Spring 2020 - Thank You!

May 13, 2020

I hope this email finds you safe and well. This has been a terribly difficult year for everyone. Our students have adjusted to learning virtually and faced challenging financial and life circumstances. We can say the same for our faculty and staff. After transitioning all of our courses to a virtual format through a tremendous amount of work and creativity, we continue to show a positive attitude and empathetic spirit facing future challenges to our ability to meet our goals of serving students, each other, and our community. COVID-19 has changed how we do everything both at work and home, which is now the same place. I am in awe of all you all have done while facing circumstances thrust upon us that none of us wanted. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

As we transition from responding to recovering with an eventual goal of thriving, we must continue to plan for our future. We will do so keeping our goals in mind. We will do so with an uncertain budget future that has only one certainty...it will be bad. We will do so working together to unlock creativity to meet not only the challenges facing us in the immediate present and near future. But, we will also do so with the idea that our efforts now can help us in the longer term. We will do so by working together to maintain our Hornet Family’s focus on each other.

We have made immediate decisions to maintain as much budget flexibility as possible going into the next year by pausing ongoing searches and are keeping vacant positions vacant. We are limiting spending this year so as to make the funds available for next year. And we are planning next year’s budget with a significant reduction in funding. We are making all of these decisions to maintain our ability to meet our core operational priorities: maintaining student success and access to courses and maintaining our ability to support our faculty and staff.

Even with these budgetary, societal, and health related uncertainties, we must plan for what we will do in the fall 2020 semester. The California State University Chancellor and President Nelsen announced on May 12th that the vast, vast majority of our courses will be virtual in the fall 2020 semester to mitigate the potential effects of the COVID-19 virus. All courses must develop a plan for virtual delivery for the fall semester. A few select courses may be able to have some level of face-to-face interaction through a waiver process that will need to satisfy health and safety requirements and multiple approvals.

We know that not knowing how our courses will be delivered in the fall presents a significant challenge to those that must design and deliver these courses and for our students. Over the summer, we will provide compensated professional development to faculty who are interested in improving their ability to deliver courses virtually. Please go to the Center for Teaching and Learning website.

Please know that we continue to strive to provide the best possible educational experience we can. We are being stretched in our abilities by this global pandemic. However, we will respond and ultimately thrive. We will likely be a different looking University when we come out of this. We need to work together to ensure that the changes we make are ones that benefit our students, each other, and our region in the future.

Thank you for everything you do, Steve.

Steve Perez
Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs
Sacramento State (a caring campus)

Respondus Monitor announcement for students

April 24, 2020

Hello Sacramento State Students,

Since we moved to virtual operations last month, one of the items we have been asked about regularly by our faculty is a method for proctoring exams administered online. We are rolling out a tool for the rest of the semester called Respondus Monitor that records a feed from a webcam which can be used by instructors to verify that the testing conditions were as expected.

Respondus Monitor (RM) is not a perfect solution, but it does address many of the concerns that faculty have brought to us. For example, RM does not work with devices other than Windows, Mac, or iPad. So those students who only have access to Chromebooks, Linux machines, smartphones, and Android-based tablets, will need to tell their instructor so they can prepare an alternate version of the exam. Additionally, this tool requires students to agree to a privacy statement with which they may not be comfortable. Again, in such circumstances students will need to inform their instructor if they are in a position where agreeing to the privacy statement is problematic.

Instructors may offer students a “practice test” to try out the system before a real exam – we strongly recommend that students participate in this practice test to understand how the system works before using it on a high-stakes exam.

Respondus Monitor is one more tool that instructors now have to ensure they are able to deliver the best possible class to students in these difficult circumstances.

For more information, please review the following resources:

Student Quick Start Guide

Introductory Video for Students

As we move into the last few weeks of the term, we wish you the best of luck on your final exams and projects. Stingers Up!

Steve Perez

Respondus Monitor announcement for faculty

April 24, 2020

Hello Sacramento State Faculty,

Since we moved to virtual operations last month, one of the items we have been asked about regularly is a method for proctoring exams administered online. There are several products that do this. Some use live proctors to monitor student webcam feeds; others use servers and AI to analyze individual student feeds for potential issues.

For this Spring semester, Sacramento State has managed to implement a tool that is a companion to the Respondus Lock Down Brower for which we already have a license. The new tool is called Respondus Monitor. It uses AI to generate a report of instances when a student may not have been engaged directly in the assessment activity. After reviewing the report, an instructor may then decide to look into the integrity of the test taking situation. When we considered other options instead of Respondus Monitor, they proved to be unscalable for our current situation, unable to be implemented within the timeframe, or would have passed costs directly onto students (costs that they were not advised of at the time of registration).

