Story by E.C. McRoy
UPDATE: As of Monday March 16th campuses are not fully closed but face to face classes have been suspended until further notice. Classes will be conducted in an online format by faculty to ensure spring semester continues.
This evening, March 13th, the CNM management team has informed students, faculty, and staff that CNM campuses will be closed for the next three weeks with a planned reopening on Monday, April 6th in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Students, faculty, and staff are all encouraged to cancel any meetings in person that are not critical and can otherwise be conducted virtually.
The closing of CNM’s campuses does not mean that students will not graduate nor does it mean that students will no longer have classes, however, students should expect a modified format to those classes.
For those classes which are on-campus, many will adopt an alternative remote learning format on a class by class basis.
Students will be contacted by their instructors the week of March 16th on how they will be proceeding; students should check their CNM emails regularly for updates.
Classes which already utilize online learning will proceed as normal unless otherwise indicated by CNM officials or professors.
Despite being closed, certain aspects of CNM shall remain open, but they will be keeping a suitable distance of six feet from others and taking extra preventative precautions to ensure the virus does not spread.
It is CNM’s goal to continue providing instruction and help to complete the Spring Term as planned despite the school closure.
This includes not only providing online instruction where available and resources despite the closure, but also in ensuring that employees and student employees will continue to be paid during the three-week closure of CNM.
CNM plans on a deep cleaning of all CNM locations in an effort to deal with the coronavirus.
Any individual who has symptoms of the coronavirus should call the New Mexico Department of Health Coronavirus Hotline at 855-600-3453.
The goal of CNM’s efforts is to reduce the spread of the coronavirus and to keep students and staff safe.
The CNM management team will continue to keep students and faculty informed as COVID-19 develops and will keep working as quickly as possible to address concerns surrounding the virus and its impact on CNM.
Links & Resources:
CNM Coronavirus Updates: https://www.cnm.edu/covid-19
New Mexico Department of Health Coronavirus Hotline: 855-600-3453
Centers for Disease Control: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html
New Mexico Department of Health: http://cv.nmhealth.org/
