Ithaca College

Dear Students,

I hope you all saw President Collado’s message earlier today about the college moving to remote instruction for the remainder of this semester. I am reaching out to you now with important information and next steps as we make this transition. 

I know how important your connections to friends, faculty and staff at Ithaca College are. Student Affairs and Campus Life is committed to continuing to provide high-level engagement opportunities. We are currently developing innovative virtual programs and events for all of our students, whether you are on campus or at home.

Virtual Student Life Engagement  
Student Affairs and Campus Life offices continue to operate and are working to put together quality virtual experiences for you. We know it’s not the same as attending in-person events or stopping into an office to get guidance, but your health and safety is most important to us. We appreciate your continued flexibility and patience while we continue to finalize these details. We anticipate sending invitations via email and social media to future virtual experiences.

Please note that Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) and the Health Center have already contacted students with whom they have an existing relationship and will continue to provide direct services as much as possible. Your wellness remains one of our top priorities.

In the meantime, do not hesitate to reach out to our staff. We have compiled a list of the best ways to contact student affairs and student service offices.

Housing Update 
Effective Sunday, March 15 all residence halls are closed, and card access has been turned off. Since we have extended remote instruction through the end of the semester, we strongly encourage ALL students (including those who live in the Ithaca area) to return to their permanent homes as soon as possible. We also urge students who were approved to remain on campus through Sunday, April 5, to make arrangements to travel home. If you have financial constraints that do not make traveling home possible, please contact Dean of Students Bonnie Prunty at bprunty@ithaca.edu to discuss whether you are eligible for financial assistance. International students or other students who are not able to travel home due to travel restrictions or other safety concerns will be able to remain on campus. Student Affairs staff members will soon be contacting you directly to discuss your ability to travel home. 

Move-Out Planning Information 
In order to be aligned with guidance from public health and government officials recommending at least 8 weeks of continued social distancing, we will not be allowing any students to return to campus to retrieve their belongings until after Tuesday, May 12. We are planning to give students and families until the end of May to collect their belongings or to arrange to have them packed and shipped. Please understand that this plan may change depending on the status of the outbreak and potential new guidelines at that time. 

We understand that there may be students who need to recover certain essential items from their residential room. Residential Life will attempt to locate items in a student’s assigned room and will work with Mail Services to ship those essential items to the student. All items will be shipped UPS. Items must not include prohibited articles as described on the UPS website. The cost of shipping will be billed to your student account. Essential items may include:  laptops, photo identification, and keys. In accordance with federal law we are not permitted to ship medication. We encourage you to contact your medical provider about obtaining emergency prescriptions to be filled at your current location. You may request essential belongings by using the Property Retrieval Form.

Please note that the majority of campus facilities are closed at this point, with the exception of the Campus Center Dining Hall and Ithaca Bakery which are only open for take-out meal services. As a reminder, all students should follow the CDC guidelines for social distancing and should NOT engage in social gatherings whether on campus or off campus. 

Lastly, I encourage you to continue to refer to the FAQs to get the most up-to-date answers to many of your questions. This site will be updated regularly as information changes. 

As you all already know, the coronavirus situation worldwide continues to evolve rapidly, and we anticipate sending regular updates to the campus community. You can always find important information and updates about our coronavirus response on our dedicated website.

Thank you for your continued understanding and flexibility.

Rosanna Ferro, Ed.D.
Vice President for Student Affairs & Campus Life