COVID-19 Update
For information about returning home for the rest of the Spring-2 session, please
download this PDF.
A Letter From Our Director:
Dear Students,
This experience of dealing with COVID-19 is not like anything we have seen before. It has changed all of our lives in similar and different ways. Each day seems to bring new changes and that can be difficult. I want all of you to know that we are all thinking about you and that we are committed to your health and safety.
We know that moving to online classes has removed the daily in-person interaction that all of us at ELI look forward to. We work at ELI because of all of you, the students. You bring us knowledge, excitement, and different perspectives. We are grateful, however, that current technology allows us to continue to interact with you and learn through online courses.
The move to online courses was a quick one. We appreciate your understanding as your teachers figured out how to make this work with very little time to plan. We know that getting started has been a bit rough for some of you. Please continue to communicate with your teachers to let them know what is and what isn’t working. We are continually trying to improve the experience for everyone. We hear from teachers that they are so excited to see your faces and hear from you when you log on for a live lesson. We will continue to do live lessons so that you are engaged as much as possible during this time.
We are also looking to move our Conversation Club online, so please watch for that.
You have probably seen that the University of Utah has decided to have all summer classes online. This is for everyone’s safety. We want to make sure that everyone feels connected and involved. Please let me know if you have any ideas about things we can do to help students get more involved in this online experience!
I know that this is a difficult experience, but I hope each and every one of you are able to find some happiness in this challenging time.
With all hope and happiness to you at this time,
Korrin Ebira
ELI Director
Our top priority is our students and teachers and that includes your health. We know
that you might have many questions about this.
This is what we can tell you right now:
- All classes are cancelled for Monday and Tuesday next week so that instructors can
make final preparations for classes to move completely online.
- The ELI team will be sending an email out soon with more information including instructions and information on how to take classes online.
- We ask you to watch your email from now on. That is how the office will communicate with you. Your teachers will continue to communicate with you through Canvas.
- We will post information here with questions and answers as they become available.
- The ELI Office will not be closed, but please call or email with any questions instead of coming in first.
- We are adjusting our drop policy for the session. The drop deadline is before 5 PM, Tuesday, March 24th. This also means that tuition payments will be due before 5 PM on Tuesday, March 24th.
- At this point, we expect summer classes to return to the normal in-person format.
- Do you have internet access at home? Please send a message to eli@utah.edu if you do not have internet at home. Also, let us know if you do not have a computer or a smart phone.
- You have our full support and we’re going to continue to meet with administration on campus and get more information so we can keep Students and Teachers updated as much as possible.
- We understand that this can be a stressful situation. Please know that you can contact us and we will do what we need to do to get you help and support.
Thank you for your understanding and patience. We will do our best to make sure that students are still involved and engaged in courses this session.
Our motto still remains the same:
THE ELI EXPERIENCE – COMMUNITY.ACADEMICS.CULTURE.