April 2, 2020
Maintaining a daily routine is one of a number of measures individuals can practice in order to maintain their mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, a Saginaw Valley State University educator advised.
Travis Pashak, associate professor of psychology, offered three tips and resources for those struggling with mental health during the pandemic. They are as follows:
1. This is an unprecedented global crisis, so mental health fluctuations are to be expected. It's perfectly normal to be feeling anxious, upset, sad, angry, etc., about the circumstances. I think we sometimes have a knee-jerk reaction to want to label and pathologize every non-happy emotion and every non-smile behavior, and that's simply not reasonable in these times. It's normal to feel.
2. While we're dealing with a lot of collective uncertainty and existential angst, there are some things we can do to protect our sanity. Routine, sleep hygiene, exercise, connecting with friends/family, nutrition, and healthy self-care can all make a positive impact.
3. Lastly, if the above efforts aren't enough and someone feels like they really need help, there are indeed resources available. Suicide hotlines, local therapists offering phone-therapy, crisis textlines, and plenty of self-help materials are only a few clicks away. A few are listed below:
https://www.apa.org/practice/programs/dmhi/research-information/pandemics
https://www.crisistextline.org/
https://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/backgrounders/backgrounder-1-resilient.html
Pashak this week was interviewed about mental health maintenance during a WNEM, TV-5 feature Wednesday, April 2.
April 1, 2020
March 31, 2020
Dear Students,
I hope that things are going well as we work through a very challenging semester. These unprecedented circumstances have been met with unprecedented efforts by the SVSU community and we continue to do our best to support you through this difficult time. In order to ensure that you can continue your education through this crisis, we have made the decision to offer courses only online for the spring semester. Fieldwork courses remain on the schedule, however, please check with your academic department as fieldwork is subject to agency, state and federal policies during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The schedule has been updated to show our online course offerings for the Spring semester. For those of you who were enrolled in a face-to-face course, you have either been or will be contacted directly to make the switch to online. For those who are not enrolled for Spring courses, the online options have been expanded so this may be a great opportunity to take a course remotely. Registration for Spring courses is still open and the payment deadline has been extended to April 22.
To help you continue your education uninterrupted, we are waiving the Academic Computing Fee ($79/course) and the Online Course Fee ($44/cr.hr.) for Spring and Summer 2020. Students who had already signed up for an online course for the spring term will receive a credit or refund for the online fees they had already been charged.
We have not yet determined whether summer courses will be entirely online; however, we are monitoring the situation closely and will provide you with updates as soon as possible. Please continue to support each other and take care of yourselves during this difficult time.
Sincerely,
Deborah Huntley, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
March 30, 2020
March 27, 2020
March 26, 2020
March 24, 2020
I hope you and your loved ones are healthy and that your classes are going well. As you know, we recently announced that undergraduate students would be given the option of electing a letter grade as usual or a Pass/No Credit option. This message provides details and clarification of this option.
We are all facing uncertainty and challenges as the impact of the coronavirus grows. I want to assure each of you that we are working very hard to maintain SVSU's core operations, including instruction, academic support, safety, housing and dining through this public health crisis.
My advice is for you to do your best to do well in your classes. As always, reach out to your faculty members if you are having trouble or need clarification and utilize the online tutoring that is available. If you are struggling with the emotional impact of these changes, our counseling center is offering their services in a virtual setting. To schedule a meeting, please call the office at: (989) 964-7078 or email counselingservices@svsu.edu
With your hard work and dedication along with our efforts to retain instructional continuity, I have confidence that you will be successful this semester.
The campus is far too quiet these days and I cannot wait to see all of you back on campus as soon as possible. Until then, take care of yourself and be well.
Sincerely,
Deborah Huntley, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
March 23, 2020
Dear campus community,
In light of Governor Whitmer’s executive order to “stay home, stay safe” through Monday, April 13, we are moving forward with plans to further reduce the number of staff reporting to campus, while maintaining University operations. Classes are continuing in the remote/online formats begun last week.
Many faculty and staff have been in a “work from home” environment since last week, and that will continue for them. Some individuals who had been reporting to campus now also will transition to work from home. All supervisors and staff should communicate with one another regarding expectations and accountability for assignments during this public health emergency.
A few hundred students continue to reside on campus. We will continue to serve them through Campus Dining, using “grab and go” service. University Police will be visible on campus as they continue to protect and serve the campus 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Campus Facilities staff will continue their important work to ensure sanitization and other critical services, though fewer of them will be reporting to campus on a daily basis. Due to the reduced staffing levels, we will be securing certain areas of campus, locking exterior doors, closing some restrooms, etc.
