Sioux Center, Iowa — Dordt University in Sioux Center has announced that due to COVID-19 (Coronavirus), its students will be staying on spring break for an additional week, and then courses will go completely online until April 13th.
Dordt University officials say their COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Response Task Force has been monitoring the situation on a daily basis. As of Thursday, March 12, there are 14 reported cases in Iowa; there are no confirmed cases on the Dordt campus and surrounding community. Dordt is following the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of State, World Health Organization, and state and local public health agencies.
The Dordt leadership team says they have made the following determinations:
“Dordt will extend spring break by one week. Although courses were originally scheduled to resume on Tuesday, March 17, they will now begin on Monday, March 23. As of March 23, courses will be held online until Monday, April 13, when we currently anticipate that in-person classes will resume. A decision regarding this possibility will be made and communicated on or before April 3. During this time, offices will remain open and campus operations will continue in support of our students.”
Dordt officials say that in order to do their part in helping to reduce the impact of this virus, they will offer limited on-campus housing and dining options. For those who are able, they are asking that you live at home or off-campus through Sunday, April 12. They say they will work with international students, students with regional for-credit internships or field placements, and those with extraordinary circumstances to remain in on-campus housing.
Students not remaining on campus will have an opportunity in the week ahead to collect personal items necessary for online learning, such as laptops. Dordt officials are asking that students make every attempt to complete this process by Tuesday, March 17. Class resources, including online texts, will be provided as part of online instruction.
They ask that students and those concerned continue to monitor dordt.edu/coronavirus.
