Roosevelt University has created a Coronavirus (Covid-19) Emergence Response website to provide the university community with up-to-date information about this rapidly changing situation. This includes a helpful Student Remote Participation Guide. Please check this site frequently for new information on classes and campus operations. RU students also should check their student email accounts frequently for announcements from the university as well as their professors. All Spring 2020 classes are fully online format for the rest of the Spring 2020 semester.
Students — I hope this note finds you healthy and safe, whether in your home or your RU dorm room. Please continue to take care of yourself and your loved ones during this pandemic crisis. I know keeping up with your classes is a difficult challenge to face on top of everything else. Do your best, but also reach out to your profs if you need help, have questions about the course, or seek flexibility with an assignment due date.
In the meantime — hang in there, get your rest, eat well, stay in as much as possible (except for healthful walks, as you can manage), and do your best to adapt to this strange and disconcerting new reality. I’m (virtually) right there with you, working from my home office at Chez Bryson in Joliet IL, and tending to my own family during this difficult time. If you need help with your studies, internet access, academic advising, etc., please see RU’s Student Remote Participation Guide and other Services on the Covid-19 Response site.
Roosevelt University has created a Coronavirus (Covid-19) Emergence Response website to provide the university community with up-to-date information about this rapidly changing situation. Please check it frequently for new information on classes and campus operations. RU students should check their student email accounts frequently for announcements from the university as well as their professors. All Spring 2020 classes will resume in fully online format on 3/23.
To my students:
I hope this note finds you healthy and safe, whether in your home or your RU dorm room. Much has changed in these last two+ anxiety-riddled weeks. I’m sure you’ve been checking your RU email and following the university’s Emergency Response Site to get the latest updates on what’s happing at Roosevelt. Please continue to do so — but more importantly, take care of yourself and your loved ones during this pandemic crisis.
I want you to know that I recognize that this is a very stressful and uncertain time for all of us, and I will endeavor to be flexible as the rest of our semester continues. All RU classes are scheduled to recommence online this coming Monday, 3/23. While for many classes this will entail significant and somewhat inconvenient changes, as well as unexpected challenges, I am fully confident that in our SUST 101, 220, and 340 courses we will have a rich learning experience for the remainder of our course.
Today I simply wanted to check in with you, send you general words of encouragement, and invite you to email me questions if you have them. I will also set up “Water Cooler” discussion forums in all my Bb sites for general conversation and course-related questions for each class.We will endeavor to create and maintain a sense of community online as best we can.
In the meantime — hang in there, get your rest, eat well, stay in as much as possible (except for healthful walks, as you can manage), and do your best to adapt to this strange and disconcerting new reality. I’ll be (virtually) right there with you, working from my home office at Chez Bryson in Joliet IL, and tending to my own family during this difficult time. If you need help with your studies, internet access, academic advising, etc., please see RU’s Student Remote Participation Guide and other Services on the Covid-19 Response site.
Today [Friday 3/20] at 3:00pm Governor Pritzker has issued a ‘Stay At Home’ order for Illinois residents effective Saturday, March 21 at 5pm through Tuesday, April 7. Keep in mind, while this is a serious mandate to protect ourselves, families, friends, neighbors and fellow citizens, residents can still go to the grocery stores and pharmacies and put gas in their cars. All local roads, including interstate highways and tollways will remain open to traffic.
Illinois’s Stay At Home Order
The order allows the following to remain open:
Essential services to continue: healthcare operations, grocery stores, food banks, convenience stores and other establishments engaged in retail sale of canned food, dry goods, fresh fruits and vegetables, pet supply, fresh meats, fish and poultry, and other household consumer products
Operation of gas stations, auto supply and repair businesses
Banks and other financial institutions
Hardware stores
Restaurants that serve food only for deliver and carry-out
Home-based care for seniors, adults and children
Laundromats, drycleaners
Mailing and shipping services and other
Social Distancing at Roosevelt
Here at Roosevelt we have already been taking those steps by practicing all forms of social distancing, including by moving classes online and providing students with guidance and resources around maintaining their coursework while not in the classroom. In an abundance of caution and social responsibility, we have also canceled or rescheduled a number of scheduled events.
