03/13/2020

Dear UD Community,

I write with important updates regarding UD’s response to COVID-19, more commonly known as the coronavirus.
First, and most importantly, there are no suspected cases of the virus on campus. We are continuing to be vigilant.

Any student who feels ill should contact our staff physician, Dr. Lora Rodriguez, at the Student Health Clinic at 972-721-5322 immediately.

While there are no suspected cases on campus, there are a number of confirmed cases in the DFW area. This fact has prompted us and others to take precautionary measures.

On March 11, Provost Jonathan J. Sanford sent a message to all students stating that students ought to be prepared for the contingency that classes may be conducted online after Spring Break. As of the writing of this statement, we plan to resume classes as normal. If we make a change regarding the format of classes, I will communicate that to the entire UD community as soon as possible.

While we have not decided to alter our academic schedule at this time, we do have changes to announce regarding our athletics program, major events and university-related travel.

Yesterday, our NCAA athletic conference, the Southern Collegiate Athletics Conference, voted to suspend competition indefinitely. This mirrors what other athletic conferences and indeed some professional sports leagues have recently decided.

In light of increased warnings from the CDC about large public events, the University of Dallas will postpone all such events through April 15. These events include the planned Landregan Lecture on March 21, the McDermott Lecture on March 25, all of the lectures associated with the April 2-3 APPI and John Paul II event, and a religious liberty event featuring the history of the Hungarian Cistercians on April 7.

No decision has been made for events occurring after April 15, including Commencement.

Finally, I am suspending all nonessential university-related business travel for employees until April 15. Exceptions to this rule will be made on a case-by-case basis. Please submit those requests to me through your vice president.

Again, I will continue to communicate to the entire UD community about any changes that affect our community. Please continue to check udallas.edu/coronavirus for the latest information.