Dear Members of the Barnard Community,
It has been an unprecedented year here at Barnard with many highs and, sadly, many lows. Through it all, I have been extraordinarily impressed with our community and the caring and support you have shown for each other.
Today I write to let you know that, following Columbia University (see President Bollinger’s message below), Barnard will continue with virtual classes for the remainder of the semester. This is not a decision we have come to lightly, but it is one we feel best supports the academic excellence that Barnard prides itself on and promotes the health and well-being of our community.
Our faculty are world-class scholar-teachers, unprecedented among our Ivy League and liberal arts peers. They have worked tirelessly over the last few weeks to mount all Barnard courses on-line and all of our courses will continue virtually throughout the semester. I want to thank them for their hard work.
At present, no Barnard student, faculty, or staff member has been diagnosed with COVID-19. Nonetheless, because the Barnard residence halls are highly communal spaces and given that classes will be virtual, we are asking students not to return to campus after spring break (unless it is to move out of your room). This will help reduce the risk of further spreading the virus during COVID-19’s next phase. For students who feel your personal circumstances necessitate that you remain in the residence halls through spring break and/or the rest of the semester, you are welcome to do so.
Barnard remains open, however all events and gatherings are cancelled for the remainder of the semester. Faculty and staff will soon be hearing from the Provost and Human Resources about specific instructions to support their work, health and safety.
There are so many aspects of COVID-19 that we do not yet understand. As such, we must act based on what we currently know to support our community as best we can. I recognize that this news represents a major adjustment for many of you. We have developed a set of Semester Completion FAQs to answer some of the questions you have and will continue to add information as it becomes available. Please also check back often to our COVID-19 website, as it will be updated frequently.
This is certainly not what any of us expected as we wind down the spring semester. I want to again thank you for all you have done to support one another during this difficult time. Please continue to care for each other and to uphold the health and safety of those around you.
With Care,
Sian Leah Beilock, President
Columbia University message
Dear fellow members of the Columbia community:
As promised, I am writing with an update on how the University needs to respond to the outbreak of COVID-19. We all know this is a rapidly evolving and very challenging situation. Yesterday afternoon, the World Health Organization officially declared this to be a pandemic. Thus far, we continue to have no confirmed cases of COVID-19 on our campuses. Just to be clear, the principle that has guided us up to this point is to maintain the mission of the University as much as possible consistent with preserving the health of every part of our community. To that end, as of yesterday, we launched nearly 2,000 classes online and continue to prepare to teach classes virtually for the remainder of the semester.
In light of the spread of the virus, especially in the New York metropolitan region, we now need to take further steps. Specifically, in order to reduce the density of our residential environment, while respecting the interests and needs of students who have reason to continue to remain in residence on campus, we are instituting three critical decisions: (1) The University will remain open and functioning; (2) All classes for the remainder of the semester will be conducted online; and (3) We encourage any students who are able to move out of undergraduate residence halls for the rest of the semester to do so, and we are ready to help in that process. The Office of University Life and your school will follow up with more information.
It is worth repeating that our campuses will remain open. However, we have restrictions in place for those who have traveled to severely affected areas, as per guidance from the CDC. We will, as indicated previously, actively discourage congregations in large numbers. We also strongly discourage holding any events with over 25 people, at least through April 30th. All Columbia business travel, both international and domestic, is now suspended for all affiliates.
This is a hard time for all of us. We are concerned about every student, colleague, friend, and neighbor. Clearly, balancing all of the interests of all parts of the institution is an extraordinarily complex undertaking. I am so grateful to all of you and especially to those who daily help us chart the right course for Columbia through this crisis.
