Submitted by jgardezy on Jan. 11, 2022
Body:
Re: Communications Follow-up from Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost
To: All faculty
January 11, 2021
Colleagues,
Although we plan to start the semester with remote instruction, we have the intention to return to in-person instruction on January 31. We believe that by then we will be able to reopen safely and to maintain operations. We are still working on the logistics of how we will enact the newest guidance from the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) and the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). For the most up-to-date information on campus policies related to COVID-19, please visit the Essential Information Snapshot on the Do Your Part website.
Please also refer to Friday’s message from the Academic Senate. They give much excellent guidance about what you might, should, and must do to support your students this term.
Two town hall meetings have been scheduled for faculty and staff, the first on Wednesday, January 12 and the second on Thursday, January 13; look for an invitation in your inbox later today. The meetings will provide an opportunity for us to share information and take questions. Each school and division will also be hosting smaller meetings with their team. As we continue to navigate the pandemic and you prepare for your courses, it is imperative for you to stay in contact with your department chair, whose job includes working with faculty to maintain educational continuity.
As we gear up for the start of the spring semester, the omicron variant has yet again forced a change in plans. We remain in touch with systemwide epidemiological experts and modelers and believe that the current plan of two weeks remote is manageable. That does not mean that we will not still have many students, staff, and faculty colleagues needing to take time off work, which in turn means we need remain flexible and responsive to the changing circumstances. Each of you has demonstrated that flexibility over the past two years, and we owe to you the success that the university has had with our response to COVID-19. Thank you!
Yours,
Gregg Camfield
Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost
