Amid the outbreak of the coronavirus, the Undergraduate Admissions office is hard at work to make sure students still have access to important resources. 

Since face-to-face meetings were canceled March 11, the university has had to adjust to remote learning. For the Undergraduate Admissions office, this means virtual events and meetings with advisers. 

Mae Dennis is the visit coordinator for undergraduate admissions and is responsible for the planning of events like “Go for the Gold.” She said the virtual events and meetings available to students will still provide them with all the information they need for their time at Oakland University.

“We’re just trying to serve the community as best as we can right now through our homes,” Dennis said. “We did have to cancel a few of our events, but we didn’t want to cancel everything because that would really be putting a lot of students in a tough situation.”

Most of the events prospective Grizzlies would have attended to get information about the university have been transferred into the online setting. A list of those events can be found on the OU website.

Another online option for future Grizzlies is the virtual map, where students can tour the campus at their own pace, while still getting the crucial information they need. 

Kelly Flemming, the senior associate director in Undergraduate Admissions, said the pandemic hasn’t changed the fact that students still want to go to college in the next year or two, so the core work they do in the office hasn’t really changed, either. They still want to help students transition to life at OU. 

“We are definitely being very mindful that students have a lot on their plate, especially now, and that they have family priorities and other things that are really taking a big priority in their life,” she said. “So, we are trying to be a resource to them like we always are and available in as many ways as possible to answer questions and help them through this process.”

According to Flemming, the office had already been piloting virtual meetings as an option for students who weren’t able to travel to talk to an Oakland adviser. She said they were lucky the online option had already been in the works when everything got canceled. 

Additionally, she said the online meetings are run the same way they would be in-person and even have some benefits.

For example, advisers will be able to screen share and show students where they can find different resources and how to sign up for orientation. 

Prospective students can call or email the Undergraduate Admissions office or contact an adviser directly to set up an appointment. 

“It feels really good to me to know that students still have [that] opportunity and that we’re able to provide that,” Flemming said. 

Dennis said she hopes the campus and local communities can see that the undergraduate admissions team is still there to provide access to future Grizzlies, even though it may look a little different.

“If you have questions, still reach out because we are here to serve as best as we can,” she said. “If you want a virtual tour, if you want to attend a session or talk with an adviser, definitely reach out because we are here to help.”