Respondus Monitor (RM) is not a perfect solution. For example, it does not work with devices other than Windows, Mac, or iPad. So those students with access only to Chromebooks, Linux machines, smartphones, and Android-based tablets are not able to take an exam with RM, and another version of the exam will need to be provided to those students.

Additionally, this tool requires students to agree to a privacy statement with which they may not be comfortable. If students do not agree to the terms of the privacy statement, another version of the exam will need to be offered to them. In all circumstances, the tool requires the instructor to check individual student feeds to determine whether “events” noted by RM reveal an issue occurred (such as cheating, or interruption by someone in the testing space) or if the AI recorded a “false positive” result.

We do hope this tool will address concerns that some of you have about testing. We strongly recommend you develop and deploy a “test exam” for your students so everyone involved can get used to RM and understand how it works before deploying on an exam. IRT has put together some training materials for using RM.

RM will be available for use from now through finals week. We will be evaluating feedback from users to determine if it should be retained as a tool for upcoming semesters. If you need any assistance with the tool, please contact the Academic Technology Center for support at servicedesk@csus.edu.

Steve Perez

Grading Choice Options, April 10, 2020

April 10, 2020

It’s been about a month since Sacramento State became a virtual campus, and finals are about a month away, too. I’m incredibly proud of how everyone in the campus community has adjusted during this pandemic, but I know these circumstances have taken their toll on the Hornet Family physically, emotionally and spiritually. My hope is that this situation doesn’t also take too much of a toll academically.

That’s why I’m pleased to announce that undergraduate students will now have choices about their final course grades. In the next few days, we’ll provide you with a way to select, class by class, how each course this semester is graded. You’ll have three choices: a letter grade (ABCDF), Credit/No Credit, or ABC/No Credit. You should know that with these last two options, a C- or above will earn you credit for that course, and a D+ or below will result in not receiving credit. If you don’t make a choice, you’ll stay in the current grading mode, which is a letter grade for the vast majority of classes.

We’re giving you these options because we hope it might decrease some of the anxiety you’re feeling about grades this semester. We know many of you are worried about your GPA for various really good reasons, so let me explain how this works: if you choose Credit/No Credit for a class, it won’t affect your GPA one way or the other (either helping or hurting your GPA). If you choose ABC/No Credit, your GPA will be affected by the letter grade you earn, but won’t be harmed if you receive No Credit. If you decide not to change how you’re graded and a class is currently set to assign grades, your GPA will be affected by the whole range of A through F grading. Your instructors aren’t going to be grading you any differently, and they won’t even know what choices you’ve made when they enter their final grades, but you now have the opportunity to do what you think is best for your academic progress.

Along those lines, I should also mention that you can still decide to drop some classes, on or before Friday, May 8, 2020. Normally, this wouldn’t be an option at this point in the semester, but these aren’t normal times, and we know you need all the support you can get. We hope you’ll try to maintain as much progress toward your degree as you can by not dropping classes, which is why we’ve given you these new grading choices. But if you decide to withdraw, all you have to do is fill out and submit the Petition To Add/Drop/Withdraw From Courses After Deadline Form electronically to registrar@csus.edu using your SacLink email. Keep in mind you’ll still need to gather approvals, which can also be done using your SacLink email and then forwarded to the Registrar’s Office.

Now, I’m hoping you will consider the options I’ve laid out to be good news. You may still have some questions about them, questions like, “What about graduate students?” and, “How and when can I do this?” We’re still working on those details, and our aim is to give you more information as soon as possible. But there’s one more question you might have that’s really important to address right now: “What if I make a mistake? What if I make a choice and find out later it wasn’t in my best interest?” Well, I have more good news: once you see your final course grades, you can still make changes. The way you do it will have to be different and we’re working on that process too, but the point is, you can change your mind later.

One more thing: I have to tell you these grading alternatives won’t work for all classes and all students. There are a few classes and groups of students that have to be excluded because of accreditation requirements, international regulations, and so on. Talking to an advisor about your grading options is a great idea. Remember though, if you aren’t able to do so or you make a mistake, you can fix it later.

Look for more details about letter grades (ABCDF), Credit/No Credit, and ABC/No Credit options in the coming days. In the meantime, stay healthy, study hard, and Stingers Up!

