In compliance with Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers ordering the closure of all non-essential business, Southwest Tech campus was closed as of Monday, March 23.
All student support services will be transitioned to alternative delivery methods.
UPDATE FROM PRESIDENT, JASON S. WOOD, Ph.D. – April 4, 2020
Greetings, College Family. 🙂
Thank you! Thank you for your hard work, creative adaptations, and compassionate care for each other and our students. We continue to deliver high-quality teaching and support services in a chaotic environment fraught with uncertainty. The increased demands affect every single member of our college family in unique ways. Most of you have made major adjustments to adapt to remote work in an online environment while providing for constantly changing situations in your own homes. Despite our isolation, we share this journey.
We are learning to work together in a time when the health and safety of our communities depend on our separation from each other. Lao Tzu, an ancient Chinese philosopher, provided the following counsel, “Be careful what you water your dreams with. Water them with worry and fear and you will produce weeds that choke the life from your dream. Water them with optimism and solutions and you will cultivate success. Always be on the lookout for ways to nurture your dream.” There are two components to these words of wisdom that are relevant to us in our current situation.
First, we know this pandemic will cause us all to experience a variety of emotions including grief, anger, loneliness, despair, and frustration. In these moments, please reach out for help and support. There is professional assistance through licensed counselors who can nurture your mental and emotional health. Simply contact Life Matters, (Employee Assistance Program info and password attached) for confidential support sessions. If you need someone to help you with work-related concerns, please speak with your supervisor or someone in Human Resources. We are intently focused on caring for your needs.
Previous Updates
Contact our Team
If you have thoughts, ideas, feedback, or questions, please send a note to our COVID-19 Responce Team by using the link below. Members of our team regularly monitoring this feedback.
See the following for specific information.
COVID-19 FAQs
Financial aid disbursement was completed early! Financial Aid Checks were mailed Friday, March 20, 2020. We hope this will assist our students who were negatively affected as a result of the COVIC-19 outbreak.
- For students who had face-to-face classes prior to spring break, attendance was verified through Schoology rather than the green attendance card.
- For online students, attendance will be verified through Schoology.
- All refund checks were mailed on Friday, March 20th. For the health and safety of our students, faculty, and staff, checks will not be available for pick up.
If you have questions or concerns, please email financial-aid@swtc.edu.
As this situation continues to evolve, we recommend visiting the Wisconsin Department of Health Sevices (WDHS) website for the latest statistics.
Southwest Tech is monitoring the situation closely and referring to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, as well as core emergency response team and safety partners to ensure that we can keep the campus safe as the situation develops.
If a local case is reported, Southwest Tech will take immediate steps in accordance with CDC guidelines to respond to any health and safety risk to the campus community.
If someone has been in contact with a confirmed case and develops symptoms, they should fill out the Concerns Form on our website and wait for instructions on further evaluation.
If a student has a positive COVID-19 screening, they will be isolated for assessment and Southwest Tech staff will continue to follow CDC guidance to prevent the spread of infection. Local healthcare organizations are following the same protocol with their patients.
Southwest Tech is carefully monitoring the circumstances and will continue to comply with CDC best practices and guidance as they are released.
Self-Quarantine
Self-quarantine means the isolation of people who are healthy and exposed. This is recommended for individuals returning from Level 3 Travel Advisory areas.
Self-quarantine instructions:
- Stay home (or other location approved by your local health department). This means do not go to school, work, public areas, or attend large gatherings. If you need medical care, call your health care provider. Call ahead before you go to your doctor’s office or to an emergency room. Tell them your symptoms and that you traveled to an area of the world experiencing a COVID-19 outbreak.
- Do not use public transportation, ride-sharing, or taxis.
- Postpone any travel. If travel is absolutely necessary, you need to coordinate with your local health department. If you travel and become ill, you may not be able to return home.
- Wash your hands often and practice good hygiene.
- As long as you feel healthy, you may leave the home (in a private vehicle) for a limited time to take care of routine and necessary activities, such as grocery shopping or visiting the pharmacy. Try to avoid busy times of day.
- Postpone all non-essential medical appointments until you are out of quarantine. If you have an essential appointment during the quarantine, tell your local health department who will help coordinate the visit.
- Consider minimizing contact with people and animals in your home (stay in your own room and, if possible, use your own bathroom). Avoid sharing personal household items such as dishes, towels, and bedding.
Self-Monitoring
Self-monitoring is suggested for individuals who returned from countries with a Level 2 Travel Health Notice.
Self-monitoring instructions:
- Measure your temperature twice a day. If you do not have a thermometer or need instructions for using one, let your local public health department know.
- Watch for a cough or difficulty breathing.
If you develop fever, cough, have difficulty breathing, or need medical care:
- Call your health care provider. Call ahead before you go to your doctor’s office or to an emergency room. Tell them your symptoms and that you traveled to an area of the world experiencing a COVID-19 outbreak.
- Do not use public transportation, ride-sharing, or taxis.
- If possible, wear a face mask if you need to be around other people.
- Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough and sneeze.
If you need emergency medical attention during the 14 days after your return, call 911 and let them know that you traveled to an area of the world experiencing a COVID-19 outbreak.
Public health officials, including the CDC and WHO, do not recommend that people without symptoms wear a mask. You may be asked to wear a mask when visiting a healthcare facility.
Guidance from the World Health Organization
Wearing a medical mask can help limit the spread of some respiratory disease. However, using a mask alone is not guaranteed to stop infections and should be combined with other prevention measures including hand and respiratory hygiene and avoiding close contact – at least three feet distance between yourself and other people.
WHO advises on rational use of medical masks thus avoiding unnecessary wastage of precious resources and potential mis-use of masks. This means using masks only if you have respiratory symptoms (coughing or sneezing), have suspected 2019-nCoV infection with mild symptoms or are caring for someone with suspected 2019-nCoV infection. A suspected 2019-nCoV infection is linked to travel in an area in China where 2019-nCoV has been reported, or close contact with someone who has traveled from China and has respiratory symptoms.
There is currently no vaccine to prevent COVID-19. The best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to this virus.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth
- Stay home in accordance with the latest updates from the CDC and WDHS
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
- If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Always wash hands with soap and water if hands are visibly dirty.
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As a college, our greatest strength is our faculty and staff who care so much about your students and communities. Please rely on our collective kindness and mutual respect to guide us through uncertain times. Please know we hope you and those close to you remain healthy.