Feinberg Center FAQ’s about COVID-19

• Registration must be completed by August 18, 2020.
• Be advised that all classes during September will be offered via Zoom, with the first sessions beginning on September 8, 2020.
• These courses will be implemented through Canvas, and instructions will be provided for those who are not familiar with this Learning Management System.  Also see https://www.biola.edu/coronavirus/student-support/remote-learning.

• No in-person classes will be provided during the month of September, 2020. Students may return to the Brooklyn Center for residency and classes on October 3, 2020, with the first in-person class taking place Tuesday, October 13.
• If on-campus education is initiated this fall, we will implement robust preventative health measures to protect our community’s safety.

Please prayerfully consider the following:

• Your level of risk for severe illness. See People Who Are at Higher Risk from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  If you are at a higher risk for severe illness, we encourage you to remain at your permanent address and take your classes online.
• Your understanding that student life on campus will be different (due to health and safety guidelines).
• Your personal vocational and financial situation and the quality of home life and web access enabling you to study.

• In-Person Courses
  • Students who reside in the building will take in-person classes at the Brooklyn Center assuming such activity will be allowed by the New York State and City governments and our faculty agrees.
  • Other current students will have the option of joining online via Zoom, including those who would otherwise have to travel to the Feinberg Center for classes.
  • Likewise, new students could be accepted for these courses.
• Online Courses
  • Synchronous courses require students to attend regularly scheduled meetings during the semester via Zoom. This is the format for our Fall 2020 courses until it is possible to meet in-person.
  • Asynchronous courses allow students to view lectures independently and participate in scheduled Video Conference calls when required. Only a few such courses are available to our students through Talbot. They must be individually approved as appropriate to the Feinberg program.
• Field Education
  • Requirements for Field Education will be adjusted according to the ability of students to serve in various forms of ministry.

• All faculty, students, and staff will be given a thorough orientation to our Feinberg culture of safety and health practices, behaviors, and priorities.
• Social distancing, as prescribed by national, state, and city authorities, will be expected to be observed along with the requirement of wearing face masks.
• More detailed and specific regulations will be published on this site.
• Professors and other personnel will be shielded by suspended plexiglass barriers.
• There will be only one resident student living in each room with perhaps two students in the largest room in the living quarters.
• Rooms and community bathrooms will be sanitized regularly under the supervision of the Feinberg Resident Assistants.
• All common and high-touch areas will be routinely disinfected and cleaned by professional cleaning personnel.
• Hand sanitizers will be placed strategically throughout the building.
• Additional measures will be added as plans continue to develop.
• Compliance with Biola’s residence regulations is required. The extent of that compliance has yet to be determined.
• All students and professors will be required to be tested for COVID-19 and the antibody before in-person classes begin.
• It is understood that COVID-19 does not always present with symptoms. However, if symptoms are evident, the student or faculty member will self-quarantine and either teach or take the course via Zoom until tested and shown to be COVID-19 free.
• We will ask students living in the dorms to be circumspect in their movements outside of the actual Feinberg Center. The specific guidance will change depending upon the rate of COVID-19 infection in New York City.
• Temperatures will be taken on a regular basis.
• Random COVID-19 tests may be required if the rate of infection warrants this decision.

• There will be no Thanksgiving break (although classes on Thanksgiving will be cancelled) in an effort to reduce exposure to COVID-19.  Any extended travel will be discouraged and require advanced permission from the Program Director.
• At present, Jewish holiday services will be offered either in person or virtually at Beth Sar Shalom, based upon their established guidelines.

• International students should consult with Racheal Ndei (rndei@chosenpeople.com) concerning all travel decisions.
• According to recently published guidelines by Homeland Security, foreign students taking online classes exclusively, and not sitting in courses, will have their student visas suspended.
• At this point, your SEVIS records will remain active.  Please keep in mind that SEVIS guidance may change between now and August. We will keep you informed.
• Quarantine rules may apply upon returning from another country or another state.

• Our desire is to communicate as clearly and effectively as possible during these ever- changing circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Do not hesitate to contact either the Program Director or the Administrative Assistant with your questions, and we will do our very best to help:
  • Gregory Hagg, Program Director, ghagg@verizon.net.
  • DeLora Neuschwander, Administrative Assistant, dneuschwander@chosenpeople.com.