avoiding events and situations that put us in close contact with many people).Frequent travelputs us in close contact with many people, such as in airplanes, airports, restaurants, and large events or gatherings. Please consider if your travel is necessary, and if it could possibly be postponed or altogether canceled. One of the key principles of mitigating serious communicable diseases is to practice social distancing, (i.e. Some Final Tips: The risk of acquiring infection increases substantially the more you are around other people. This is an evolving situation and could quickly change, but for now our teams will continue with their practices/games as scheduled. The Athletic Department is in close consultation withconference officials as well asour team physician, and will adjust and utilize best practices as recommended. Athletics: As the University will remain open, Beaver Athletic teams will continue with their seasons as scheduled. Travel: As you consider traveling during Spring Break, stay informed regarding state emergencies relative to the coronavirus, and consider limiting your domestic travel. International travel is discouraged as you may have difficulty returning to the U.S. Remote Technology Needs:If you have any concerns about engaging in your classes through remote learning, please call MSU’s IT Central at 70 and let your instructor know immediately so we can find a solution for you. Residence Halls & Dining:Residence hall students are asked to take their essential personal belongings and academic materials home with them as they depart for Spring Break and to not return to campus until April5. While we are encouraging students to remain away from campus, for those students unable to leave, our residence halls and dining services will remain open. Please note Dining Services will be closed from March 14 until 5 pm on March 22, as previously scheduled for Spring Break. Be sure to monitor Blackboard and your MSU email account for updates from your instructors. Individual faculty members are best positioned to determine alternative methods of instruction that will meet course objectives and student needs during this time – especially in courses involving labs, clinical experiences, music lessons/performances, etc. Remote Learning: Course information will be available through Blackboard as the main communication tool beginning Monday, March 23 through Friday, April 3. However, hours of operation and services in certain departments may be limited depending on employee availability and campus needs. University Operations: At this time, the MSU campus intends to remain open during the next three weeks and has no plans of suspending operations. Please read below for more information on how we will support the teaching and learning environment at MSU. In light of the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak and rapidly changing conditions, including the fact that North Dakota’s first confirmed case was identified yesterday here in Ward County, MSU will shift on-campus/in-person classes to remote instructional delivery for the two weeks following Spring Break.Minot State University will remain open, but there will be no face-to-face classes held on campus during the weeks of March 23-27 and March 30-April 3.Faculty will determine how best toutilizetechnology so students can continue with their education during these two weeks. From Minot State University President Steven Shirley: MSU Community, Please read this entire message: The health and well-being of our entire community of students, faculty, and staff is our highest priority.