Now that the stay at home order is in effect, we write to provide you with information regarding services and resources that will continue to be available at Roosevelt.
Students in Residence Halls
The Wabash Building and the University Center remain open and accessible for all residential students. If you have not notified the office of residence life that you intend to remain in the halls, please do so immediately by emailing reslife@roosevelt.edu.
The dining center in both buildings will remain open.
Only essential residence life, building maintenance and campus security staff will remain on campus.
For a full list of student services that remain available via phone or online, please visit the COVID-19 website.
Classes
There will no longer be scheduled in-person classes. All classes will be held online. Please check Blackboard, your email, and the COVID-19 website for updates. As previously communicated, online classes will begin as scheduled on Monday, March 23rd.
Roosevelt has 24 hour/7 day a week technology support. Go to roosevelt.edu/helpdesk and if you are unable to resolve the issue through knowledge base, you can submit a ticket or call 312.341.HELP (4357). For Blackboard and Zoom related help email blackboardhelp@rooesvelt.edu.
Payroll
Payroll for faculty, administrators and staff will continue to process, as scheduled, and will be paid by direct deposit. If you do not have a direct deposit form on file, please contact Heather Williams at hwilliams15@roosevelt.edu
Direct deposit is strongly encouraged and those who have not established direct deposit could experience lengthy delays in getting paid.
Campus Facilities
All university buildings and offices are closed, or moving fully online, until further notice, with the exception of the following: campus safety, office of residence life, dining services and university facilities.
What we know today is that we will continue to make decisions in order to keep our community safe and healthy during this local state of emergency. We will keep you updated on the impact this mandate has on our community as we get the information.
Please continue to visit this site for all the information, updates and resources and email us at COVID19info@roosevelt.edu if you have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Ali R. Malekzadeh, Ph.D.
President
Lois Becker, Ph.D.
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs
Roosevelt University has posted a Coronavirus (Covid-19) Emergence Response website to provide the university community with up-to-date information about this rapidly changing situation. Please check it frequently for new information on classes and campus operations. The following is quoted directly from the latest post on this site, as of 8am on 13 March 2020.
To my Spring 2020 students:
Classes do not meet next week (3/16-20) for my Chicago Campus-based SUST 101 Humans & Nature and 340 Policy Law & Ethics classes. SUST 101 field trips planned for 3/16 and 3/18 are cancelled. Students should check the Response website above for university updates as well as their RU student email for class-related announcements.
My SUST 220 Water online class will have a delayed start as a result of the university’s cancellation of classes next week. This course and all other Term 3B courses will begin on Mon 3/23 (and thus be shortened by 1 week).
While there are no confirmed cases of Coronavirus at Roosevelt, the safety and wellbeing of our community is our highest priority. We are taking the following steps to give every member of our community the support and resources to continue uninterrupted access to their academic program in whatever manner is necessary.
Steps that we are taking to achieve these objectives are as follows:
Classes
Roosevelt University classes are postponed until Monday, March 23. At that time and until further notice, most classes will be offered online.
Accommodations will be made for courses/programs that require in-person course work, as those courses/programs are identified.
A student who reports that they need to miss classes for reasons related to COVID-19 must be excused and the absence reported to the VP for Student Affairs. No medical or other documentation regarding the absence is required.
Residence & Dining Halls
The University’s residence halls and dining hall will remain accessible at this time, but with restrictions. For your safety and for the safety of the campus community, we are strongly encouraging students who are able to remain home to do that.
For students who return or remain in the residence halls, you must notify the Dean of Students Office at dos@roosevelt.edu.
Student & Employee Travel
No University-sponsored travel by air is permitted. You are responsible for canceling currently-scheduled travel and making arrangements for refunds.
Students and employees currently in and returning from countries with a Level 3 Health Notice must complete 14 days of self-quarantine before returning to campus.
Athletics
Roosevelt University is immediately suspending all athletic activities indefinitely. This suspension also pertains to all Roosevelt programs, including spirit squads, eSports and Performing Arts, that were previously offered at Robert Morris University Illinois.
This suspension covers all intercollegiate athletics programs and related athletics activities, including all competitions, all practices, and all team meetings.