Sincerely,
Lee C. Bollinger
亲爱的巴纳德社区成员们：
在巴纳德，这是前所未有的一年，充满了有很多高点和，不幸的，也充满了很多低点。 通过这一切，我们的社区以及您们彼此之间的关怀和支持给我留下了深刻的印象。
今天我写信是想告诉您，继哥伦比亚大学校长布林格的信息（见下文），巴纳德将在本学期的剩余期间继续进行在线课程。这不是我们掉以轻心的决定，而是一个我们感到最能支持巴纳德引以为傲的卓越学术成就并且促进我们社区的健康和福祉的决定。
我们的教师们是世界一流的学者兼老师，在常春藤盟校和其他文科学院中是空前的。 在过去的几周中，他们一直不懈地努力把所有巴纳德的课程更换成在线课程模式。 我真心感谢他们的辛勤工作。
目前，巴纳德的学生、教师、和其他员工中尚未有人被确诊。 但是，由于巴纳德的宿舍是高度公用的空间，并且全部课程将会以在线课程模式继续进行，我们想请学生们春假后不要返回校园（除非是要移出房间）。这将有助于进一步地降低在COVID-19的下一阶段中传播病毒的风险。 对于那些认为因个人情况而需要在春假和/或本学期剩余期间留在宿舍的学生，我们欢迎您这样做。
巴纳德仍然会开放，但是在本学期的剩余期间内，所有活动和聚会均被取消。教师和其他员工将很快从教务长和人力资源部那里听到有关支持其工作、健康、和安全的具体说明。
我们尚不了解COVID-19的许多方面。 因此，我们必须根据我们目前所知道的来采取行动，以尽我们最大的努力支持我们的社区。 我知道这个消息对您们许多人来说是一个重大的调整。我们已经开发了一个“学期结业常见问题解答”网站，以回答您可能会有的一些问题并将继续添加信息和更新。 我们也请您经常上我们的COVID-19网站，以得到最新的消息和更新。
这当然不是我们所有人所期望的春季学期。我要再次感谢您在这个困难的时期为相互支持所做的一切。请继续互相照顾，并维护您周围人的健康和安全。
巴纳德学院校长，希恩·莉亚·贝洛克（Sian Leah Beilock）敬上
哥伦比亚大学的信息
亲爱的哥伦比亚社区成员们：
如所承诺的，我正在撰写有关哥大如何应对COVID-19疫情的最新信息。我们都知道，这是一个迅速发展并且非常具有挑战性的情况。昨天下午，世界卫生组织（World Health Organization）正式宣布这是一场全球大流行。到目前为止，我们的校园中仍然没有被确诊的COVID-19病例。明确一点，引导我们到此为止的原则是，在维护我们社区每一部分的健康的前提下，尽可能保持大学的使命。为此，截至昨天，我们以在线模式开设了近2,000个课程，并继续准备在本学期的剩余期间里完全更换到在线课程模式。
鉴于病毒的传播，特别是在纽约大都市地区，我们现在需要采取进一步的措施。具体而言，为了减少居住环境的密度，同时尊重有理由继续留在校园里的学生的利益和需求，我们正在制定三个关键决定：（1）大学将保持开放和运转 ; （2）本学期剩余期间的所有课程将以在线课程模式进行；（3）我们鼓励任何能够在本学期剩余期间移出宿舍的学生这样做，我们愿意在这个过程中提供帮助。大学生活办公室和您的学院将会发出更多信息。
值得重复的是，我们的校园将保持开放。但是，根据美国疾病预防与控制中心（CDC）的指导，我们对那些逗留过受疫情严重地区的人设有限制。如前所述，我们将积极劝阻大批会众。 我们也强烈建议，至少在4月30日之前，取消任何有25人以上的活动。所有关哥伦比亚的国际和国内所有商务旅行现已暂停。
这对我们所有人来说都是艰难的时刻。我们关心每个学生、同事、朋友、和邻居。显然，顾虑我们机构的各个部门的所有利益是一项极其复杂的工作。我非常感谢您们所有人，尤其是那些每天帮助我们在这场危机中为哥伦比亚指明正确道路的人。
哥伦比亚大学校长，李·布林格（Lee Bollinger）敬上