The Williams Record (https://williamsrecord.com/category/news/)
Following Gov. Charlie Baker’s March 15 order for schools across Massachusetts to close in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, some faculty at the College have had to contend with caring for their children in addition to restructuring curricula for remote learning. School closures were initially set to expire on April 6, but an extension ordered by Baker will keep public and private schools and non-emergency daycare programs closed until at least May 4.
John M. Gibson ’42, a retired central Pennsylvania farmer who served as a national board member for the American Heart Association and the Boy Scouts of America and led numerous civic and nonprofit organizations in his longtime home of Lancaster County, died on Saturday in Greenwich, Connecticut. He was 99.
The College announced this morning in an all-campus email that commencement and reunion will not take place this June, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Adam Schlesinger ’89, an award-winning songwriter who co-founded the power pop band Fountains of Wayne with Williams classmate Chris Collingwood ’89, died on Wednesday in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. He was 52. The cause of death was complications from COVID-19, according to The New York Times.
Since Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker signed an executive order on March 23 ordering all nonessential businesses in the state to close due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, staff at the College were directed to work remotely unless their in-person services are determined to be essential. Staff duties had already been significantly altered following the departure of most students from campus.
The College paused construction on the North Science Building and Fort Bradshaw projects on Friday, at the same time that iBerkshires.com was writing a story in which an anonymous worker voiced concerns about the projects’ potential for the spread of COVID-19. Representatives for the College said that the decision was made to protect the safety of workers and to comply with directives from the government.
Beginning April 6, Integrative Wellbeing Services (IWS) will provide remote transition planning sessions in which students can work with therapists to assess their current or anticipated need for mental health care moving forward and develop a plan for accessing support, through either providers in their home community or teletherapy platforms offered by the College.
Sawyer and Schow Libraries have greatly reduced on-site activity in the days after Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker ordered nonessential businesses and operations to cease in-person work by noon on Tuesday, March 24.
Hospitals across the United States, overwhelmed by COVID-19, are facing critical shortages of personal protective equipment. After hearing about this shortage, Associate Professor of Geosciences Phoebe Cohen contacted staff at Southern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC) and Berkshire Medical Center (BMC), two of the closest hospitals to the College, to ask if they were in need of supplies.
As colleges and universities around the country were forced to close or move to remote learning due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, international fellowships and scholarships have similarly paused their programs and encouraged students to return home.
As students who remain on campus transition into a residential life that is drastically altered by the COVID-19 pandemic, the College has prepared for the possibility of a student contracting the virus while on campus.
Students who develop a fever, dry cough or shortness of breath have been instructed to call the Health Center immediately for an assessment of their condition. They will be asked to self-isolate, will have food delivered to their rooms and will be monitored with daily phone calls from a medical professional, according to an email sent to students remaining on campus by Dean of the College Marlene Sandstrom.