Teams currently on spring break travel and competing in tournament competitions will return from their trips as scheduled and immediately adhere to the suspension of athletics activities. The Robert Morris men’s volleyball team competing at Trinity Christian College tonight (Thursday, March 12, 2020) will compete in the match and adhere to the suspension of athletics activities following the conclusion of the match.
Athletics facilities owned, leased or rented by Roosevelt will be closed to students until further notice.
University Operations
Effective immediately, any employee who is in a high risk category is strongly encouraged to work from home or adjust their work schedule to reduce contact with others.
Key offices (campus safety, residence life, physical resources, payroll, information technology, and human resources) will remain fully open.
Student Offices (all student-facing offices) remain open for visitors with reduced staffing. Each Division head will outline a plan for this with their respective teams.
All other offices are highly encouraged to work from home.
An employee who reports that they need to miss work for reasons related to COVID-19 must be excused and the absence reported to Human Resources. No medical or other documentation regarding the absence is required.
Roosevelt’s top priority is the health and safety of our community. We remain committed to communicating the most up to date information as frequently as possible.
Ali R. Malekzadeh, Ph.D.
President, Roosevelt University
Lois Becker
Provost, Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs
Roosevelt has posted a Coronavirus (Covid-19) Emergence Response website to provide the university community with up-to-date information about this rapidly changing situation. Please check it frequently for new information on classes and campus operations as the University prepares for the end of spring break this week. The following is quoted directly from the latest post on this site, as of 10:30pm on 11 March 2020.
Students in my Chicago Campus-based SUST 101 Humans & Nature and 340 Policy Law & Ethics classes should check the Response website above for updates as well as their RU student email for class-related announcements.
My SUST 220 Water online class will begin on 17 March, as scheduled.
The University is continually assessing the situation and closely following the recommended guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH). Many of you have heard that other colleges and universities are stopping in person classes on campus and moving to remote content delivery options. Our local Public Health officials have not yet advised ceasing in person classes in Chicago and we therefore intend to continue to offer classes in person and Roosevelt will remain fully open.
For now, there are no confirmed cases of Coronavirus at Roosevelt. We are actively monitoring for any suspected or confirmed cases in the Roosevelt community. If there is a confirmed case or a spike in absenteeism, we will follow guidance from the Chicago Department of Public Health, which may include delivering classes exclusively online for a period of time.
Please know that we are taking a very deliberate and informed approach to our response to Coronavirus that considers, among other things, the demographics of our students and employees. We know that you will keep this in mind as you review responses from other entities. For example, as we consider changing the delivery of course content, we are aware and have considered that many of our students do not have personal computers and some lack remote access to the internet. As we consider whether to make changes to our operations, we are considering the well-being of the members of our community at greatest risk for serious infection, including those who are over 60 years of age and those with serious health conditions. In sum, please know that we will never put the health, well-being or safety of our campus community at risk, and that we are weighing all of these important factors as we make decisions for our University.
We have already made several decisions consistent with guidance provided by the CDC and health officials to protect our community:
TASK FORCE CREATION: A COVID-19 Task Force, led by the Dean of our College of Pharmacy, is meeting daily to update the community on any changes in the university’s response to this virus. Please continue to visit our Coronavirus Emergency Response Page for the most up-to-date information.
TRAVEL: We have cancelled all funded overseas travel until further notice and have cancelled student travel by air, with the exception of athletics. Students currently studying abroad are being monitored following CDC guidelines. We continue to follow CDC guidelines for domestic travel and are directing any returning members of our community from level 3 countries to complete 14 days of self-quarantine before returning to campus.
PERSONS AT RISK: We are closely following CDC guidelines for members of our RU family who the CDC considers to be at higher risk. CDC guidance states that people over 60 and those with heart disease, diabetes and lung disease are at greatest risk for serious illness if infected with COVID-19. They are advised follow the advice of the CDC and to consult with their health care providers. The University supports working from home for anyone who needs to do so. CDC Information on high-risk complications.
