Historical Communication

These are past DMACC updates on COVID-19 and are being archived for historical purposes. All the information here was accurate at time of posting, however, as fast as information is changing, these may no longer be correct. Please check the Coronavirus Homepage for the latest updates.

3/20/2020

DMACC Cancels Spring Semester Commencement Ceremonies.

Funds will instead be used to Assist Students.

DMACC announced today the College-wide cancellation of its Spring Semester Commencement Ceremonies due to the impact of COVID-19.

“We have decided to cancel DMACC’s Spring Commencement to protect the health of students, faculty and staff and the thousands of family and guests who attend these events,” said Rob Denson, DMACC President. “Instead, we will use funds that would have paid for graduation ceremonies for direct service to students who are impacted by the COVID-19.”

This announcement impacts the Spring Semester Commencement Ceremony at Wells Fargo Arena in downtown Des Moines that was scheduled for Wednesday, May 6, the DMACC Boone Campus Commencement that was to be held in the Boone Campus Gymnasium and the DMACC Carroll Campus Commencement to be held at the Carroll Senior High School. All graduating students that meet the requirements will receive their Diploma or Degree in the mail in the weeks following the end of the term.

“We are hoping we can eventually reschedule these events so our students and their families can celebrate this significant accomplishment,” added Denson. “We are also exploring options for a virtual or livestreamed graduation address.”

Denson said, regardless of what is ultimately determined, any student who cannot attend a rescheduled or virtual graduation ceremony will be able to participate in an upcoming ceremony within a year of their official date.

“We will do the best we can. We believe that it’s important that students have the opportunity to walk across that stage, receive their diploma and be recognized for successfully completing this milestone in their academic career,” Denson said.

3/16/2020

Trail Point Closing. Based on the latest advice from governmental authorities regarding COVID-19, Trail Point Aquatics & Wellness will be closed and all on-site activities will be cancelled beginning Tuesday, March 17 until further notice. All memberships will go on "Freeze" and your bank account will not be charged during this time. Members, please check your email for more details.

3/13/20

DMACC Continuing Education and non-credit courses will continue as planned. Any exceptions to this statement will be addressed on a case-by-case basis. All campuses and centers will remain open and all services will operate as usual.

The impact of an outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19) at DMACC could be damaging. Ongoing updates will be posted online on this page.

We encourage the DMACC community to take appropriate steps to protect their health and safety and prevent the spread of illness:

Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use hand sanitizer, with 60-95% alcohol if water is not available.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.
Avoid contact with people who are sick.
Stay home while you are sick and avoid close contact with others.
Cover your mouth and nose with your elbow or a tissue when coughing or sneezing, and immediately dispose of the used tissue.

If you have specific questions, please contact the DMACC Continuing Education office at 515-256-4912.

03/13/20

All campuses will remain open and all services will operate as usual. Computer labs will be available for student use.

In an effort to support public health, DMACC has made some changes to course delivery over the next few weeks.

March 16-20:

Spring Break

March 23-28:

DMACC Campuses/Centers open and operating

Face-to-Face Credit Classes will not meet unless notified
Online continues as usual
Web-Blended Classes will resume utilizing ONLINE delivery format
Non-Credit continues as usual

March 30 and until further notice:

DMACC Campuses/Centers open and operating

Online delivery of Face-to-Face credit classes begins unless otherwise notified
Select lab-based, hands-on classes will meet as scheduled in a Face-to-Face format
Online continues as usual
Web-Blended Classes will continue the online delivery format
Non-Credit continues as usual

Any exceptions to this statement will be addressed on a case-by-case basis.

3/11/20

DMACC Takes New Steps to Protect Students and Communities from Coronavirus Pandemic

DMACC will continue with the College's planned Spring Break, March 16-20.

In an effort to support public health:

Face-to-face classes will not meet the week of March 23-28. This will allow self-isolation and social distancing to be a priority for anyone who has traveled during break.
Existing online courses will resume on March 23, as planned.
Any exceptions will be addressed on a case-by-case basis.

Beginning March 30:

The majority of classes will be delivered online until further notice.
Select lab-based, hands-on classes will meet as scheduled in a face-to-face format. Faculty, staff, and students will be notified of details over the next several days.
All campuses will remain open and all services will operate as usual. This includes Trail Point Aquatics and Wellness, computer labs and DMACC libraries.

The Spring term will end the week of May 4, 2020, as planned.

Coronavirus Statements From President Denson

3/23/2020

All DMACC Students:

Today begins the first week after DMACC’s Spring Break. The next 14 days could be our most “at-risk” period as those who travelled out-of-State, or beyond, return home. I am very concerned.

I received the memo below from ISU President Wendy Wintersteen last evening, mentioning the Governor’s repeated encouragement to stay home.

I believe the Governor and President Wintersteen are absolutely correct.

