COVID-19 Information
Tennessee Wesleyan University is closely monitoring the evolving situation of COVID-19. We have been, and will continue, following recommendations made by public health agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
TWU faculty and staff are excited to welcome students back to campus for the Fall 2020 semester. The campus community has been hard at work to prepare a safe place for students.
The back to school plan provides an in-depth look at how classes are changing, how we are cleaning campus and steps students, faculty and staff should take to help make this a successful semester.
The FAQ is a quick reference to what we expect as students make their way back to campus.
The COVID Protocol will guide students and employees on how to report symptoms and/or positive tests.
Below are resources for the campus and greater community, where you will find the most current information and updates.
TWU is excited to be back in-seat in the fall. However, some students fall into a
high-risk category due to COVID-19 and should consider taking courses remotely. Also,
some students cannot comply with TWU requirements to wear a mask for medical reasons.
If you fall into either of these groups and need to take courses remotely, complete the form and send it by email (with documentation) to your advisor by Aug. 10.
Please note restrictions and student responsibilities on the form.
During this time, the most effective way to contact campus offices is through email.
Below are email addresses for several offices on campus.
Admissions: admissions@tnwesleyan.edu
Registrar: registrar@tnwesleyan.edu
Financial Aid: lweese@tnwesleyan.edu
Business Office (Student Financial Services): financialservices@tnwesleyan.edu
Student Life: studentlife@tnwesleyan.edu
Starting Wednesday, March 18, 2020, all classes will be delivered online.
The date to withdraw from classes has been extended to April 28. Contact the Mosher Success Center if you or your student needs assistance with this process.
Students: Taking a Class Remotely in the event of Closure
Faculty: Teaching Remotely in the event of Closure
The computer lab in the Colloms Campus Center will remain open 24-hours a day.
The Library Learning Commons is closed as of 3/20/19. See below for details on how
to access library resources.
The following exceptions apply only to the incoming class for fall 2020.
ACT or SAT Test Requirement
Due to the cancellation of ACT and SAT tests, the standardized test requirement will
become optional for students.
Students will be required to have a 2.75 unweighted GPA for acceptance without a test
score.
A new matrix will be created to financially award students without a test score. Students
with a 2.75 GPA will receive $8,000 on the new scale.
Students who were previously referred to the Enrollment & Academic Standing Committee
will be accepted if they meet the 2.75 GPA requirement.
Students without a test score and with a GPA between 2.25 and 2.75 may appeal to the
enrollment and academic status committee following the guidelines outlined for appeals
in the Academic Catalog.
English Proficiency Requirement
Students will be allowed to use the current online TOEFL test to meet the English
proficiency requirement, so long as their country is offering the online TOEFL.
For this incoming class, Duolingo’s English Test may be used to prove English proficiency.
Due to the uncertainty surrounding the spread of COVID-19, we are opening registration
one week earlier than what is posted on the Academic Calendar. As you prepare for
class registration we wanted to let you know students may register as follows for
the Fall 2020 term:
Monday, March 16, 2020 = Seniors (must have 90+ earned hours)
Tuesday, March 17, 2020 = Juniors (must have 60-89 earned hours)
Wednesday, March 18, 2020 = Sophomores (must have 28-59 earned hours)
Thursday, March 19, 2020 = Freshmen (must have 0-27 earned hours)
Friday, March 20, 2020 = open for all students
The student classification status is based on the current earned hours (not counting
what you are enrolled in for this term because those hours haven’t been earned yet).
If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact our office. We’ll be happy
to assist but please double check your classification and any holds first that could
prevent registration.
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) announced the cancellation
of 2020 spring sports season on Monday, March 16. This cancellation affects the sports
of baseball, softball, men's and women's golf, men's and women's tennis, men's and
women's lacrosse, and men's and women's outdoor track and field.
Continue to follow Bulldogs Athletics on the web, Facebook and Twitter.
Clinical and field experiences and internships depend on input and consideration of
outside organizations. During the period in which in-seat courses are moved online,
these experiences may be able to continue as scheduled. It is also possible that these
activities may be conducted remotely, be postponed, or be canceled. As decisions are
made in these areas, TWU will rely on guidance from accreditors, school systems, and
health systems.
