Members of Health and Human Performance classes participate in virtual yoga.

Ferrum, VA, April 7, 2020 — To do its part to slow the spread of the pandemic novel coronavirus (COVID-19), Ferrum College moved to a distance learning plan effective March 18. Students and faculty had less than a week to prepare to go fully online. Although there have been frustrations, the overwhelming assessment has been one of triumph. Faculty and students alike are finding unique ways to teach and learn.

Ferrum College’s Instagram accounts are full of distance learning posts. Health and Human Performance students are involving their family members in tai chi assignments and practicing yoga during Zoom sessions. On March 31, Director of Student Leadership and Engagement Justin Muse held a virtual trivia game with 45 attendees. And students are using current events to take learning into their own hands. History Professor Tim Daniels’ class Honors 210, Reason and the Individual, asked to study disease and public health using yellow fever and cholera epidemics during the Enlightenment to understand economics, social distinctions, and early public health care.

Faculty members are finding silver linings in the current distance learning situation, as well. 

“Distance learning forced me to look carefully at my subject matter and prioritize,” said Associate Professor of Religion Eric Vanden Eykel. “I had to spend a few days going through my remaining class sessions and asking myself what is necessary and what could wait. Students have found the transition difficult, but I’m pleased to say that most of mine are doing great keeping up with the new format.”

Professor of English Tina Hanlon has found that students have actually asked more in-depth questions virtually than during some in-person classes. In her English 102 class, her students were fascinated by retired Professor of Theatre Arts Rex Stephenson’s play Too Free For Me. Stephenson spoke to the students in a virtual class session after they submitted written questions.

“It’s sad that these students couldn’t meet Rex in person with some of the past actors who were going to visit my classes, but by doing it in writing, we got such interesting questions and answers—nine pages worth after I finished typing up the answers,” said Hanlon.

However, the knowledge remains that campus is quiet during a time when it should be bustling.  

“What I really miss is seeing my students two or three times a week and watching them grow as readers, writers, and thinkers,” said Professor of English Katherine Grimes.

Click here to see the activities of students, faculty, and staff over the last few weeks. Be sure to post your activities on Instagram and tag #FerrumStrong to have your photos included!

Heather Ellis, a senior and English major from Moneta, VA, began her last semester as a Ferrum College student with certain goals in mind. As editor of Chrysalis, the College’s literary and arts magazine featuring students’ writing and photography, she would lead the team toward their April release date. She would dutifully attend her last semester of classes. She would enjoy the last few months with friends and professors she had grown to love during her years at Ferrum. And in May, she would cross the graduation stage at Hart International Plaza on campus, posing for photos and hugging dear friends who had become more like family.

Then the coronavirus (COVID-19) was classified as a pandemic, cases spiked in the United States, and Virginia Governor Ralph Northam issued strict guidelines for schools and gatherings with the hope of slowing the spread of the virus. On March 18, 2020, Ferrum College moved to a distance learning plan. Barely a week later, the College administration made the decision to continue distance learning through the end of the spring semester to keep students, faculty, staff, and community members safe.

Much to Ellis’s dismay, her senior semester plans changed drastically. The transition to online courses proved to be a bit difficult: “We are a part of a college community that is used to in-person classes that involve discussions, lectures, and as much one-on-one time as people need to make sure they understand content,” wrote Ellis in an email. “Distance learning is a whole new playing field because you don’t have the option to have one-on-one face time with your professors, nor do you have the help of your fellow students who sometimes ask questions that everyone in the room is thinking.”

Graduation looks different now, as well. The ceremony will be held virtually on May 9, with the intention to hold an in-person ceremony when gatherings are safe again. 

“For many of us, that was our last hurrah, the last chance to be surrounded by our professors and fellow students to celebrate the tears, the sweat, and the hard work we’ve poured into getting the degrees we’ve each earned,” Ellis wrote.

But Ellis is choosing to see the positive side of the COVID-19 quarantine through the versatility of the Chrysalis team. Over the last couple of weeks, the team has been forced to complete the layout of the magazine through Zoom meetings and is on target for their original release date in April, which Ellis counts as a big success. 

“Because of amazing, innovative technologies like Zoom, we’ve had online, face-to-face meetings every day which has allowed us to not only complete the magazine in record time, but it has also allowed us to have sessions with each member of our class to get individual input,” she wrote. 

The reveal of the spring edition of Chrysalis was scheduled for April 28, 2020, the day before Reading Day which kicks off Exam Week. Because campus is on a distance learning plan for the rest of the semester, the reveal had to be canceled; however, the Chrysalis team will mail copies to interested individuals. 

If you would like a copy of the spring edition of Chrysalis to be mailed to you, please email Professor of English and Chrysalis advisor Katherine Grimes at kgrimes@ferrum.edu.

Electronic copies of current and previous Chrysalis editions can be found here.

Dr. Bob Pohlad photo.

Ferrum College President David Johns announced today in an email communication to campus that courses will continue to be taught online for the remainder of the spring semester, and that spring commencement would be hosted virtually.

The College’s decision comes after yesterday’s Executive Order from Governor Ralph Northam, which closed all K-12 schools in Virginia for the remainder of the school year due to the coronavirus outbreak across the country.

“In light of these local and statewide announcements, it is prudent for us to take these steps so students and families can plan accordingly,” Johns wrote in the email.   

The College initially moved to an online distance learning plan effective last Wednesday, March 18, with the intention to reassess the option to have students return to campus to finish coursework after April 6. 

Students who are currently living on campus will be allowed to stay. They will continue to receive grab-and-go meals from the cafeteria and will participate in the same online instruction as those who chose to leave campus.

Ferrum College will host a virtual commencement ceremony on May 9. Johns indicated that an in-person ceremony may take place during the fall, depending on the circumstances. “Rest assured, we fully intend to recognize and celebrate the remarkable achievements of this class,” he wrote. 

“These are unprecedented times and we are all making adjustments and sacrifices for our own health and safety as well as that of others,” Johns wrote, closing his email. “We are all in this together, and we are all here for each other.”

To view Ferrum College’s official updates and announcements, please visit www.ferrum.edu/coronavirus.