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COVID-19 Information

Important Information for Concordia Law Students,
Faculty and Staff
Regarding COVID-19 (aka “Coronavirus”) 

 

Members of the Concordia University – Portland / Boise Law Critical Incident Management Team (CIMT) are closely monitoring events worldwide and in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington related to COVID-19, aka the “Coronavirus”.  As the situation continues to change, our top priority remains the health, safety and well-being of our community.  At this time, there are no known cases of COVID-19 within the Concordia Law community.  In accordance with many universities around the country and guidance from Concordia University - Portland, Concordia University School of Law is taking important steps to respond to the pandemic:

Statewide Stay Home Order

A Statewide Order to Self-Isolate is in effect beginning at 1:30 PM March 25, 2020 until 11:59 PM on April 15, 2020 or until it is extended, rescinded, superseded, or amended in writing by the Director of the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare.

Academic Policy Updates:

  • Individual Class Withdraw Deadline Extended to April 3, 2020 at 5 PM MT: As a result of the impacts of COVID-19, we recognize that the time you may have planned to study and prepare for class/exams/etc. may no longer be available.  To that end and pursuant to Student Handbook 3.3.6, Concordia Law has extended the Withdraw Deadline until April 3, 2020 at 5 PM PT.

Transition to Virtual Instruction:

  • Effective Monday, March 16th, Concordia University School of Law will conduct all classes virtually.  In person classes will continue through for March 13th.  Between March 13 - March 15th, instructions will be communicated to your “….cu-portland.edu” email to access your virtual courses.
  • With respect to externship and clinic fieldwork, such fieldwork will continue until the externship or clinic site itself directs otherwise, at which point students will work with Professor Brenda Bauges (externships) or Professor Jodi Nafzger (clinics) to identify alternative pathways to complete requirements. With respect to mentorship or pro bono requirements, Professor Bauges or Amy Henson will provide the requisite guidance to students on this score.  Please note that the above follows guidelines provided to us by our accreditation organizations.
  • Students with internet availablity issues related to virtual instruction should contact Dean Ben Cramer.
  • Virtual classes will be in effect through the remainder of the Spring 2020 semester.  This transition is made in accordance with the relevant ABA Standards, which permit up to 1/3 of a course's delivery to be made in a distance education format (synchronous or asynchronous instruction where the instructor is not physically present with the student).
  • Final examinations will be administered through remote options.  We are working with each of your professors, but the default is that your final examination will be on the same day and will be timed.  More specific details will be provided from your professor as we move closer to Final Examinations.  We expect to be able to communicate more shortly after Spring Break.

Health and Wellness Resources:

Campus and Student Services:

  • The Commencement Ceremony has been postponed until August 22, 2020.  Degree conferral will still occur as normal.
  • The Law school building will be closed to external access starting Monday, March 16th until further notice.
  • Please continue to practice good hygiene and increased personal space to mitigate spread of any illnesses, COVID-19 or otherwise. 
  • All events, meetings, and gatherings at the law school will be postponed/cancelled or transitioned to a virtual environment.  If you need assistance establishing a virtual meeting for clubs/org meetings/events, please reach out to Dean Ben Cramer.
  • For virtual study groups, Microsoft Teams is available to all students.  
  • Most Law Library services will continue to be available digitally.  
  • Academic Support, Career Services, the Student Records Coordinator (Registrar/Financial Aid/VA Certification), and other staff/faculty will continue to be available virtually during normal schedules.  Please email or call for assistance

Admissions:

  • The Law School Admissions Office will continue to be available and is excited to engage with all prospective, admitted, and transfer applicants at Concordia Law.  
  • Please email lawadmissions@cu-portland.edu, to be connection with our Admissions Team.  

Travel:

  • Concordia University-Portland is cancelling all University related travel until further notice, including sports travel, service projects and professional events.  
  • We urge extreme caution and judgment for your personal domestic travel. The CDC has outlined travel requirements, you can reference those here.
  • If you have travel scheduled for yourself or family members, please check the policies of your airline carrier, since many have suspended cancelation or change fees.

We ask everyone in the Concordia Law community to take steps to protect themselves and others by following the guidance issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  We understand this is a challenging time for our entire community and we make this decision to prioritize the health and wellbeing of our faculty, staff and students. 

As always, we communicate important information via ReGroup, our emergency messaging system.  To ensure that you receive these messages, please update your emergency contact information within MyCU.

In the meantime, we are providing information on this page to keep our community informed, and to allow faculty and staff to prepare for action should changes to normal business be required. 

Important Health Information and Resources 

The campus community is encouraged to practice healthy habits that protect against infection by viruses, including the flu and coronavirus.  

As a reminder, CDC always recommends everyday precautionary steps to help prevent the spread of respiratory diseases, including: 

  1. Avoid close contact with people who are sick. 
  2. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth. 
  3. Stay home when you are sick. 
    • Students:  If there is not an anonymously graded assignment due, please notify your faculty member of your illness.  If there is an anonymously graded assignment due, please notify the Assistant Dean of Career Services and Student Affairs.  In either case, we will work with you to address any regular class attendance issues implicated by the ABA Standards and Student Handbook 3.1.1.
    • Employees:  Please contact your supervisor to let them know you are ill.  Take care of your health needs, including contacting and following the advice of your health care provider. 
  4. Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash. 
  5. Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.  This includes your phone.
  6. Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing. 
  7. If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Always wash hands with soap and water if hands are visibly dirty. 

The following fact sheet provides information on non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPI’s) that can help to protect you from infection such as frequent hand washing, covering your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, avoiding contact with sick people, and getting a flu vaccination.

CDC FACT SHEET – COVID-19 

CDC CORONAVIRUS TRAVEL INFORMATION 

IDAHO OFFICIAL RESOURCES FOR THE NOVEL CORONAVIRUS

CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY-PORTLAND COVID-19 GUIDANCE

Campus Tools for Remote Work / Remote Course Delivery 

Concordia University School of Law is working with current full-time and adjunct professors to adopt synchronous and asynchronous course instruction, should the need arise.  Instructors will continue to use the course management platform (TWEN or Blackboard) currently in place for their courses.  Concordia University's Zoom platform will be used for the remote classroom. 

  • Faculty instructions on establishing a Zoom account are available here.
  • Students are advised to ensure they have an internet connection available at home and a laptop capable of running Zoom.

 

 

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