Students involved in these experiences will receive communications from placement
coordinators in their programs.
Education
The TWU Education Department is currently following the two guidelines provided by
the Tennessee Department of Education for potentially necessary deviations from student
teaching requirements.
The TWU Education Dept. is communicating with district partners where student teachers
are currently placed and requesting that, provided both parties are in agreement,
student teachers continue to report to their placement site and follow the district/school
calendar.
In the event of placement district or school temporary closure, the TWU Education
Dept. will consider possible alternate placement sites in other partner districts
and schools. And if the placement district is providing online instruction, the TWU
Education Dept. has recommended that student teachers may also support mentor teachers
in providing and planning for online instruction.
As of March 16, the TN Dept. of Education did not anticipate that closures will impact
eligibility for licensure; however, if closures extend beyond the month of March,
the department will re-evaluate in coordination with affected stakeholders and communicate
accordingly.
In addition, the TWU Education Dept. has suspended clinical experiences prior to student
teaching occurring in schools till the end of the semester. Clinical experiences prior
to student teaching will be completed with alternative online options provided by
course instructors.
Please direct any questions to:
Education Dept. Program Director, Beau M Whitsett, PhD
bwhistett@tnwesleyan.edu
Social Work
Social Work Field Placement students will continue direct contact hours in field placement
sites that are still open and operational with the assurance of safety for the student
and approval of the agency. Students still engaged in direct contact hours are to
follow the directive of the agency with the consultation of TWU Field Education Director,
Field Instructors and Task Supervisors. If a student is unable to continue direct
contact hours, a contingency plan can be requested to work remotely for completion
of field placement hours.
Tennessee Wesleyan University Social Work Program has developed a plan to address
temporary disruption to students’ social work field placements due to national or
local events such as communicable diseases and natural disasters.
If this type of event impacts the Social Work Program at Tennessee Wesleyan University,
please review the following information regarding Field Education:
Students should contact the field instructor and/or task supervisor to work together
if there are mandatory agency closures and follow the directive of the agency.
If the field placement is in a setting where additional support is needed, such as
a hospital or disaster relief agency, we encourage students to make every effort to
attend field as scheduled.
Students may attend field placements as scheduled with the assurance from the field
placement of the safety for the field placement student.
Student must contact Field Education Director to request the option of working remotely.
Field Education Director will assess student’s rationale for the approval of an individualized
work plan (see below).
Field Education Director will contact field instructors/task supervisors to discuss
student request. Field Education Director will provide consultation on possible ideas
of tasks for individualized work plans.
Please direct any questions to:
Field Education Director, Tammy Walker, MSSW
twalker@tnwesleyan.edu 423-746-5311
Convocations and chapel services have been canceled. Credits for the semester have
been waived.
Chapels are still being recorded and shared via social media and the student Wesleyan
Weekly.
The dining hall will operate on a weekend schedule. If a student would like a to go
box, they will be allowed one per meal.
Burkett's will be open from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday-Friday.
Dining services is open to the on-campus community take-out only at this time.
On the recommendation from our partner physician, Dr. Breeden from Covenant Pediatrics,
the Campus Health Clinic will close after the end of clinic hours on Friday, March
27, 2020. The Covenant Pediatrics office is more adequately equipped to safeguard
clinic personnel and TWU students during the Covid-19 Pandemic.
The office will continue to serve students through the remainder of the academic year. Should
services be needed, students may call our office at 423-744-8755 and identify themselves
as a TWU student. The staff will triage over the phone and together they will decide
on the appropriate medical approach. TeleHealth is being offered as an option for
patients who do not need to be seen in person, and outside testing is available as
needed.
Students are also encouraged to use one of three walk-in clinics in town.
Fast Pace Health Urgent Care Athens
Urgent care center
1019 Decatur Pike
Open ⋅ Closes 8 p.m.
(423) 746-5973
Athens Family Practice Walk In Clinic
Walk-in clinic
711 Cook Dr Ste. 100
Open ⋅ Closes 6 p.m.
