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December 17, 2020 - Coming to Campus for Students Living Off-Campus

Dear Students,

We are so excited to welcome you to Whitman in just over a month. There are many preparations happening here in Walla Walla and we know you are also busy making plans. In this email, we want to provide you with some of the details you need now to begin planning for the spring semester. 

Important To-Do #1: Update Your Address

For our testing strategy and contact tracing process, it is very important this semester that we have your local address. All students should go to the Academic Profile menu under the Students tab in myWhitman to complete the Spring 2021 Address Update check-in process, which will ask for your address in Walla Walla or, if you are not going to live in Walla Walla this spring, will ask for your time zone. This check-in will also ask if you are taking all your spring classes online, which is information faculty need for class planning.

Important To-Do #2: Complete COVID-19 Health Training and Sign Community Pledge

Prior to starting the spring semester, every member of the Whitman community must complete COVID-19 health and safety training, which Whitman provides online through EverFi, as well as read and sign the Spring 2021 Community Pledge. Even if you completed the training and signed the fall pledge, you must complete these steps again. You will receive a separate email with a personalized link to access the EverFi training. 

Important To-Do #3: Attend a Town Hall Meeting

President Murray and members of the Cabinet will host two online town hall meetings for students and their families. Plan to attend one of these Zoom meetings for more details about the spring semester and an opportunity to ask your questions. The town halls, which can be accessed through this link, are scheduled for:

These meetings will be recorded for later viewing and the links will be shared afterward.

Move-in, Initial Quarantine and Testing Process

Students living off-campus should be back in Walla Walla by Jan. 17 in order to begin the Whitman community’s initial 14-day quarantine period. Student athletes living off-campus should check with their coaches about their specific move-in dates and process. 

Students living off-campus will have a scheduled time on Jan. 14, 15, 16 or 17 to come to Cordiner Hall to take an initial COVID-19 test and receive their ID card and/or proof of COVID test approval badge. General information on the testing process is available in the Spring 2021 FAQs on our website and more specific details, including scheduling information, will be sent in January.

During the initial quarantine period, off-campus students should use grocery delivery or curbside pick-up services to get food and household items. Safeway offers online grocery ordering with free delivery in Walla Walla.

Employment Documentation

Are you planning to work a campus job? Before you can start working, you need to be authorized to work by Human Resources. To do so, you will need to bring to campus important documents that prove your identity and legal authorization to work in the United States; review the list of acceptable documents. When you arrive at Whitman, there will be more information and opportunities to find a campus job in the first week schedule.

Internet Access

Because all classes will be online for the first week (Jan. 25-29) it is essential that you have internet access in your house/apartment prior to that time so that you can successfully attend classes during the initial quarantine period. If you do not already have internet service in your residence, contact a local internet company (Spectrum, CenturyLink and PocketiNet are three options) to schedule installation as soon as possible, as it may take several weeks to complete the process.

Textbooks

In early January you will be able to access the textbook list online through the Whitman Bookstore. Textbooks will be available to purchase online and picked up curbside during your assigned post office pick-up time or shipped to you via the postal service. Information on purchasing textbooks will be included in the follow-up email sent in early January.

Post Office Pick-up for Mail, Print Requests and Bookstore Items

During the quarientation period, the post office will open Monday, Jan. 18 and student pick-up times will be assigned alphabetically. Your assigned time frame will be when you can pick up mail, packages, print requests and bookstore purchases at Reid Campus Center (RCC). 

If you plan to ship any items to campus, please do not send them until early January. The campus post office will be closed for the holidays and will not be able to receive packages until after Jan. 4. 

RCC will be closed for indoor student access through the initial quarantine and there will be designated outdoor areas for pick-up: the Park St. side patio for mail, the back loading dock for packages, and the Boyer Ave. door for print requests.

We are so looking forward to seeing you soon! Another email will be sent in early January with a few more important to-do items, so watch for that. In the meantime, please feel free to reach out to me with any questions you may have.

Be safe and stay healthy,

Kazi Joshua

Dean of Students

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