Steve Perez

Grading Options for Students, April 10, 2020

April 10, 2020

Hi Everyone:

I hope your week is winding down well. As it true for all of us, our students are facing numerous unforeseen challenges and feeling a great deal of stress and anxiety about the effect this will have on their academic progress. You may have heard that we have been working on a way to give our students some options for how their courses will be graded this semester. After consulting with the Deans, Student Affairs, IRT, and the Faculty Senate Executive Committee, we are going to allow undergraduate students the ability to change how their grades will be recorded on their transcript and in their GPA. Faculty will still give our students grades as they would under normal circumstances, and they will be translated appropriately in the system. The grading options will apply to most undergraduate courses other than those that have been identified by departments to not be appropriately included.

I am going to send this Grading Options message to students later today broadly describing their options and send more details next week. But, I wanted to get it to you before we send it out so that you are aware before you get questions from our students. We will send out more detailed information next week with dates, process, etc. However, we wanted to get this basic information out as soon as possible so everyone knows what is coming.

Thank you again for all of your work and flexibility during these abnormal circumstances. Together we will be able to make it through this crisis.

Stingers Up, Steve Perez

Thank You to Faculty and Staff, April 6, 2020

April 6, 2020

Dear Academic Affairs Faculty and Staff:

Please take a minute and watch this April 6, 2020 video of thanks to you all.

Thank you, Steve

Steve Perez
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

Thank You! March 27, 2020

March 27, 2020

Dear Colleagues:

I write this email to once again thank you for all you are doing to sustain our educational mission and support out students during this unprecedented crisis. We have made it through our first week of all virtual instruction and telecommuting. I am sure there were bumps, barriers, and hiccups and am inspired and grateful to see what you are doing in the face of these challenges.

We all know that our changing situation creates stress and anxiety for all of us and that you are shouldering a great load in our transition, supporting our students, and taking care of each other. Additionally, you are doing this from home with significant other responsibilities that have been foisted upon us due to the global pandemic. We could not do this without you. Please take some time to rest, relax, recharge and possibly think of how to recalibrate based on what you learned this week about telecommuting. As Flower Darby said in a recent column in the Chronicle of Higher Education titled How to Recover the Joy of Teaching after an Online Pivot, “Be kind to yourself (and everyone else). This is a stressful professional situation. You’re going to need to change your initial online plans, I can almost guarantee it. Things will go wrong, and you will have to be ready to flex, yet again.”

We have all had to sacrifice and adapt at an unbelievable pace. The effects of this crisis will be felt for years. Your work and care have made this all possible and I thank you. I want to assure you that your efforts are noticed and appreciated.

Thank you, please stay home, please stay healthy.

Steve Perez
Sacramento State
Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs

Academic Updates, March 19, 2020 (in the afternoon)

March 19, 2020

Everyone, thank you again for your continued work. In talking with people, I can tell that you’ve exhibited an understanding that we are all in this together with the goals of keeping each other safe and healthy and caring for our students and their success.

COVID-19 is an ever-changing situation. The plans we make today or tomorrow may need to be revised. I have wanted to send you an email every day, but without the ability to give concrete answers that I want to give, I have held off. Today, I had the honor of being a part of video to our students that will go out from our friends in Student Affairs. I took the opportunity to record a message to you all as well. Please take a moment and watch it. If you don’t have time now, the main message is THANK YOU for being the people that are this University. You make it a place that cares and supports our students, each other, and our community. It is a privilege to get to work with you.

I will also take this opportunity to update you on a few things. As a reminder, updates to the Academic Continuity webpage will be offered routinely as well as on the Center for Teaching and Learning webpage. These are dynamic pages. If you see something missing that would be helpful, please let us know (academicaffairs@csus.edu).

In fact, things have changed since this morning when I first began drafting this message. At 11:00 am, the Sacramento County Health Department issued an order requiring all individuals living in the County to stay at home or at their place of residence while directing all business and governmental agencies to cease non-essential operations at physical locations. There is an exception for educational institutions – including public and private K-12 schools, colleges, and universities – for purposes of facilitating distance learning or performing essential functions, provided that social distancing of six-feet per person is maintained to the greatest extent possible.

