Editor’s note: The following message was sent to University of Delaware students by José-Luis Riera, vice president for Student Life, and Adam Cantley, dean of students, on March 24, 2020.

Dear students,

As UD prepares to resume its spring semester, we find our community in the midst of a public health threat unlike anything we have ever experienced before. We are reaching out to share important information for you to keep in mind to protect your health and wellbeing during this time.

The State of Delaware has issued a Stay-At-Home Order until May 15, or until the coronavirus (COVID-19) public health threat is eliminated. All non-essential businesses are now closed as of 8 a.m. on March 24, and Delaware residents are only permitted to leave their homes for essential activities such as purchasing groceries or visiting a doctor or pharmacy; only select restaurants continue to operate, limiting service to take-out only. This latest update from Gov. Carney requires Delawareans to stay at home whenever possible and adhere to social distancing guidelines with very limited interactions, including refraining from organizing or attending social gatherings of any size. This applies to all students in our local community, no matter where you are living, on campus or off campus.

In addition, the City of Newark and University of Delaware police departments will actively continue patrol initiatives in support of this order with keen attention to the City of Newark’s unruly gathering ordinance, the city council’s recent emergency ordinance related to social gatherings during the pandemic situation and, of course, enforcement of UD’s student code of conduct where applicable. During this time, we want to share the following guidance:

• Off-Campus Students: If you choose to continue living off-campus during this time, please keep in mind requirements associated with the State Order noted above will be strictly enforced. If you have returned to your permanent home for spring break, you should consider staying there for the remainder of the semester. If you must return to your off-campus housing, please know campus support resources will continue to be available and we encourage you to reach out for any assistance you may need.
• Students Living in Residence Halls: For the small population of students who are living in our residence halls due to special circumstances limiting their ability to leave campus at this time, Residence Life & Housing will continue to communicate any relevant information as this situation unfolds.  Please know we stand committed to providing you with any necessary support to foster a safe and healthy environment and enable your success for the remainder of the semester.
• Students in Need: If you are struggling to maintain access to housing, food, internet or other basic needs, please reach out to deanofstudents@udel.edu so that we can connect you to resources.

We can assure you that faculty and staff are working around the clock to transition your academic and co-curricular services and programs to a remote learning environment. We will be in touch later this week to share more details about how you can access Student Life support services and engagement opportunities for the remainder of the semester.  24-hour services such as the UD Helpline at 302-831-1001 and the Crisis Text Line at 741741 (send UDTEXT) remain available for any student in need.

Please remember that you are students today, Blue Hens forever. We will always be connected as a community, and like you, we cannot wait to get back on The Green when this public health threat has passed.

Until then, please be safe and be well.

Sincerely,

José-Luis Riera, vice president for Student Life

Adam D. Cantley, dean of students

udel.edu/studentlife