Thursday, March 12, 2020

As promised last evening, we will be providing additional information about these extraordinary circumstances – and their impact on our campus – as soon as it is available. I am writing to you now simply to share a message of support for all of you, given the mounting distress and uncertainty you are inevitably facing by now. We may be able to assure you that more information is coming, as tough decisions continue to be made, but that does little, I’m sure, to reduce your collective unease. My leadership team and I, in collaboration with our outstanding faculty and staff, are doing the best we can to resolve current and emerging issues. We are working on virtually nothing else. We must continue to ask for your patience as we finalize plans and determine exactly how to proceed. We would rather take the time now to be judicious and thoughtful than to rush information out that may change. I hope you agree that that’s the best way forward.

We have now launched a comprehensive website for updates and resources, building upon the Student Health Center site previously offered. We will add information to the new site as developments warrant.

Finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t caution you against sharing information you haven’t personally verified to be true; we are seeing a great deal of rumors and hypotheses shared online, among our various audiences. We have to trust you, as ambassadors of our campus community, to be responsible about information, knowing the damage misinformation can cause. I will quote UNC System Interim President Bill Roper here by saying concern about the current situation is warranted, but panic is not. We are all in this together, and we must be able to count on each other’s support during these very difficult times.

Thank you for your continued understanding and cooperation. We expect to share additional information this evening.
 
Sincerely,
 
Jose V. Sartarelli
Chancellor, UNCW