COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Updates

MAY 22, 2020

Per the Cascadia College President Dr. Murray:

The majority of fall classes will continue in remote learning modalities. Here are the guiding principles for the decision:

• Employee and student safety are our first concerns.
• We will make decisions collectively using our shared governance model. Slow, well thought out, steady.
• We will communicate decisions as soon as they’re made.

As always, if you have questions, we invite you to email healthycampus@cascadia.edu. 

MAY 19, 2020

Just a reminder that you can find all of Cascadia's academic key dates (including registration) on the Key Dates page. Here are the general registration dates for summer and fall:

• June 1 - Continuing Priority Student (DSS, Worker Retraining and Veterans) Registration Begins for Summer & Fall Quarters
  ** Revised date due to ctcLink transition **
• June 3 - Continuing Student Registration Begins for Summer & Fall Quarters
  ** Revised date due to ctcLink transition **
• June 8 - All New Students Begin Registration for Summer & Fall Quarters
  ** Revised date due to ctcLink transition **

MAY 1, 2020

Cascadia's Summer Quarter 2020 will continue with remote teaching modality. 

"This decision was based on the momentum from other colleges and universities as well as the lack of a clear-cut timeline from state and health officials for return to a completely unrestricted environment." - President Dr. Murray

APRIL 30, 2020

Cascadia College is operating online.

BEGINNING AT 4:30PM ON APRIL 30TH, STUDENTS WILL NOT HAVE ACCESS TO REGISTRATION AND PAYMENT SYSTEMS. Coming in May (estimated date for student use, May 12), a new Student Online System for supporting you from registration through graduation. Learn more at www.cascadia.edu/ctcLink. 

APRIL 2, 2020

Cascadia College has made the following decisions:

1. Spring Quarter entirely online
2. 2020 Virtual Commencement

WHY WILL CLASSES BE ONLINE THE WHOLE QUARTER?

Short answer: So you can plan accordingly, and not be kept wondering. The longer answer: The timeline of when the Governor and/or King County will lift their “Stay Home Stay Healthy” orders seems to change daily. Prior to these two orders, we were in the mode of “stay home if you can”. Because there is no concrete answer as to whether or not we will be able to return to campus, and because students and employees are wanting to plan more definitively, the Executive Team has made the decision that all of spring quarter will be conducted remotely.

Learn more by contacting your faculty or checking CANVAS often.

VIRTUAL COMMENCEMENT, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

Cascadia College has decided to embrace a virtual commencement this year. This means we will not have an in-person ceremony. Over the next few weeks, the Student Recognition Committee will create options for a virtual ceremony where we will be able to celebrate each individual, honor our faculty and students, and deliver content. Please stay tuned for more information...

For now, continue to visit the Temporary Resources page for additional information and support. 

As the situation is constantly evolving, please continue to check back for updates. We will continue to track COVID-19 and adjust our protocols to align with state and county public health guidelines. 

If you have questions, we invite you to email healthycampus@cascadia.edu.

MARCH 17, 2020

Beginning Thursday, March 19 campus buildings will be closed to the public and will remain closed through March 30. Cascadia staff will provide all student services online or via telephone. The Library closes tonight, Tuesday, March 17, and will remain closed until March 30.

• The ARC will remain open through Friday, March 20 and then will close until March 30. The Fitness Center, however, is closed.

To emphasize: the college is doing all of its business online. We are still enrolling students for spring quarter, advising and financial aid appointments are available, you'll be able to access online tutoring, and all the other services you count on. We will update this page with information about how and who to contact for the services you need.

Please see Temporary Resources page for additional information. 

As the situation is constantly evolving, please continue to check back for updates. We will continue to track COVID-19 and adjust our protocols to align with state and county public health guidelines. 

If you have questions, we invite you to email healthycampus@cascadia.edu.

MARCH 16, 2020

Cascadia campus open. Spring break is March 23-April 3. Spring Quarter begins Monday, April 6 with online curriculum, where applicable. Financial aid will still be distributed as scheduled on March 30. Graduation will be June 19, 2020. Continue to check email and CANVAS for more information as it becomes available.

NEW! Temporary Cascadia resources page through April 27th

Cascadia campus services open:

• Kodiak Corner, Monday-Thursday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm, Friday 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
• Bock Learning Center tutoring services and study space. Staff will be limiting the number of people who can enter.
• The Activities and Recreation Center, 9:00 am – 6:00 pm daily
• The Library, Monday-Friday 9:00 am-5:00 pm, closed on weekends
• Kodiak Cave will remain open for students with food resource challenges.
  • Monday-Wednesday 11:00 am - 3:00 pm
  • Thursday 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
  • Fridays by appointment, kodiakcave@cascadia.edu 
  • Curbside Pick-Up Program Form
• Stopwatch Espresso, Monday-Friday 7:00 am - 6:00 pm
• Campus dining options will be closed, including food trucks.
• All campus events have been canceled at this time.

MARCH 12, 2020

Cascadia has made the decision to extend its spring break to two weeks which will push the start of spring quarter back by one week to April 6. Financial aid will, however, still be distributed as scheduled on March 30. Our current plan is to begin the quarter in our traditional face-to-face mode but we are making contingency plans to move spring quarter curriculum online as necessary. Graduation will also shift one week later to June 19, 2020.

