to online courses.

Housing

• Students living in on-campus dorms (Lolley Hall and Goldston Hall) will be required to vacate their dorm, whether to return home or find alternative off-campus arrangements by noon on Monday, March 16. 
• Dorms will remain closed until further notice. It is possible dorms will remain closed for the duration of the semester. We continue to monitor as this situation develops.
• Students who are unable to return home or who need help arranging housing can request help by filling out this form: dormform.sebts.edu
• Students in campus housing (McDowell, Fletcher, Flaherty, Bostwick, and Duplexes) will not be affected at this time. Note: this is not a request to quarantine, but rather a precaution to protect our student body.
• The Ledford Center will remain open in a limited capacity.
• Magnolia Kitchen will be open in a limited capacity. Hot and cold lines will be closed. Another email will be sent to all students with meal plans with modified hours. These hours will also be posted on Around Southeastern.

On-Campus Events

• All on-campus events through March 31 are cancelled. April events are not cancelled at this time. More information will be available in days to come.
• If you have registered for any on-campus event (such as Cultivate, Preview Day, Meet Your Neighbor or any other event), you will be contacted soon regarding refunds, rescheduling, etc.

On-Campus Employees

• All on-campus employees will continue to report to work as scheduled. 
• Directors will have more information if there are any changes in days to come.

Graduation 

• Spring commencement exercises for Southeastern Seminary and The College at Southeastern remain in place but are subject to change. Please be flexible as this situation continues to develop.

Coronavirus Questions

To stay up to date with the latest information on coronavirus and for more information about steps you can take to protect yourself, please go here: coronavirus.sebts.edu

If you think you may have come in contact with coronavirus, do not come to the campus clinic. Follow the steps listed here. If you think you may have come in contact and plan to self-quarantine or go to be tested, please inform the Office of the Dean of Students by emailing studentservices@sebts.edu.

For more information from the CDC, click here.

As we monitor this developing situation, please know that the health and safety of our students, staff, and faculty are our highest priority.

Once again, let us reiterate that this is a precautionary measure made with the best interest of our entire community in mind. We will do everything we are able to do to make this transition go as smoothly as possible. We pray this situation is ultimately resolved without incident. 

Please continue to check your email regularly for updates in days to come.

For any additional questions, please contact studentservices@sebts.edu.