You are a valued member of the GU family

Sent April 2, 2020, 5:15 p.m.

Dear Gonzaga Alumni and Friends,

On the heels of today’s alumni and friends town hall, we want to reach out with the hope that you and your family are well. If this virus has touched your life or the lives of your loved
ones, please let us know so that we can include you in our daily prayers and the Masses of the Jesuit Community. After all, the power found in community is the heartbeat of Gonzaga University.

As someone who is a valued member of this community, you know how strong we Zags are together. As a community, we are tenacious, courageous, and determined. Gonzaga is confident that if we work together, we can remain nimble during this complex time. Guided by our Catholic and Jesuit mission, we are leading with care and compassion. We are now, as we have always been, a community that comes together for one another and for others.

We were pleased to share in the town hall about our commitment to our students, their families, and understanding the financial burdens they are navigating as a result of the COVID-19 coronavirus. Gonzaga University remains dedicated to providing an education that is accessible to all families and to minimizing added financial stress. As a result, we have pledged to refund room and board fees for those students that did not remain in housing, for what is essentially half the spring semester; paying our federal work-study students whether they can work or not; providing campus housing and dining for those unable to go home; along with a host of other offerings to help alleviate financial strain on our community.

We also are leveraging our networks, departments, and energies to help alumni, students and their families, faculty and staff and our surrounding communities with all they are navigating as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. We plan to remain in touch with you to learn more about how your Gonzaga family can help you and how, when you are ready, you can help the Gonzaga family, too.

Our community is truly grateful for those who have reached out asking how to help amidst our new reality. We are highly sensitive to the current financial constraints that many are experiencing, and we deeply appreciate the support so many have already provided to the University through this academic year. Yet, as we work to stretch the University’s resources to meet the new, extraordinary needs of our students and the community in which we live, we respectfully ask you to do what you can to assist Gonzaga in helping others at this extraordinary time.

If you would like to join the urgent effort to help, visit gonzaga.edu/emergencyaid. If you would like more information about anything covered during the town hall, on our resource page gonzaga.edu/zagsathome, or in this email, please reach out to Joe Poss at poss@gonzaga.edu.

With profound gratitude,