PelotonU FB Townhall Live_3-26-2020

Hey Friends

I hope this week feels

a little more normal than last week,

and I wanted to welcome y'all

to our second Facebook town hall.

As always, if you've got questions

feel free to add them as we go

and our team will respond.

We hope to share a little more details

about what you can except.

Before we get into the process of that

I want to start by saying that

whatever you’re feeling today

I think as I've talked

to different friends and students

that we're all experiencing

such a range of emotions

that could be anxiety,

sadness or fear,

or maybe it’s gratitude, empathy, or hope.

If you’re like me it’s both,

and changes within the hour.

Just know whatever you feel

that that's okay.

You’re right where you need to be and

know that we are so grateful as a team

to be on this journey with you.

If you missed us last week

in the first townhall

you've got details on that below

but in broad strokes

we talked about

the values guiding our decisions

and how now - more than ever -

we need your input,

and your wisdom,

and your expertise

to improve PelotonU

and make this a program

that effectively serves you

while we're coaching remotely.

Now today,

I'm going to give you details

on our long-term study plan,

and highlight some new resources

that we'll begin providing for y'all

as soon as next week.

So, as you know at the moment

we’re scheduled to open

a week from Monday

and that’s far too soon.

You also know that there's a local ban

on public gatherings

until at least May 1st.

So before I tell you where we landed

I wanted to walk through

the priorities that guided our decision

about when to re-open

and share just kinda how we're thinking about

really throwing a dart at the wall

without complete information.

So there's four things.

The first is,

While it’s tough to know the right time,

we want to give y'all, the students,

as much long-term clarity as possible.

We want to guess out further maybe

than we feel comfortable.

And second,

We’d rather be cautious

and closed a few weeks too long

than give you a date in the short-term

and have to move it again.

Third,

and most important to me,

we want to make sure

that you to have the chance again

to build your primary routines in Austin.

Once the public gathering bans are lifted

we want you to be able to

get back to normal life in your work

and in your family, and then

add Peloton as the next thing that fits in.

So we don't want to open

right when the City does.

We want to open a little bit after that.

And finally,

when we do reopen spaces,

we know it's going to be

a gradual ramp-back-up

to full requirements on hours

and the norms and routines

that we built therein.

Life's gonna look different then

and we gotta figure that out.

So in light of all of that

the decision we have made

with our Board

is to keep our

study spaces closed

and remain coaching virtually

until June 1st.

So I'll say that again.

We intend to keep our study spaces closed

and remain coaching virtually

until Monday, June 1st.

And I say, "we intend" because

this experience continues to change

and if we hear from y'all

or if we feel that it's in our

community's best interest

to stay remote longer,

then we will.

And so because of this,

there are a few implications

we want to highlight.

The first is

We’ll be coaching remotely

until we reopen

and that's going to be

eleven weeks in total.

Bringing PelotonU online

means thinking differently

about how we do things,

We can't just digitize

what we did in person

and we need to rebuild the experience

to ensure that you have

the coaching, community, and care

that you need.

And the best ideas about how to do that

are gonna come from y'all.

More than ever,

until we get back

into our physical study spaces,

we need your help

thinking about how to make PelotonU

live and breathe our values

in different ways online.

Second,

we also need to launch

new supports

both because of the remote context,

and how the economic landscape is changing.

We'll have more details on that

in a moment.

And third,

when we go back

to studying in person,

the world's gonna look different.

And we don't yet fully know how,

so we need your input

and your expertise on

how to plan what study spaces

look like back in our new normal,

specifically around how to make sure

study spaces are safe

and sanitary for our community.

And so back to that second point

about student supports,

know that we are here

to walk alongside of y'all,

particularly as things change,

in any way that we can.

There's a few new resources

that we want to preview

that your coach will have more details on

next week,

that are kind of our first best guess

at how to do this.

First,

if you're worried about finances,

or have experienced a loss in income,

our Board just approved yesterday

$10,000 in emergency bridge grants to help.

We'll have more details soon,

but know that you'll be able to request

up to $200 to meet any unexpected

financial needs that have recently come up

for you or your family.

Second,

if you're out of work,

we want to help you navigate unemployment.

Adria is our internal specialist

who is tracking both

the recent federal bill,

and all of the complicated stuff

from the Texas Workforce Commission

about how to apply for unemployment insurance.

So let your coach know if you need that,

and we'll connect you with her directly.

Third,

if you're worried about paying for school,

we're working closely with

Southern New Hampshire,

Brandman, and Western Governor's,

and they're all creating plans

to best support their students

because of covid-19.

We know the details there now,

so if you have questions or concerns,

reach out to your coach

and they'll give you specific information.

And fourth,

we know that there's lots of things

you're experiencing that we haven't mentioned.

So our coaching team,

spearheaded by Cynthia Suarez,

has built a whole, growing list of resources

about all of the different things

you can connect with in the community.

You can find that both on our website,

or your coach can walk you through it

immediately whenever that's most helpful.

And finally,

the Student Support Coordinators,

Karen, Saul, and Josue -

are continuing to brainstorm

new ways to strengthen our community.

So if you have ideas,

we want this to be a place that y'all

can continue to help us think about

what kind of community feels helpful,

and what might feel like it's too much

as you're continuing to find

the new normal in your life.

We want to make sure

you're not just succeeding educationally,

but that you've got

a community that you're a part of.

So let Saul, Karen, or Josue know

how to do that best.

So,

going forward,

you can expect regular communications

from us as we learn more

about community resources,

and get a better sense

for how best to walk alongside you

while we’re remote coaching until June 1st.

We’ll continue to host weekly town halls

here on Facebook

to answer questions

and share more stories from our community

And you're lucky because

it won’t be me going forward.

There are folks

much more qualified

who will contniiue to hold this space

and answer your questions.

And now while we're working from home

and continuing to master those projects,

we ask that you keep clocking in those hours,

so we know more about

how y'all are doing

both with school

and finding space for studying.

And we really just have one request.

Please tell your coach,

or anyone on the team,

what you need.

Whatever it is,

we'll make sure

to get you those resources directly

or connect you with a resource

in the community that can.

In conclusion,

as we thought about what we wanted to say,

there's a poem I wanted to read.

It's one that hangs on the wall

in our central study space

just to the left if you walk in

and I was there this past weekend

to pick up the mail--

I always hope

there's gonna be a big check in the mail,

and there hasn't ever been,

and there wasn't this week,

but I saw the poem.

And it was weird to be there

on a Saturday when it was a quiet space,

and I remember that it was one

that one of our coaches wrote.

Reagan Pugh, who worked with us in 2016.

He was our second coach,

and he wrote it about the walk

when you're coming back

from a mentor meeting

along that back hallway.

And it's a poem that's about life,

the things that matter.

It's about the spaces that we pass through

not just physical spaces but

emotional spaces.

This place that we're

passing through together

right now as a community,

these spaces hold gifts

that we don't always see in the moment.

So the poem is called,

'This Hallway Now.'

And it goes like this.

This hallway now -

Is the kindest it’s been to me.

Today I passed through

New and old shadows,

My reflection against the glass.

And this must be healing -

Passing through the same place,

But with softer breath -

A shining light inside of me

Nudging me forward,

Past the stretch where

I used to stop and long.

Through we go now.

Together. Through.

Y'all, we’re in this together,

and here to partner with you

however we can.

So on behalf of the whole team,

know we couldn't be more grateful

for the privilege to work

alongside of y'all.

Let us know

how we can help,

what you need,

what it is you have,

and we'll be there.

Looking for to the next weeks ahead.