Continue to check email and CANVAS for more information as it becomes available.

Cascadia campus services open:

• Kodiak Corner, Monday-Thursday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm, Friday 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
• Bock Learning Center tutoring services and study space. Staff will be limiting the number of people who can enter.
• The Activities and Recreation Center, 9:00 am – 6:00 pm daily
• The Library, Monday-Friday 9:00 am-5:00 pm, closed on weekends
• Kodiak Cave will remain open for students with food resource challenges. 3/11 & 3/12 11:00 am - 3:00 pm, Fridays by appointment, kodiakcave@cascadia.edu 
• Stopwatch Espresso, Monday-Friday 7:00 am - 6:00 pm
• Campus dining options will be closed, including food trucks.
• All campus events have been canceled at this time.

MARCH 9, 2020

Beginning Monday, March 9, Cascadia will -- with some exceptions -- move courses to online modalities for the remainder of winter quarter. Your instructors will be in touch with you this weekend with information about your specific courses. Please monitor your CANVAS and WAMAP accounts for this information.

Cascadia made this decision based on new guidelines issued by the King County Public Health Department recommending “social distancing.” To date, there have been no diagnosed cases of COVID-19 on our campus.

• All student services including Kodiak Corner (Monday-Thursday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm, Friday 10:00 am – 2:00 pm) and the Bock Learning Center will be open for business. Staff will be limiting the number of people who can enter.
• The Activities and Recreation Center will be open from 9:00 am – 6:00 pm daily.
• The Library hours are Monday-Friday 9:00 am-5:00 pm, closed on weekends.
• Kodiak Cave will remain open for students with food resource challenges.
• Campus dining options will be closed, including food trucks.
• All campus events have been canceled.

By limiting the number of people physically on campus, we will be able to maintain the social distancing prescribed by public health officials and maintain a clean campus. As a precautionary measure, we are currently in the process of deep cleaning our campus buildings. This work will continue until all spaces have been completed. In addition, our facilities staff are also performing “touch-point” cleaning on a frequent basis (handles, restrooms, railings, elevator buttons, etc.) and refilling our wall-mounted hand sanitizer dispensers located throughout our buildings.

We want to remind everyone not to come to campus if you are sick with flu symptoms such as fever, cough, or respiratory illness or if you fall into one of the groups identified by public health officials as high risk.

Please continue to check www.cascadia.edu for daily updates. We will continue to track COVID-19 and adjust our protocols to align with state and county public health guidelines. 

If you have questions, we invite you to email healthycampus@cascadia.edu.

MARCH 5, 2020

Cascadia is open and operating as normal. If you have a fever, cough, or respiratory illness, please contact your health provider.

HE KING COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT REVISED ITS RECOMMENDATIONS TODAY:

• People at higher risk of severe illness should stay home and away from places where there are large groups of people in close contact with one another. (People 60 and older; people with underlying health conditions including heart disease, lung disease, and diabetes; people with weakened immune system; and people who are pregnant.)
• Avoid visiting hospitals, long-term care facilities, or nursing homes to the extent possible. If you need to go, limit your time and maintain a distance of six-feet from patients.
• Public Health is explicitly not recommending school closures at this time.

MARCH 3, 2020

Out of an abundance of caution, several area schools are closed today to perform a deep clean. Cascadia and UW Bothell have redirected custodial services to focus on disinfecting high-touch areas on campus such as door handles, desk and table tops, and public counters. 

King County has confirmed cases of COVID-19 and more cases have been identified in the U.S. The vast majority of the illnesses around the world are mild, with fever and cough. People who are medically fragile may experience more severe symptoms. There are no diagnosed cases at Cascadia or UW Bothell.

  FEBRUARY 29, 2020

Bothell High School will open Monday after taking precaution to fully disinfect the school. Jackson High School will be closed on Monday so that it can spend a third day disinfecting the school after news that a student tested "presemptive positive" for the virus. (Presemptive positive means that the initial test has shown positive by the public health department and it is now pending results from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Leadership at Cascadia College and UW Bothell are working closely with the University of Washington Seattle, which is working with in consultation with local and state public health agencies. While there has been an increase in worldwide COVID-19 cases, vast majority of the illnesses around the world are mild, with fever and cough. A much smaller percentage of cases are severe and involve pneumonia, particularly in elderly people and people with underlying medical conditions. Health experts say the best precautions are to take the same steps you would take to prevent flu and common cold:

• Wash hands frequently with soap and water. Use hand sanitizer if soap is not available.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid contact with people who are sick.
• Stay home if you become sick.
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or sleeve when coughing or sneezing.

FEBRUARY 27

We are aware that Bothell High School has closed today due to a potential case of coronavirus in its community. A relative of a staff member became ill after international travel. This individual is reportedly being quarantined. Out of caution, BHS is spending this day cleaning the school in the event this turns out to be a confirmed case of Coronavirus.

Our campus safety team is seeking more information. We will inform you as soon as we know anything more. In the meantime, we have published a website with information about Coronavirus COVID-19.