ONLINE LEARNING: We are developing plans to move all classes online in the event that public health officials recommend cessation of in-class learning. Our Provost is working closely with Deans, Chairs and faculty leaders to use this week – while many of our students are on spring break – to develop plans to ensure that all our students can continue their education and we can deliver on our commitment to provide them the best educational experience possible.
We ask for your help in staying healthy: please stay home and consult with your healthcare provider if you have a cough, a fever or difficulty breathing. Wash your hands frequently, and avoid touching your face.
Thank you again for your understanding and your patience as we work through this unprecedented public health challenge.
Sincerely,
Melissa Hogan, PharmD
Dean, Roosevelt University College of Pharmacy
Chair, Roosevelt University COVID-19 Task Force mhogan03@roosevelt.edu
Jamar Orr
Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of Students dos@roosevelt.edu
Today 11/12 at 4:30pm, the College of Arts & Science Student Advisory Council (CASSAC) is hosting a workshop – Grad School: A to Z– at the Chicago Campus, Wabash Building, room 317. The workshop is open to all Roosevelt students interested in attending graduate or professional school and will cover topics ranging from how to begin the application process, crafting/revising personal statements, and much more. Students will have an opportunity to meet and speak with a panel of Roosevelt faculty (including yours truly) and staff.
Also, Fri 11/15 isthe deadline to apply to the McNair Scholars Program, a tremendous opportunity for first-generation and under-represented undergrads interested in pursuing doctoral research after your graduation from RU. Access information & application instructions here:
The mission of the McNair Scholars Program at Roosevelt University is to provide promising undergraduates with the knowledge necessary to achieve and successfully complete a doctoral degree. The McNair Scholars program accomplishes this through enhancement workshops, advanced research, a mentoring program, and a supportive atmosphere.
McNair students are required by their senior year to complete a number of scholarly activities as they prepare to apply for graduate school and graduate funding opportunities. McNair students benefit from a summer research program, presenting research at professional conferences, visits to graduate schools they are interested in attending, academic counseling, course tutoring, preparing for GRE exams, and receiving advice and assistance with the graduate school selection and application process. The McNair Scholars Program is committed to helping students build solid foundations in their professional and personal relationships through mentoring, community building activities, and nurturing a sense of accomplishment in their educational goals at the end of their program.
While Millennials and Gen Zers are leading the way on climate change activism and environmental justice here in 2019, their passion for change and stalwart efforts against seemingly insurmountable barriers are inspired by and built upon the efforts of previous generations of environmental advocates. On such champion — local conservationist, activist, writer, editor, film documentarian, and policymaker Lee Botts (1928-2019) — died this past Saturday in Oak Park, IL.
“Lee Botts was editor of the Herald during the late 1960s implementation of the urban renewal plans,” said Herald Chairman Bruce Sagan, who has owned the newspaper since 1953. “Her objective journalism was a crucial component of the civic discussion during that complex history.”
In 1968, she joined the staff of the Open Lands Project in Chicago. From 1971 to 1975, she was the founding executive director of the Lake Michigan Federation, which is today the Alliance for the Great Lakes. Under Botts’ leadership, the new organization persuaded Mayor Richard J. Daley to have Chicago become the first Great Lakes city to ban phosphates in laundry detergents, led U.S. advocacy for the first binational Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement in 1972, was a key advocate for the landmark federal Clean Water Act of 1972 and played a key role in persuading Congress to ban PCBs via the 1974 Toxic Chemicals Control Act.
After a short stint with the Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 office in Chicago, President Jimmy Carter appointed her to head to the Great Lakes Basin Commission in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1977. After the agency was eliminated from the federal budget, Botts held a research faculty appointment at Northwestern University from 1981 to 1985.
She joined the senior staff of Mayor Harold Washington in 1985, organizing the city’s first-ever Department of the Environment. In 1986, with Washington’s endorsement and support, Botts ran for the board of the Metropolitan Sanitary District of Greater Chicago but lost by 2%.
Botts relocated to Northwest Indiana in 1988, where she became an adjunct professor at a local college and joined various boards and committees. While living in Gary’s Miller Beach neighborhood, she began advocating for an idea she’d first written about a quarter-century earlier: the Indiana Dunes Environmental Learning Center, which she helped found in 1997.
