Fall Quarter Plan & Announcement update

Good afternoon, Chairs, President’s Council, and IMC,

As you know, we are preparing to announce the basic framework for how we plan to deliver courses this coming fall quarter.  The intent was to have an announcement out to the community by the end of this week, but to accommodate several emendations, it will now go out on Tuesday.  So, as leaders within the community, we write to you today to inform you of this timeline and clarify the framework of the fall plan as it stands now:

• We shall move closer to a full reopening in the fall 2022 quarter.  It is expected that all faculty teach from campus and all students attend class sessions on campus.  There will be limited room for very select exceptions (see third bullet).
• To be on campus, students, faculty, and staff must submit either proof of COVID-19 vaccination prior to the start of the quarter or proof of a negative COVID-19 test upon arrival (and every 5th day following while on campus).
• For students or faculty unable to come to campus due to documented, critical health conditions related to COVID-19, or because of international travel restrictions, there will be a petition process to be able to continue (or begin) academic coursework via an alternative method. The alternatives are still being evaluated, but we are exploring a range of options that will allow approved students to begin or continue their engagement with courses and their programs for this fall quarter.  Eligibility for such options will be held to strict criteria and documentation.  The student communication will include a form to begin gauging how many students would be eligible for such accommodations to better assist in early planning.

We recognize there are many details still to communicate or work out around these processes and protocols, which we will work together on in the coming days.  We deliberately did not specify the exact nature of the alternative delivery methods to give ourselves more time to explore and investigate the possibilities, as well as to collect the data on the number and distribution of acceptable petitions (expected to be in the less than 5% of those enrolled in classes).  We have legal, moral and ethical responsibilities to all students to continue their education.  Further, there are financial consequences to forcing students onto LOAs or withdrawals, which would impair our ability to maintain our enrollment levels which supports the Institution’s sustainability and ability to resource our people and our operations as needed.

Please note it has always been our intent to be transparent, and we shall continue to consider all concerns as we move forward during these unpredictable times.

Thank you,

Joe