I trust you are all doing well and staying home and healthy. I just want to take a few moments to let you know of a change to the academic calendar, some reminders, and an opportunity to share your stories of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Campus calendar change
We will continue to honor Good Friday on April 10 as a holiday. This means there will not be class assignments or instruction on that day. However, since we are not requiring a travel day to return from Easter Sunday, we will have classes and instruction on Monday, April 13. Faculty and students, please be aware of this schedule change.
Academic Help
Students, we know this is a challenge and your professors want to hear how you are doing in their classes. Have grace and patience with one another. Students, if you have any concerns about your assignments or grades, please contact Scott Gaier at scgaier@taylor.edu or Darci Nurkkala at drnurkkala@taylor.edu in the Academic Enrichment Center. Their responsibility is to be an advocate for you to your faculty and also provide any support that you need. Additionally, if you’re struggling to get things done or want any type of extra help they are willing to connect with you through email, phone, or virtual meetings.
We want to hear your stories!
In the future, researchers will study the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. They will study the responses of colleges and universities, and of people. Charts and graphs will be easy to find, but what about the stories of those of us that actually experienced this unprecedented situation? What if there were an archive of what the Taylor community was like during the 2020 pandemic? We’d like to announce the launch of the Taylor University COVID-19 Community Archive Initiative, organized by the Ringenberg Archives & Special Collections. The goal of this project is to create a community archive that will collect, preserve, and make accessible the story of Taylor University, and the individual experiences of the Taylor community, during this unprecedented time.
We invite all current undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty, staff, and administrators to contribute to this collection. More information about what type of content can be submitted, writing prompts, and additional information is available at https://library.taylor.edu/archives/pandemic-community-archive. To submit a contribution, simply complete the Content Submission Form and email your work to pillars@taylor.edu.
Direct link to Content Submission Form:https://taylor.libwizard.com/f/submission-permission-form-pandemic
Direct link to the Collection (currently empty but hopefully not for long) is: https://pillars.taylor.edu/pandemic-2020/
We look forward to receiving your submissions. Thank you for helping us capture the spirit of Taylor community during this significant moment in history. If you have any questions, please email pillars@taylor.edu.
Thanks, and God bless,
Michael Hammond