(423) 746-2907
Athens Walk In Clinic
Walk-in clinic
2324 Congress Pkwy S
Open ⋅ Closes 4:30 p.m.
(423) 745-2266
Dear International Students,
As you may have heard already, classes at Tennessee Wesleyan University will be canceled
Monday and Tuesday, March 16 and 17 2020. Wednesday, March 18 2020, all classes will
move online until April 06, 2020. However, the dining Hall, and offices will be open
on campus, but all campus activities will be cancelled until April 6, 2020. On that
day, the situation on campus will be accessed based on nationwide evaluation for further
decisions. International students should know that per the presidential executive
order dated March 11, 2020, all travels from Europe (except UK), and China in route
to the US, will not be permitted, except for travelers that are United States citizens
or permanent residents (Green card holder). Even though all classes are going online,
I would strongly recommend that all international students avoid international travels
at this time, and stay on campus until further notice, in order to minimize the risk
of contamination, and also to avoid being stuck outside the country, as we do not
know what decisions will be coming from the US government in the days to come in terms
of travel restrictions. Should you have any questions regarding this information,
please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
Dr. Augustin Bocco
Contact: library@tnwesleyan.edu
Phone: 423-746-5250
Hours:
Monday-Thurday: 8:30am to 10:00pm
Friday: 8:30am-5:00pm
Sunday: 2:00pm-8:00pm
The Library is open and observing all social distancing and mask-wearing practices.
You can contact us by email: library@tnwesleyan.edu, and call us on Teams: TWC-Library.
Make a research appointment with a librarian.
Library seating has been moved and some computer stations blocked off to allow for
social distancing. There are plenty of quiet, individual study spaces and a few distanced
seating areas for small groups. Refer to our web site for more info.
Please help us stay open by wearing your mask at all times!
Thousands of resources (e-books, journal articles, databases, streaming films, music
files, images) are available 24/7 online by going to our website. Use the Discovery search box, or go to All Databases to choose an individual database. The “Research Guides” are great for choosing resources
in your subject. Academic Search Complete is an excellent source for journal articles in all subjects.
Meet online with a librarian for help by signing up for an online research appointment
via email, phone, or Skype. Use the Jotform to sign up for an appointment.
Interlibrary loan- we can get electronic articles for you from other schools that
we don’t have. Use the online form to request interlibrary loan.
Log in from off campus using your usual TWU credentials.
Find additional info and resources on the Library Resources During COVID-19 page.
Service is a central tenet at TWU. How do we continue to serve our Athens community when we’re practicing social distancing? Enter Love Thy Neighbor. Our food pantry is open and going strong for students and the community. TWU staff have stepped up to fill the void of student volunteers and will be filling orders and stocking shelves to help meet the needs of our community.
Thunder Fitness Center is closed.
The Game Room in Colloms will be open Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. until April
6, but equipment will not be available for check out.
The physical campus bookstore will be closed. Shop anytime at https://www.bkstr.com/tennesseewesleyanstore/home.
Residence halls will remain open for students who wish to stay on campus. For students
finishing the semester at home, check-out procedures will begin the afternoon of March
17. Please check with your RA for complete details.
Students leaving campus must complete check-out by 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 29. Resident
students need to turn in mailbox keys and provide a forwarding address to the mailroom
staff before leaving campus.
Spring 2020 Commencement has been postponed and will be held on Friday, August 7 at. 7 p.m.
Although classes will be delivered online, all support services will continue to be
offered. Campus remains open, including buildings, dining areas and academic resources.
Therefore, refunds are not being issued since students do have access to these for
the rest of the spring semester.
During this period of online classes, students may not work on campus. Work scholarship
students will not be penalized for incomplete hours. Federal Work Study students will
be paid the exact same amount as last month. Time sheets do not need to be submitted
this month. For any questions on this, please email me at lweese@tnwesleyan.edu.
Staff Resources for working remotely.
IT Services will be shifting our priorities to supporting the campus’ transition to
remote delivery of course content and remote provisioning of administrative services.
We are fortunate as an institution in that we have the infrastructure in place to
enable us to conduct much of our activities remotely without adversely affecting business
processes.
