NW Iowa News

Colleges across the northwest Iowa region are adapting, in order to do their part to potentially slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19.

Dordt University, in Sioux Center, announced on March 12 that it is extending spring break to March 22, with classes resuming in an online format on March 23. Classes may resume in person on April 13, and decisions will be made by April 3. The university has limited on-campus housing and dining options and have asked those who can live at home or off campus until April 12 to do so.

Dordt University’s COVID-19 updates are accessible at www.dordt.edu/student-life/student-health-and-counseling-center/covid-19.

At Northwestern College, no prospective students will be hosted on campus. Red 101 and Raider Day events have been cancelled. Students were required to attend Friday convocation online, and students will attend classes online starting on March 23. Recreational facilities were closed on March 14 and will reopen at a later date.

Northwestern College’s COVID-19 updates can be found at www.nwciowa.edu/wellness/coronavirus.  

Northwest Iowa Community College (NCC) campus in Sheldon, Iowa, was closed to external visitors as of March 18, and that included facilities like student services, the library, learning center, bookstore and business office. Assistance is available via phone or computer.

Most of the college’s face-to-face classes in art, science, business, health and applied technology transitioned to online formats to start March 23. The college expects to resume a limited number of hands-on classes on campus, with those classes chosen on a case-by-case basis. There will be 10 students in each class at a time, and the programs will implement the best practices of social distancing and described by the Centers for Disease Control.

High school students taking online college courses are expected to continue their courses.

Residence halls are closed through March 29, and access cards were deactivated on March 18. Recruiting events have been rescheduled, and Thunder Friday events on March 20 and April 3 are cancelled.

NCC updates on the COVID19 outbreak can be found at nwicc.edu/covid19update/.