DMACC has taken many prudent steps to help contain COVID-19. Our Campuses and Centers are closed to the public and only a few employees deemed essential to current operations are to be on any DMACC property. DMACC students are not to be on any Campus or Center.

Unless specifically approved by a College official, everyone else must stay home and reduce contact with others, at least for the next 14 days. Again, this is particularly true of anyone who has travelled.

Check the DMACC Website for Student information: https://www.dmacc.edu/coronavirus/Pages/student-faq.aspx

Student Services information: https://www.dmacc.edu/coronavirus/Pages/student-services.aspx

All you classes will be delivered online until April 13. If you were in a web-blended class, the online portions will continue to meet.

Again, check our website for information and services.

If we can get on top of this right now we will be a part of the solution, for DMACC and all of Iowa.

Please stay home. Be Safe!

Rob Denson
DMACC President

3/9/2020

To All DMACC Students:

The impact of an outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19) at DMACC could be damaging. Yesterday, Iowa confirmed three cases within Johnson County. Fortunately, none required hospitalization and are recovering at home in isolation.

With DMACC's Spring Break approaching, I'd urge you to carefully weigh the risks and benefits, and possibly even reconsider your Spring break activities or other personal travel, internationally or within the United States, and review the U.S. Centers for Disease Control Travel FAQ. As you know, cruises and plane flights are a risk. Nothing is worth the risk to your health, or the health of others.

To ensure you always have access to the latest information and guidance, this website is continually being updated.

There are real risks right now. Saturday, I cancelled a College-related trip I was to take to Denver, CO. during Spring break, due to all the COVID-19 concerns. I have instructed all faculty or staff that College-related business trips should be reconsidered and that we will respect and support their wishes.

We request that any DMACC student, faculty, or staff member take the following precautions:

Stay home for 14 days and monitor your health after you visit and leave any country with a Level 3 Travel Health Notice.
Monitor your health and report any symptoms of illness consistent with COVID-19 infection (fever, cough, shortness of breath).to your health provider via telephone. Please do this before you go to a hospital, clinic, or your doctor's office and follow their guidance.
If you develop symptoms — PLEASE stay home and self-isolate. DMACC supports your well-being as our #1 concern during this time and recommends that if you are experiencing a fever, cough, shortness of breath - stay home and call your health provider before visiting their facilities. Your provider will need to take special measures to protect other people in the clinic. Telemedicine may also be available, enabling you to consult a provider from home.
Contact your instructors to keep them aware of your situation. Do not come to campus to notify them. Send them an email so that you can document your concern. DMACC reserves the right to ask anyone to stay off campus for the recommended time-frames if DMACC, in its sole discretion, believes there is a risk of infection transmission. Again, we want to protect you and all other students, faculty, and staff.

In addition, based on the most recent guidance from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH), the evolving impact of COVID-19, and the recent decision made by the Board of Regents, DMACC has cancelled College-sponsored international travel for all faculty, staff and students for 30 days (including spring break) effective immediately. Trips beyond 30 days will be considered over the next several weeks. These were not easy decisions to make. We recognize that some of these opportunities are incredible experiences for the growth and learning of our students. However, we are prioritizing the health and safety of all individuals and we will attempt to provide similar opportunities in the future and minimize any financial losses.

We encourage the DMACC community to take appropriate steps to protect their health and safety and prevent the spread of illness:

Cover your nose and mouth with tissues when you cough or sneeze and then place, don't throw, the tissue in the trash after use.
Wash hands often with soap and water, especially after coughing or sneezing. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers are also effective.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth to avoid spreading germs.
Improve your immune system by getting enough rest, exercise regularly, and eat healthy.

We want you to be safe.

Rob Denson
President

2/27/2020

As you have no doubt seen in news reports, there is an expanding global outbreak of a respiratory illness caused by a novel (new) coronavirus. The disease the virus causes has been named COVID-19. While most COVID-19 cases are associated with travel to or from China, person-to-person spread is now being reported in other places, including Hong Kong, Iran, Italy, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and at least one suspected person-to-person transmission in the US.

There are currently no known cases of COVID-19 in Iowa. For the general public, who are unlikely to be exposed to the virus at this time, we are being told that the immediate health risk from COVID-19 is low; however, the potential of the public health threat is high.

Recognizing the potential public health threat, DMACC is working with state and local public health partners to coordinate, review, and update our emergency plans. It is important to prepare for the potential of COVID-19 in the same way that we would prepare for any other events that could disrupt the normal routine of the college and cause harm to our students and employees.

We are taking all possible types of disruptions into consideration as we update our emergency plans.

Please be mindful that, while COVID-19 is not currently circulating in the U.S. or in Iowa, influenza is circulating at high levels.

The prevention measures for influenza and COVID-19 are the same.