An independent non-profit located within Indiana Dunes National Park, the Dunes Learning Center offers year-round environmental education programs and overnight nature-camp experiences for grade-school students and teachers. Today, nearly 10,000 students come to the center each year from school systems throughout Indiana, Michigan and Illinois. Botts initially chaired the institution’s board of directors.
For many years, Botts suggested that the modern history of the Indiana Dunes region could become an engaging documentary film. With director Patricia Wisniewski, she began working on making “Lee’s dunes film” in 2010, writing the film’s script, conducting many of the interviews, leading the fundraising effort and traveling to promote the project, even after she was no longer able to drive her own car.
“Shifting Sands: On The Path To Sustainability” was released in 2016 and won a regional Emmy Award. To date, it has been broadcast on more than 70 public-television stations, included in several major film festivals and screened by scores of local citizens’ groups and public libraries throughout the states bordering Lake Michigan.
Botts was awarded a citation from the United Nations Environmental Program for making a difference for the global environment in 1987, the 2008 Gerald I. Lamkin Award from the Society of Innovators at Purdue University Northwest and honorary doctorates from Indiana University and Calumet College of St. Joseph. She was inducted into the Indiana Conservation Hall of Fame in 2009.
A person who did any one of the above accomplishments would rightly be lauded for the impact of their work on behalf of people and the environment. The fact that Lee Botts did all this and more — through her own will, dedication, and fierce advocacy as well as her ability to connect and collaborate with others — is nothing short of astounding.
This is a picture of a radical environmentalist: Lee Botts in her backyard at home in Gary, IN (photo provided by Paul Botts, published in the Post-Tribune 6 Oct 2019)
See these sources for more information on Lee Botts:
Join members of RU Green, the Math Club, and others in an all-ages Chicago Youth Climate Strike march in Grant Park in downtown Chicago this Friday 9/20/19 in solidarity with climate strike marchers all over the world. Options for meeting:
10:30am WB Lobby, 425 S. Wabash Ave., then walk with RU Green to Grant Park
11:00am, south end of Grant Park (Roosevelt & Columbus)
RU students, want to help make signs? Join RU Green outside the CSI office (WB 3rd floor) on Wed 9/18 @5pm. Bring your own poster-making supplies if you have ’em (supplies limited).
Questions? Email RU Green prez Samantha Schultz (sschultz10@mail.roosevelt.edu).
The Sustainability Studies Program @RooseveltU is hiring two (or more) undergraduate students to serve as Sustainability Student Associates for the Fall 2019 semester. Information and application instructions for the position can be found on Student Employment website: to apply, just login to the Career Central job posting system and upload your letter of interest and cover letter.
Deadline for applications is Tuesday 9/3/19. Interviews will be conducted that week in person or via Zoom with the goal of hiring by the week of 9/9. Depending upon the applicant pool, the available hours (30/week) may be split among 2-4 students. A cover letter, updated résumé, and writing sample (which can be paper written for an RU class) are required for your application. Your letter should explain your interest in advancing campus sustainability as well as highlight your prior knowledge about and/or skills in relevant sustainability issues and practices (e.g., recycling, gardening, event planning, data analysis, student outreach, etc.)
Desired Majors: Sustainability Studies, Sociology, or Biology preferred; however, all majors will be considered.
Required Skills/Knowledge: Knowledge of and interest in sustainability; strong writing/editing skills; effective communication skills; dependability and strong work ethic.
These 15 hour/week at $13/hour student positions support the mission, pedagogy, and service work of the SUST Program at Roosevelt by the following (other duties as assigned):
developing & supporting campus sustainability projects in consultation with the program director, department faculty, Operations and Planning staff, and the RU Green student organization;
serving as the primary student liaison between the SUST Program and the university community in the advancement of RU’s 2015-2020 Strategic Sustainability Plan
Student Associates will work closely with the SUST Program Director, Prof. Mike Bryson, and utilize the RUSLab at the Chicago Campus as their home base. Funding for the positions is provided by federal work-study funds as well as Testa Produce of Chicago.
Please email Prof. Bryson (mbryson@roosevelt.edu) for questions about the position or application process.