To that end, given the dependence required on the IT staff to ensure a rapid and successful
transition, we will be focusing our resources in the coming days on supporting faculty
and administrative offices in adapting to electronic mediums of service delivery.
During this period, please expect delays in face-to-face and physically-delivered
support. We will be maintaining a limited number of on-campus staff during this time
to provide physical support as needed.
To help with teaching, learning and working remotely, visit the IT website for the most current resources. This website will be updated as the current situation
continues to develop.
Allied Health includes: Dental Hygiene, Nursing, and Occupational Therapy
TWU’s allied health disciplines will follow Center for Disease Control (CDC), accrediting
agencies, and institutional guidelines for providing direct patient care during the
COVID 19 outbreak. In the interest of student safety, we are requesting to limit
student direct care of known or suspected cases of COVID 19 infection.
Effective 04/06/2020: Dental Hygiene will suspend all clinic visits until May 1 to coincide with the American
Dental Association’s recommendation to cancel all non-emergent care. TWU Administration
will continue to monitor ADA, CODA and CDC recommendations during this time.
As of 3/23/2020, Nursing: For the safety of our students and clinical faculty and in response to the Knox Co.
Health Dept. “safer at home” order issued earlier today, TWU-FSN will cancel all direct patient care clinical activities, effective March 23,
2020, for the remainder of the semester. Course Coordinators will communicate directly with students regarding alternative
assignments for the remaining clinical hours. Additional clinical assignments may
be required in all courses.
Senior students who have logged 180 cumulative clinical hours between Advanced Nursing
and Leadership/Management are considered to have met the direct patient care requirements
for the last semester. Senior preceptorships may continue in lower risk areas of the hospital, at the student’s own discretion, and in collaboration with Covenant Health administration.
The Knoxville Nursing office will be closed for the remainder of the semester. Faculty and staff will be working
remotely during this time. If you need access to the building, notify Dr. Vesser
in advance by calling 865-924-8535.
Occupational Therapy students are not scheduled in direct patient care settings at this time.
CDC screening recommendations will be utilized for all students and faculty working in a direct patient care environment.
Screening includes history of international travel, signs or symptoms of infection,
fever, shortness of breath. All TWU nursing students and faculty who were in Nicaragua
for spring break have been cleared by Covenant Health to fully participate in clinical
activities.
Exposure to COVID 19: Anyone who has been exposed to a person with a positive COVID 19 or anyone exhibiting
signs or symptoms are to self-quarantine for 14 days. If we suspect someone has COVID
19, we will report to the appropriate TWU Administration and the local health department.
All healthcare providers are to wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
or use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol before and after patient
contact.
All healthcare providers are to use personal protective equipment appropriate for
the procedures performed.
CDC recommends social distancing - approximately 6 feet or 2 meters - between people whenever possible. When clinic
visits resume, dental hygiene appointments will be scheduled to minimize possible
contact with other patients in the waiting room. Patients will be asked to arrive on time for their appointments, rather than too early to minimize time in the waiting room
or reception area.
References
Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (no date). [Letter to Program
Directors]. Available at https://contentsharing.net/actions/email_web_version.cfm?ep=meYaBzu0RnsdhC7q46zmbKWgFLKfuWgdBc4wO0tX8FsCkUI1F2Y43XjbmwCsTpTJbSHjDrRs4esTWwrZi-Ow24XBvCGQRR31vo7U_GrdrnxiEokrxafIjaf11Egqjuvy
American Association of Colleges of Nursing (March 12, 2020). Consideration for COVID-19
Preparedness and response in U.S. schools of nursing. Available at https://www.aacnnursing.org/News-Information/News/View/ArticleId/24590/AACN-Considerations-COVID19
American Dental Association (March 16, 2020). ADA recommending dentists postpone
elective procedures. Available at https://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2020-archive/march/ada-recommending-dentists-postpone-elective-procedures
American Dental Association (March 11, 2020). Coronavirus frequently asked questions.
