March 20, 2020
Dear Students,
The current public health crisis has brought anxiety and uncertainty to so many. We want to do what we can to ease your stress as it relates to your education. We endeavor to ensure that the COVID-19 crisis doesn’t negatively impact your academic progress and we are hopeful the measures listed below can help provide some clarity and relief.
- We are working on a pass/no-pass grade option that helps us adapt to the current, extraordinary circumstances. An announcement from the Provost is forthcoming.
- We are providing appropriate refunds for those students with housing and food service contracts, with details from OU Housing to follow later today.
- We are addressing student employees’ work arrangements. While many student jobs will continue (in-person or remotely), there are student jobs, that in light of reduced operations on campus, will not continue for the balance of the semester. For those negatively impacted, there will be at least a two-week transition pay provided. Additional information will be provided to student employees by the Human Resources department later today.
- We are activating an emergency financial assistance program to help students who are being presented with unique financial challenges because of the crisis. This program will include university resources and privately raised money. As part of this, we are launching a private fundraising campaign, named Sooners Helping Sooners, in which we are asking our alumni and friends to help. Students can apply for assistance here.
OU must remain a place where students have the opportunity to succeed, no matter the circumstances. We are the OU family, and our community will move forward and recover from the COVID-19 crisis, emerging with strength and a collective resolve.
My sincere thanks to each of you for your patience as we carefully consider how best to support you during this time. It is you, our students, who make OU special.
Sincerely,
Joseph Harroz, Jr.
Interim President