Faculty, staff or students who need a computer to complete their duties should submit an IT support ticket (mysupport.svsu.edu) or call 989-964-4225 and leave a voice mail. An IT staff member will be in touch to make arrangements for use of a loaned laptop.
Faculty and staff who experience problems with university equipment should submit an IT support ticket (mysupport.svsu.edu) or call 989-964-4225 and leave a voice mail. If a remote session fails to resolve the issue, an IT staff member will make arrangements to provide a loaned laptop.
We cannot stress enough the importance of social distancing, wherever we might be. SVSU is a friendly, welcoming place. In normal times, we hold doors open for one another, and we gather together in close proximity. These are not normal times. The most friendly, welcoming thing you can do right now, for yourself and others, is to shelter in place as much as possible; when you must interact with others, please practice social distancing and good hygiene.
Registered Student Organizations and all other student groups must suspend face-to-face meetings for the duration of the governor’s executive order. Many have already moved their meetings online.
At the same time, we know students, faculty and staff may be experiencing changes in our every-day routines and social isolation during this difficult time. Please reach out to your fellow Cardinals. Offer them a word of encouragement. Share ideas on how you are staying on top of your work and school assignments. Let’s stay connected, learn from one another and show one another – and everyone else watching us – how much we care.
Finally, to all of our students and alumni working on the front lines to respond to this pandemic: thank you. Our Cardinal family is supporting our state and our world as first responders, health care professionals, educators, IT professionals, business leaders, and in countless other ways. As a former criminal justice professor here at SVSU, I have heard from dozens of my former students working at the local, state and federal level. Their commitment to serving others inspires me and motivates me to ensure that we work together to continue to prepare the next generation of servant leaders.
Stay healthy. Stay home. Stay safe.
Sincerely,
Donald J. Bachand, President
March 19, 2020
Dear students,
We know that the sudden move to online and remote instruction comes with uncertainty. You are concerned about your academic progress and rightfully so. We have decided to provide all undergraduate students with a pass/no-credit option for their classes this semester. We hope this will bring some peace of mind for many of you.
You will be able to select the “Pass” or “No-credit” option for any of your courses beginning in mid-April until after final grades are submitted, when you will know your letter grade for the course. Students who choose to accept their letter grade may do so. Students who pass their course and select the “pass” option will receive a grade of “P” and will receive credit for the course. Students who do not pass the course may select the “no-credit” option; they will not receive credit for the course, but it will not affect a student’s GPA.
Students will submit an online “Pass/No Credit” request form to the Office of the Registrar. We will notify you when the form is available.
We are still working through some of the finer details, and we will have more to say about this, but we wanted to share this information with you now, as we know many of you have been asking about this.
Please know that your instructors are working very hard to adapt to a teaching and learning environment that is new to many of them. We know it is new to many of you too. Please continue to work hard in your courses, and please be understanding and patient with yourself and your instructors.
Sincerely,
Deborah Huntley, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
March 17, 2020
Dear students, faculty, and staff,
It seems unimaginable, but it was only one week ago (Tuesday, March 10) that the first two confirmed cases of the COVID-19 virus were reported in Michigan. In just one week, life as we know it has been radically changed. I am proud of the way in which our campus community has responded.
We made the transition to remote and online instruction on Monday, and starting tomorrow, most campus operations will be conducted online, by phone, or using other technology. We continue to operate the university, but we are doing it differently. Everyone will continue to perform their duties to the best of their ability. We expect to continue remote and online operations through Friday, May 1, but this is subject to change, given the rapidly evolving nature of this situation.
I would like to thank the leadership of all of our bargaining units for their responsiveness and collaboration during these unprecedented circumstances. This level of cooperation in achieving shared goals is needed and most appreciated. Supervisors and members of the Support Staff Association will be receiving specific guidance on expectations relevant to working from home.
We have made the difficult decision to postpone Commencement. We do not want to diminish this incredibly important milestone in graduates’ lives, and with the latest guidance from the CDC to avoid gatherings of 50 or more for the next 8 weeks, we cannot hold a ceremony that we and our graduates would be proud of. We will communicate with you when a new date is identified.
While Commencement is postponed, this does not affect the ability of students to complete graduation requirements and receive their degrees. Students who complete their degree requirements in May will graduate in May.
For students, your university is here for you. Beyond instruction, dining and other necessities, we remind you that the Student Counseling Center has services available. Please make use of this service if you need to. We all should look after ourselves – and each other – during this incredibly stressful time.
Please continue to visit the www.svsu.edu/coronavirus web page for the latest information. We will be updating this page regularly. We also will continue to be here for you by e-mail, by phone, and using other technology.
The dedication, flexibility and creative problem-solving of our Cardinal community never ceases to amaze me. I appreciate it. We all do. Together, we will get through this.
Sincerely,
Donald J. Bachand, President