COVID-19 Updates

Mar 12, 2020

The GPSS is actively monitoring the current COVID-19 outbreak and its effects on Iowa State University and the Ames community. The latest university news can be found here, and the City of Ames has relevant updates here. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to your GPSS Senator, the GPSS Wellness Committee, or the GPSS Executive Council.

16 Mar 2020: The Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization have some helpful tips on managing stress and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Iowa State University Thielen Student Health Center also has a page providing helpful COVID-19 information for students. This BBC article also has some tips for mental wellbeing during this time.

15 Mar 2020:

  • The Centers for Disease Control have issued recommendations against holding any gatherings of more than 50 people. The March meeting (now postponed to April 6) will, therefore, be held virtually, with details to follow. 
  • The Graduate College has issued a statement regarding preliminary and final oral examinations.

13 Mar 2020: The University has required that all student organizations cancel, postpone, or virtualize all events and meetings between today and April 4. As such, the GPSS regular meeting scheduled for March 30 has been postponed until Monday, April 6. Please continue to check back for updates.

12 Mar 2020:

  • The ISU Employee Guidelines have been updated with some information about Graduate Assistantships; see question EE29.
  • While the Keynote Speech, scheduled for April 7th, has been canceled, the Graduate and Professional Student Research Conference (April 8) is currently still scheduled to take place.
  • The GPSS Regular Meeting for March is still scheduled for March 30th. This meeting is necessary for elections and passing the annual budget and allocations. The university has issued guidelines for changing/canceling campus events, and our scheduled meeting does not meet the current threshold requiring to be canceled; this may change as the situation develops. Please contact GPSS Vice President James Klimavicz with any questions.
  • Research Day, scheduled for March 25, has been canceled.
  • Graduate College Coffee Hour for March has been canceled.

11 Mar 2020: The Keynote Speech scheduled for April 7, 2020, for the GPSRC has been canceled.