Coronavirus Information

Martin Luther College COVID-19 Update (03/12/2020)

The World Health Organization has declared the COVID-19 emergency a worldwide pandemic. President Trump has issued significant travel restrictions. Large and small colleges and universities are taking strong action to slow down the spread of infection. No one wants health care facilities to be overrun. MLC has been monitoring and discussing, planning and communicating, as all of you know. There are currently no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in our county. Our MLC Campus and MLC Early Childhood Learning Center (ECLC) are safe. We have no reason at this time to believe anyone in our campus family is infected with the coronavirus. In this effort, meetings were held today in which important and serious decisions have been made, all in the interest of reducing risk to our faculty, staff, students, and the communities in which we live and serve.

MLC is extending the Spring break until Sunday, March 22, 2020.

All Classes will be conducted via Alternative/Distance Learning Methods starting March 23.

At this point in time, plans are to resume classroom instruction on April 14, the Tuesday after Easter.

The purpose of this action is two-fold:

FACULTY will have one week to prepare for alternative/distance learning. Faculty should work with their division chair, Network Services and the Director for Academic Computing for direction regarding streamlining alternative/distance learning.

STUDENTS who need to retrieve books, computer, other learning materials, and essential items may return to campus, but should plan to make their visit as short as possible. Most should plan to return home the same day. (It seems entirely feasible that students should only need to spend 1 hr. in New Ulm — we are not expecting you to pack up your entire room at this time.) Those not able to return home the same day will need to contact their dormitory supervisor to report their situation and plan. In this regard, students should not wait until the weekend of the 21st – 22nd to come to campus — rather, plan to retrieve your materials as soon as possible. All those who do return, should take this situation seriously by practicing handwashing, social distancing and restricting your time on campus and in New Ulm to as short a period as possible.

The only students permitted to remain on campus will be student teachers who are serving in the New Ulm area and international students (who are unable to make alternative arrangements). Students who are unable to participate successfully in alternative/distance learning environments should seek permission to return to campus through the Vice President for Student Life. Limited Food Service will be available for these students. [Note: If a student has an extenuating circumstance that might make it necessary for them to return to campus, they will need to seek permission from the Vice President for Student Life.]

All Classes will be conducted via Alternative/Distance Learning Methods starting March 23.

MLC is committed to ensuring that our students successfully complete this semester and proceed with their graduation plans.

At this point in time, plans are to resume classroom instruction on April 14, the Tuesday after Easter. Of course, in this constantly changing environment, re-evaluation will continue and any further decisions will be made by April 8. We strongly encourage students and faculty to consider the possibility that alternative/distance learning will continue to the end of the semester.

Other Information.

• Student teachers should continue their student teaching experiences as scheduled with their assigned schools and defer to their student teaching supervisor for direction.
• Staff ministry interns should continue their internships as scheduled with their assigned congregations and defer to their internship supervisor for direction.
• All clinicals are suspended.
• Students will receive guidance from their professors for alternative/distance learning instructions.
• The MLC campus will ONLY be open to faculty, staff, international students and local student teachers.
  • The MLC Campus is a safe place to work.
  • Faculty are still able to report to work or work from home. Everyone can decide to make this situation an opportunity to do significant work on creating alternative learning methodologies.
  • Staff should report to work as usual, and department supervisors should prepare accordingly.
• The MLC ECLC is a safe place to work, and will remain open. Children, called workers, lay workers, and student teachers will still report to the Center as usual.
• All MLC-sponsored events, large and small, between today and April 13, either on or off our campus will be cancelled. This includes athletic events, music events, admissions visits, etc. Please click here for a complete list of cancelled events.
• Continue to monitor this website and frequently asked questions. In addition, please look for further communication.