“At that time, and until further notice, classes will be offered online.” These are the words that finished out the first paragraph of Olivet Nazarene University’s email to all students and faculty on March 13, less than 48 hours after the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic.
This update shocked students as it came less than a day after Olivet declared that only classes of 60 or more would go online, and regular classes would still proceed normally. This caused controversy across social media platforms, as parents and students alike fiercely debated the pros and cons.
Timeline of ONU Decisions regarding COVID-19
March 11
Spring Break guidelines are released, indicating a 14-day quarantine for any student who traveled to China, Iran, South Korea, and Italy.
March 12
Classes of more than 60 move to online. All study-abroad programs are cut short. All spring 2020 chapels are cancelled.
March 13
Spring break was extended one week and ALL classes are slated to move online for the remainder of the semester.
March 20
A mass move-out day was organized for students. Students were notified they may check out any Saturday afterwards as well.
March 23
Online instruction began
March 24
President Dr. John C. Bowling addressed traditional undergraduate students. Room and board credit for students is confirmed, as well as a streamlined registration process for fall classes.
April 20
An online Commencement is announced for Saturday, May 9th, while an on-ground ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, August 15.
For more information on COVID-19 concerning Olivet, visit Olivet’s FAQ page
The CCCU (Council for Christian Colleges & Universities), headquartered in Washington D.C., was a major part of making these decisions. On March 12, the CCCU concluded early all BestSemester and off campus study programs to bring students home. This included Olivet students who were off studying in Los Angeles and just ramping up production on their major film projects, when suddenly their experience was cut short.
Graduating senior Abriella Caravette, a student in the best semester (L.A.) film program this year, lamented her abrupt exit from the experience.
“They told us that this was such a long way away if it were to happen. Fast forward 48 hours to our next class day and we’re all called in for an emergency meeting where they said everything had escalated very quickly and that Washington D.C. was closing down all of the study abroad programs,” Caravette said. It was her worst nightmare come true and she wasn’t sure what to do next.
“It was pretty much a slap in the face for all of us, like our entire world had just come crashing down… especially because a lot of people had picked their universities just to go to this program,” Caravette said. She had four days to pack up and leave.
Jonathan Pickering, a member of Olivet’s EOC recounted the chaotic nature of the decision process.
“There were times where we would make a decision, and then, literally within an hour or two, the CDC or the Illinois Department of Public Health would issue new information that causes us to reconsider. It kept things in a constant state of flux,” Pickering said.
The decision to close Olivet was made by the President and administrative team, with input from the EOC. Everything changed, seemingly overnight.
“It does not really matter who reports to whom during a crisis,” Pickering said. “The important thing is that the right people are in the room who can effectively coordinate the University’s response”.
In an article by Kate Barrington for Community College Review dozens of college and universities including Yale, Brown, and Duke have announced hiring freezes for the coming year. However, some colleges such as New York University have announced their intention to pay all student workers through the end of the semester – others are offering temporary paid time off or remote work opportunities.
Olivet is refunding a prorated amount of financial aid for room and board. Other Nazarene Universities are doing this as well, including Southern Nazarene University which took it a step further, announcing all Spring 2020 classes can be converted by students to pass/no-pass grading. These classes will not impact GPA and will count towards degree requirements.
“We are told we might get some money back, but they aren’t for sure,” Caravette said. “If not, we are considering it a donation because we want the program to be kept up and running.”
While the initial impact of COVID-19 and the decision to cancel her program was hard to go through, Caravette credits her family and God for helping her accumulate to it.
She doesn’t intend to give up on her future plans though, and hopes to head out to L.A. as soon as the film industry gets up and running. If that’s not fast enough, she’s looking at tackling opportunities in Chicago before making the transition.
