News

ALERT: Employees to Return Oct. 1; Students to Return Oct. 6; Classes Will Resume Oct. 8

Wednesday, September 26, 2018

12:15 p.m. --- This message was sent on behalf of Chancellor Jose V. Sartarelli.
Dear Faculty, Staff and Students:
 
Thank you for your patience as we have continued to evaluate campus conditions. We know you are as eager to return as we are to have you back. While campus has been teeming with countless people helping us repair and rebuild, it is simply not the same without our entire family of Seahawks here.
 
As you know, we had hoped to have employees come back to work tomorrow (Thursday, Sept. 27), with classes resuming on Oct. 1. Because of the significant repairs still under way at Galloway Hall and Cornerstone Hall, we were in the unfortunate position of asking those displaced students to delay their return until Oct. 6. Over the past couple of days, we have been made aware of nearly a hundred additional off-campus students displaced by the storm and in need of housing assistance. In addition, as our employees have been able to return to Wilmington, they have discovered substantial damage to their homes – in some cases, total loss.
 
With all of this in mind, I have made the decision I believe to be best for our family of students and employees.
 
We will now welcome employees back Monday, Oct 1. We have been authorized to extend Condition 3 until 6 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 1, thanks to the guidance and support of the UNC System. We will have additional details for employees as soon as possible regarding your campus reentry on Monday, what to expect when you return, etc. You may also receive additional communications from your managers or deans. We are all doing what we can to communicate as frequently and openly as we can, and we have appreciated your patience and your collaboration along the way.
 
All students, with the exception of those in our OAP Online Accelerated Program), will now resume classes on Monday, Oct. 8. This means students will not be permitted to move back into their residence halls until Sat., Oct. 6. We realize that there may be students who have already made travel plans to accommodate the original move-in date of Sept. 29. We are very sorry for any inconvenience this may cause, but it was imperative that we not welcome students back until we were certain campus would be ready.  Students and faculty will receive additional communications as soon as possible regarding the impact of this new timeline on our academic calendar. We have not made any decisions at this point beyond the cancellation of fall break and Reading Day. We ask for your continued understanding as faculty leadership and I work through an incredibly complicated situation, with the goal of minimizing the impact on the semester as best we can and preserving the integrity of the academic programs. 
 
We know you have questions. We know you are anxious for answers, and I assure you we are eager to provide those answers. We will continue to give you updates in real time; we are developing a list of FAQs, which will be shared via our homepage and Facebook feed by 5 p.m. today. In addition, as soon as we are able, we will share with you a hotline number and email address so we can personally address any questions you may have after reading those FAQs.
 
Together, we will come through this better and stronger, and I am prouder than ever to be your chancellor.
 
Sincerely, 
 
 
Chancellor Jose V. Sartarelli