Available at https://success.ada.org/en/practice-management/patients/coronavirus-frequently-asked-questions
Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2020). Coronavirus (COVID-19). Available
at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
Commission on Dental Accreditation (April 3, 2020). Post-CODA meeting guidance on
interruption of education related to COVID-19 for the class of 2020. Available at
https://www.ada.org/en/coda/accreditation/accreditation-news
Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (March 12, 2020). Information regarding
coronavirus impact on CCNE-accredited baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs.
Available at https://www.aacnnursing.org/CCNE
As healthcare providers, we are committed to ensuring the safety of faculty, students,
staff, patients, families, and communities. We are called upon to role-model healthy
behaviors every day. We must remain calm, use our best judgment, apply the scientific
principles of disease containment, and continue our commitment to improving individual
and population health outcomes (CCNE, 2020).
As of March 23, there will be no campus events until the end of April, at which point
the situation will be reevaluated. Specific event information is below.
3/14/20 - Experience Wesleyan will continue as planned.
3/16/20 - 4/6/20 All individual campus visits will be canceled. Contact the Admissions Office to schedule a virtual tour, or to learn how you can still visit campus during this
time.
3/19/20 - Scholarship Luncheon canceled. Please contact the Advancement Office with questions.
3/24/20 - Heritage Day canceled
3/28/20 - Choose Blue canceled
4/4/20 - ACT has decided to reschedule the April 4, 2020 National ACT® test date to our June 13 and July 18 test dates in response to concerns regarding
the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19).
4/17/20 - University Square event postponed. New date is to be determined.
5/16/20 - Dwain Farmer Golf Tournament has been rescheduled for July 18.
June ACT has been cancelled; July still on as scheduled.
Recent Communication
Official University communication began on February 20, 2020. TWU has used the website, social media, email and SchoolCast to communicate with the campus community.
Dr. Knowles updated the class of 2020 on Spring Commencement activities.
Message from Dr. Scott Mashburn to students about ongoing efforts from TWU during the COVID-19 crisis.
Message from Dr. Harley Knowles to students discusses moving all classes online the remainder of the spring semester.
University administrators will meet Friday, March 13 to determine immediate next steps
for students, faculty and staff. A detailed release will be provided to the campus
community and shared on the University website.
The AAC has suspended all weekend games, and the NAIA has cancelled all winter championship
tournaments. Presidents and Athletic Directors will meet tomorrow to discuss the remaining
season.
Visit, www.twbulldogs.com for updates to schedules.
A message sent from the Vice President for Student Life, Scott Mashburn, provides
updates to campus as information continues to surface this week.
Food services has increased the frequency that staff cleans the serving and food preparation
surfaces, employees are washing their hands every 15 minutes to reduce risks, and
we are not permitting personal drink containers to be used at the drink machines in
the dining hall or Burkett’s.
Aramark, as a corporation, has implemented steps to address cleaning and serving should
the situation impact us.
Housekeeping will continue to clean high contact surfaces such as door knobs, handles,
and desks to reduce risks.
A team of administrators will meet at least once a week to review the current status
of COVID-19 and will make additional decisions, as needed, for our campus. The next
meeting is currently scheduled for Friday, March 13.
Members of the campus community are also encouraged to monitor the CDC’s website for additional information regarding COVID-19.
The school is scheduled for Spring Break, which means many of our students and faculty
will be traveling. We have two international trips planned during the week, with groups
traveling to Costa Rica and Nicaragua. Neither location is currently identified on
the CDC’s confirmed cases list. Staff in Student Life offices are also collecting names of community members who
plan on international travel during the yearly break.
Facilities staff will use the break to increase current cleaning efforts by focusing
on high-contact areas such as classrooms, desks, doorknobs and common gathering spaces.
The disinfectant that we are currently using has received approval from CDC and EPA
to include a kill claim for COVID-19. Their recommendation for cleaning is identical
to the recommendations for the flu.
The campus nurse is also following prevention recommendations from the CDC and encourages
all campus community members to practice everyday habits to prevent the spread of
several viruses.
1. Stay home if you are sick.
2. Cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze.
3. Wash your hands multiple times a day, especially after you come in contact with
public areas.
The University will continue to monitor recommendations by the CDC and other agencies
related to COVID-19. We will update this webpage to share new information.