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Transcript

Håfa Adai Tritons,

We are now finishing up the ninth week of this public health emergency, and the Governor has moved Guam into PCOR2 which has allowed us to open some more businesses and agencies.

Chalan Hinemelo

Under GovGuam's Chalan Hinemelo plan, K-12 schools and higher education institutions (including UOG) are still considered closed in PCOR2. So, there will be no change to UOG operations or procedures from what we have been carrying out for the past several weeks: online teaching and maximum remote operations. Some functions needed to sustain our online and remote operations continue to require in-person or on-campus work by a small number of employees and will continue as before.

If you must come to campus, please do your part and wear a mask and practice social distancing.

Many have asked when will we be able to return to campus. While no date has been set, the University is making preparations and plans to ensure the campus is ready and precautions are in place to protect the health of our UOG Community.

CARES Act

I am proud to announce that over the last week, we have been able to distribute over 75% of CARES Act grant funds to our eligible students. We are verifying the remaining students who have not filled out a form called a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), and we are working to get the rest of the funds distributed as soon as possible.

Nursing Grads

Last week, our School of Health held a livestream graduation ceremony for 26 nursing graduates. Each of these students worked with our faculty and administration to graduate early so that they can begin working as part of COVID-19 relief efforts. We are extremely proud of these Tritons and their faculty and staff. This crisis has emphasized that health care is really the basis of everything we do. Our economy and everything we want to do is dependent on the quality of our health care. On behalf of the entire University, I thank our nursing graduates and School of Health faculty and staff for their commitment to our Bachelor of Science in Nursing program and for their readiness to serve in the frontlines.

Virtual Commencement

I am happy to announce that UOG will hold a virtual commencement ceremony at 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 18th. The event will be livestreamed on Facebook and also on the UOG website. Commencement is an important tradition in the lives of our UOG graduates. It represents the culmination of their hard work to earn their degrees and the beginning of the next chapter in their lives. Despite the circumstances caused by the coronavirus, we’ll proceed with a virtual commencement ceremony to honor the accomplishments and perseverance of our students. Our graduates will also be welcome to walk in any future Commencement Ceremony, as soon as we overcome this coronavirus pandemic.

Keep calm and keep on keeping on

We may be finishing this semester in ways that were unplanned and unexpected. Though we have been apart, we have not been divided. Tritons, I ask that you finish off this semester strong. Be proud of all that we have accomplished during this unprecedented worldwide crisis. We’ve been imaginative, supportive, creative, and kind. Please continue to be determined and undeterred from reaching your goals. Students, Faculty members, Staff members and Administrators — let’s stand committed to each other and our mission of Ina, Deskubre, Setbe. Biba UOG!