POSTED MARCH 20, 2020 - INFORMATION MAY HAVE CHANGED.

Sent on behalf of NSU Senior Cabinet

Everyone,

Due to COVID-19, Governor Noem has continued the State of Emergency in South Dakota.

Per the Executive Order, which is effective from 12 a.m. on Sunday, March 22, through 11:59 p.m. Saturday, March 28, all work-related out-of-state travel is prohibited and all non-essential personnel shall work remotely and not report to work. If non-essential personnel are not capable of working remotely, they shall be granted administrative leave. All essential personnel shall report to work as scheduled.

The Board of Regents is providing each campus flexibility in terms of adjusting essential and non-essential staff for the upcoming week. In some instances, certain staff may be asked to return to campus for a day or two, instead of an entire week. This means, some who were off campus this week, may be asked to return next week. Senior Cabinet will communicate by 5 p.m. today (March 20) with their respective units on who is classified as essential; therefore, expected to report to work next week. Faculty members are considered essential, but encouraged to work remotely if possible.

Other than residence life assistants, student workers (student labor, work study and technology fellows) are classified as non-essential. However, there may be instances where certain students can complete tasks remotely.

Northern’s campus is still open for basic business operations; however, not all functions of campus will operate at full capacity. Campus visits for prospective students remain postponed and all large campus events have been cancelled or postponed through April 3. We ask members of the general public to refrain from visiting campus until further notice.

Dining Services, Residence Life and other essential units will continue to operate.

As of this morning, there have been no confirmed cases of COVID-19 at Northern, Aberdeen, and Brown County at this time, although there are four confirmed cases in Beadle County, which includes the city of Huron. For the latest information, visit covid.sd.gov. You can also get up-to-date COVID-19 news at northern.edu/coronavirus.

Thank you for your patience as we work through this unprecedented matter. Our priority remains the safety of our campus community.

-NSU Senior Cabinet