Update from President Eric, March 15th 8:00pm

Good evening Vanguard Students, and Vanguard Community 

In compliance with the provincial announcement that all schools, including post-secondary institutions, are closed until further notice, on-campus classes at Vanguard are suspended until further notice. Vanguard will move delivery of classes to an alternative form including online and directed study formats for the remainder of the semester or until further notice. The staff and faculty will need March 16-17 to arrange these alternative formats. 

If at any point in the next days/weeks/months, you feel symptomatic, please immediately self-isolate, follow the protocols for self isolation.  There is a link on the Alberta Health service COVID-19 site. 

Use this website to complete a Self Assessment 

Please inform Pastor Aunge on the results of your assessment.  (aunge.goobie@vanguardcollege.com )

Student ministry teams will be cancelled until further notice. No overnight guests will be permitted in housing until further notice.

We will make a plan to ensure you finish your academic year successfully. This plan will take us some time to put together and ask you to be patient for a few days. Please do not worry.  In the meantime, plan to be diligent to work at the assignments and papers that you know you have to do since you have time to work on it now.

Keep checking this link for any and all updates. 

The offices of the College will remain open during this time unless otherwise instructed. You can come for a visit, make an appointment with Academics, your Program Director, Campus Life, Student Finance, or any other person.

The Library will remain open for now, under certain conditions, and we will notify you about the hours it will keep.

We appreciate your patience as we work to serve you. You are constantly in our hearts and we pray for you daily. 

President Eric

Update from President Eric, March 16th 2:30pm

Hi students and community! Please make sure you are limiting your social contacts as much as possible. Try to avoid public places (except groceries, doctor, pharmacy, etc) and enjoy the outdoors!

CLASSES WILL RESUME IN AN ALTERNATIVE FORMAT

UPDATES:

1. Classes have been suspended but NOT CANCELLED. Classes will resume later this week in an alternative format. What this means is that some classes will meet electronically in their current timetable slot as currently scheduled. Some classes will have modified requirements if meeting electronically at the same time is not possible.
2. Many of your course requirements will remain the same, and some will be modified. Your professors will make this clear and communicate with you this week.
3. You are responsible to stay committed to the current timetable. Some professors will be available for chat on Populi or another platform during your normal timetable schedule.
4. If you go home (wherever that is), and it is in another timezone, you are committed to be available for your classes in Mountain Standard Time.
5. This webpage will provide general updates, the time and date when classes will resume in an alternative format, and other information.

CLASSES ARE RESUMING  AT A DISTANCE ON WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18th

Dear students,

Presidential Update Wednesday, March 18, 2020

1. The faculty has been working hard and are very excited to re-engage with you through alternative course deliveries.   All students are required to attend classes that are running virtually (Google Meet, Skype, etc.).  Professors are taking attendance. For classes not running virtually, your professor will clearly communicate requirements
2. The college will be open from 9:00am to 3:00pm.  
3. We will postpone Commencement. We are working on alternative arrangements for Commencement at this point. We have several options and need to wait to see what is permitted, and how we can offer Commencement for our graduates. We want all our grads to experience this.
4. For the same reasons the Grad Banquet has been cancelled. Alternatives exist for some form of Grad celebration aligned with Commencement.
5. We strongly encourage you to talk to your families, and consider going home at your earliest convenience. We remind you that you remain committed to the timetable when your class may meet virtually. This means you have to connect during Mountain Standard Time.
6. Please be reminded that your Vanguard academic commitments, including online class participation, is a priority over your voluntary or ministry commitments.

Update Friday, March 20, 2020

Dear students:

We are committed to supporting you through the next few weeks of classes.

1. In light of ongoing developments in the COVID-19 pandemic and our desire to do all we can to keep our students, faculty and staff safe, and in compliance with Alberta Health Services recommendations, as of Monday March 23rd our facility will be closed except in the following circumstances:
   1. Library: Available by appointment only (appoint.ly/t/library)
   2. Faculty/Staff appointment: You have a scheduled appointment with a faculty or staff member.
   3. Personal belongings: You need to collect personal belongings or enter the facility for any other reason, please contact Pastor Mikel Cowie at mikel.cowie@vanguardcollege.com

2. A word to our grads this year. We can’t begin to understand your disappointment about the postponement of your commencement ceremonies and the cancellation of your grad banquet. Please rest assured that over the next few weeks we will keep alternative graduation ceremonies in our mind and planning. In time, we will be asking you, our grads of 2020, to send us your ideas of how we can best celebrate your achievements. 

Update Friday, March 27, 2020

Student Update Regarding Academic Work

The College leadership team recognizes that students feel new and different pressures during this season. We understand students can feel anxiety and even fear because of the uncertainty of the future, the loneliness of isolation, and the lack of routine.  Not being able to physically come on campus and participate in the regular rhythm of the Vanguard community can have a significant impact. Life is just not normal for any of us right now. The Vanguard team is experiencing challenges as well. 

So, If you feel overwhelmed, and are concerned about your academic success this semester, please contact Dr. Rob Lindemann (Academic Dean) at rob.lindemann@vanguardcollege.com or Aunge Goobie (Campus Pastor) at aunge.goobie@vanguardcollege.com . We want to know if you are struggling to keep up with your workload, fearful of not completing course requirements. This is particularly important for those who plan on graduating this spring.

As we navigate this new reality together let's keep taking steps forward and placing our hope in the Lord. This is a season, not a new normal, but it is going to take some adjustments. Campus Life did a “10 tips for motivation” video for Thursday Gathering (posted on Facebook), take a look and take note of tips you can put in place today. We want to assure you that the college leadership is committed to your success so keep pressing on, you can do this, and reach out if you need help.