The health of the Diné College community is our priority
This website will be updated regularly with information about the Novel Coronavirus affecting the Diné College community. The Centers For Disease Control and Prevention has the most up-to-date information about the status of the Novel Coronavirus in the US.
Students
3/26/2020 – TSAILE, Ariz. — New cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) increased by 20 among Navajo people. Navajo Department of Health and Navajo Area IHS confirmed this week that the number of positive tests for COVID-19 has reached a total of 69 for Navajo people. The cases include 43 in Navajo County, eight in Apache County, six in Coconino County in Arizona, and four in McKinley County, seven in San Juan County, and one in Cibola County in New Mexico.
Everyone connected to Diné College is being asked to follow guidelines set forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A Shelter-at-Home order was put in place by Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez. The order mandates people around Navajo to stay inside. New cases of COVID-19 increases by 20 among Navajo people.
There are informational updates for students and employees of Diné College on COVID-19 that are posted on the college’s Facebook page and which are logged in on a student thread on the Diné College webpage. An Incident Command Team (ICT) has been put in place and the ICT meets daily and a hotline number (928) 724-6900 is in place. There is a contingency plan being developed for students and staff, which includes working from online and working from home.
For students at either of the college’s six campuses, online tutoring is available in math and writing through email, zoom and blackboard through the tutoring matching service. To schedule a tutoring session, students should contact tutors Joyce Hoskie (jmhskie@dinecollege.edu), Alderick Calamity (aldecalamity@dinecollege.edu) or Leandra Desidero-Bia (ldbia@dinecollege.edu).
The Diné College libraries at the Tsaile and Shiprock campuses have been closed, but library services remaim available online. The cafeteria at the Tsaile campus remains open. The gym and weight room at the Tsaile campus are closed. The previously scheduled events and speakers and lectures at the Tsaile campus have been postponed as has an April fundraising golf tournament in Phoenix.
The college began its shift to online course instruction on March 23, about a week after Spring Break 2020 was extended to March 20. There are a good number of students who live in far out areas on the Navajo Nation who don’t own laptops, so the college is providing laptops to those students who need them.
The May 8, 2020 graduation ceremony has been postponed to a still-to-be-determined later date. Students scheduled to graduate will still receive a diploma with the listed May 8 date.
And, the college is in the midst of closing the student dorms. Students who are from out of the state or the country will be accommodated in other campus housing.
If you have symptoms related to the COVID-19 virus, please contact the local health care center prior to your arrival to a hospital facility:
Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center:
1-844-542-8201
New Mexico COVID-19 Hotline:
1-855-600-3453
Navajo Nation COVID-19 Hotline:
1-928-871-7814
Chinle Comprehensive Health Care Facility
(928) 674-7001/7688
Crownpoint Health Care Facility
(505) 786-5291/6381
Fort Defiance Indian Hospital Board, INC
(928) 729-8000
Gallup Indian Medical Center
(505) 722-1000
Sage Memorial
(928) 755-4500
Kayenta Health Center
(928) 697-4000
Northern Navajo Medical Center
(505) 368-6001
Tuba City Regional Health Care
(866) 976-5941
Utah Navajo Health System
(866) 976-5941
Winslow Indian Health Care Center
(928) 289-4646
Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center
(844) 542-8201
New Mexico Coronavirus Hotline
(855) 600-3453
Sign up for Alert Media to receive important communications and emergency notices. To sign-up, visit the Diné College Alert Notification to register: https://dashboard.alertmedia.com/public?ecust=6821ab1cea92f457b95185238126c78b
If you still have questions, contact the Diné College Incident Command Center and we will seek out the answers for you.
Diné College Incident Command Center in Response to COVID-19 – Hours: 8 AM – 7 PM
Phone: 928-724-6900
Email: officeofthepresident@dinecollege.edu
SUBJECT TO CHANGE DUE TO COVID-19 DEVELOPMENT & IMPACT WITHIN THE COMMUNITY!