ACPA Members and Higher Education Colleagues: Spring in higher education is a busy time with end of semesters/quarters approaching, Commencement preparations underway, summer move-out and plans for work and internships forming. And we know that the recent COVID-19 pandemic is making this time of year even more difficult and stressful for students, staff, faculty, and yourselves. What our world is dealing with right now is hard, and the implications on higher education institutions is unprecedented. Many of you are being relied upon in new ways to help your colleges and universities design inclusive and flexible responses, while also continuing to care for your students. We appreciate you and sincerely applaud your efforts during this challenging time. We also recognize that higher education institutions are responding in different ways to this health pandemic. While social and news media are highlighting campus closures, transitions to online course delivery, bans on non-essential travel, and cancellation of athletic and other crowd events, we know that many campuses are currently selecting to remain operational as the best way to support their communities. Even for campuses that remain operational, we highlight that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control<https://myacpa.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ecdc1cf98fa8279a327c906f5&id=e06b63cc43&e=78ae90aa27> recommend isolation as both the way to protect us from getting sick, and also as the guidance for treatment. As a profession, we must use this moment to consider how we deliver a sense of community to individuals experiencing isolation, rather than expecting individuals to find community on their own. This is an opportunity to reconsider and reimagine the work of student affairs and student services on our campuses to potentially reach a greater number of students. Cancellations of events, restricted access, and moving teaching and operations virtually have disparate impacts on students, especially for those who already feel marginalized by their institutions. The potential for acts of hate rooted in xenophobia, racism, and discrimination are real on our campuses and in our students' lives, especially in times where the instinct to assign blame may be high. In the implementation of emergency plans, we must center the experiences of marginalized students, particularly international students, Asian American and Pacific Islander students, low income students, students with disabilities, and students who do not have or are unable to relocate to a permanent home, to name a few. We ask that all ACPA members and higher education professionals be especially vigilant in creating protocols and communications that demonstrate support for all students, whether on campus or remote, sick or well, majority or underrepresented, and that they condemn any discriminatory acts or hate speech targeting any identity group or community. At times like this, professional associations can and should be advocates for celebrating how the work you are doing matters to so many. We can and should remind you to take care of yourself and your colleagues, and to give yourself the grace to know that we are all dealing with something new, and hopefully temporary in its current form. We can and should encourage you to do the best you can, inspire others to do the best they can, and trust that it will be enough. We can and will provide ways to connect an international network of colleagues who are all facing similar challenges, questions, and concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic. We have used the last several days to organize new, low-tech options for creating a network of support for each other to connect on a set of core issues facing campuses, professionals, and students right now. We invite you to join us for a daily series of virtual connections and crowd-sourced conversations next week, with each day focusing on a different, yet related topic. Below you will find a list of the first five topics scheduled for open conversation, and invite you to join us for one or more (the Go-To-Webinar technology is limited to the first 500-people to join for each session): Monday, 16 March at 1pm ET (10am PT) Maintaining Connections in a Virtual Environment<https://myacpa.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ecdc1cf98fa8279a327c906f5&id=b488a8baeb&e=78ae90aa27> Click here to join this Webinar<https://myacpa.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ecdc1cf98fa8279a327c906f5&id=496a4b82b3&e=78ae90aa27> Tuesday, 17 March at 1pm ET (10am PT) Supporting Students When Campus Services are Reduced or Interrupted<https://myacpa.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ecdc1cf98fa8279a327c906f5&id=389d3037eb&e=78ae90aa27> Click here to join this Webinar<https://myacpa.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ecdc1cf98fa8279a327c906f5&id=461e5c111c&e=78ae90aa27> Wednesday, 18 March at 1pm ET (10am PT) Caring for Self While Caring for Others<https://myacpa.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ecdc1cf98fa8279a327c906f5&id=f8c72182c4&e=78ae90aa27> Click here to join this Webinar<https://myacpa.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ecdc1cf98fa8279a327c906f5&id=a386399b01&e=78ae90aa27> Thursday, 19 March at 1pm ET (10am PT) Working Remotely in a Student Affairs Role<https://myacpa.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ecdc1cf98fa8279a327c906f5&id=a556d882c5&e=78ae90aa27> Click here to join this Webinar<https://myacpa.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ecdc1cf98fa8279a327c906f5&id=bbccdf51f1&e=78ae90aa27> Friday, 20 March at 1pm ET (10am PT) Spring Hiring Season<https://myacpa.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ecdc1cf98fa8279a327c906f5&id=3909155514&e=78ae90aa27> Click here to join this Webinar<https://myacpa.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ecdc1cf98fa8279a327c906f5&id=bb57f0d51f&e=78ae90aa27> These sessions will be lightly facilitated, so join at your choice with the understanding that the intention is to provide a virtual space for participants to come together to share ideas, resources, and guidance on a particular topic each day next week. You are welcome to share these sessions with campus and network colleagues that you think might also benefit from connecting with each other. You will notice that each of these topics is hyperlinked to a Google spreadsheet that we have created to facilitate virtual idea-sharing across our field. We encourage you to use these crowd-sourced spreadsheets to ask questions, document ideas, link to resources, ask for help, or support others. These sheets will be occasionally reviewed by ACPA International Office staff to ensure that comments, language, and questions are congruent with Association mission, values<https://myacpa.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ecdc1cf98fa8279a327c906f5&id=67b24865d0&e=78ae90aa27>, and principles of equity and inclusion<https://myacpa.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ecdc1cf98fa8279a327c906f5&id=001900c5db&e=78ae90aa27>. Those found to be incongruent may be removed. We invite you to utilize and share these virtual tools for being in community with other colleagues facing similar questions, challenges, and concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic. If you have suggestions for additional virtual meet-ups or crowd-sourced resource sheets, please send those to us at info@acpa.nche.edu<mailto:info@acpa.nche.edu>. Again, thank you for all you are already doing to take care of yourself, your students, your colleagues, your campus, and your community. Like you, we continue to monitor the global health crisis and will continue to provide updates and opportunities to share resources, ideas, and connections as we learn more together in the coming weeks. Sincerely, Vernon A. Wall Chris Moody Tricia Fechter Gates 2020-2021 President Executive Director Deputy Executive Director