The following are temporary measures that we must implement to support this health order and do our part to protect the health of our community:

• All waivers for face-to-face instruction that have been granted are suspended for the duration of the order. The order is currently in effect until April 7th, but may be extended. It is highly likely, if not probable, that no face-to-face instruction will be possible for the remainder of the spring 2020 semester. This is a step we have tried hard to avoid, but is now necessary to support the health of our community and mitigate the effects of this global pandemic. Instructors who had been granted waivers can now suspend instruction up through Monday, March 23rd in order to adjust the delivery method of their courses. We encourage as much flexibility and creativity as possible in replacing the planned face-to-face components. If no alternative is possible, we may need to consider assigning a grade of Incomplete. Please communicate immediately with your students that there will not be any face-to-face instruction in your course if some had been planned and approved. You will also need to provide a date that instruction will resume.
• Faculty can adjust their syllabus and their expectations of students as needed to make the transitions needed for this semester, with the understanding students should not be negatively impacted by these changes. Please notify your students about the changes you make to your syllabus, including changes to the way assignments and exams are weighted, as soon as it is reasonably possible. We encourage you to communicate with your students, early and often, in order to minimize the confusion and anxiety that everyone feels at this time.
• Faculty who need to come to campus to deliver course content will be allowed to do so. However, social distancing is required, and no more than two people can be in the room.
• We are temporarily suspending any deadlines not associated with moving courses online (e.g., appointment/retention/tenure/promotion deadlines) and will revise the deadlines in the future (while considering contractual deadlines that apply in some situations).
• We are working with CFA to determine how to handle student course evaluations so that faculty are not harmed by the circumstances.
• In order to further reduce the number of people on campus, we are temporarily suspending active on-campus research. We will need to continue to maintain our labs, facilities, and animals in our care. However, we expect all active on-campus research to be suspended until further notice.

We know the circumstances we are facing may impact our faculty’s ability to achieve what they wish this semester. For that reason, we are also working to build in some flexibility in the retention, tenure, and promotion process to mitigate the negative impact of this global pandemic.

Once again, I want to thank you for your dedication to educating and caring for our students. They are counting on us, and you are delivering. We can do this if we treat each other with patience, forgiveness, and understanding and continue to be who we are...a caring campus.

Resources for Faculty, March 15, 2020

March 15, 2020

Dear Faculty Colleagues:

Due to the ever-changing circumstances related to the COVID-19 virus in our community, we must remain agile and flexible. As you read in the President’s message this morning, we are going to move the campus to be as virtual as possible to maximize mitigation measures and promote the safety of our Hornet Family. We all have lots of questions and wonder how we will do this. Working together we will answer those questions. We continue to be committed to supporting you as you transition your courses online. Our partners in IRT and CTL will continue to be there for you as you have questions related to the transition and will share more information as soon as possible. Here are a few links to sites that have information and resources that will be dynamically maintained:

Sac State Campus Update Page

CTL’s main page

The Academic Continuity Page

Thank you all for your patience and understanding. We are attempting to take our campus virtual. I am so proud of how we have responded so far and know we can do it if we work together and keep in mind our goal of taking care of each other.

Additional Information for Faculty, March 13, 2020

March 13, 2020

First, I want to thank everyone for the “can-do” attitude. We are facing unprecedented challenges to deliver on our mission to provide high quality education to our students. We are all rallying together in countless ways to make it happen and it is greatly appreciated. We know these are difficult and ambiguous times, and we are gratified faculty are stepping up to meet our students’ needs.

In particular, we applaud the peer-to-peer assistance that is happening at the department, college and University levels. Updates to the Academic Continuity webpage will be offered routinely (consider bookmarking the page), and the Center for Teaching and Learning is coordinating efforts to facilitate faculty helping other faculty adjust to virtual synchronous or distributed learning. Our partners across the University are pulling together to help us once again, Keep Teaching!

As the situation unfolds, we will need to be in communication to expand on prior messages, clarify questions, answer challenges, and move forward together. Here are a few items we’d like to address:

Which courses can continue to meet face-to-face?

As the campus wide communication from March 12^th stated:

Friday, March 20, to Wednesday, May 14, 2020 – All courses with the exception of approved in-person courses (e.g., small labs, studios, clinicals, field placements, and performing and theater arts) will be conducted online. There will be no in-person finals in any courses unless approved by the Dean and Provost.

We have developed a process by which faculty can request permission to continue teaching in an in-person format. Faculty will need to complete this spreadsheet for their classes. The means by which Faculty teaching these types of courses may obtain permission is as follows:

1. On the attached spreadsheet
   1. Identify which specific courses are requested for face-to-face (f2f) delivery
   2. Note the enrollment per section, and number of sections
   3. Supply information regarding the days, building and room in which the course is offered
   4. Indicate what accommodations can be made for “social distancing” (i.e., maintaining at least six feet of space between participants) or other means of risk mitigation
   5. Provide a rationale for why f2f instruction is necessary (as opposed to desirable)
2. Forward the spreadsheet to your Department Chair, who will review requests and forward them to the Dean
3. The Dean will then make recommendations and forward them to the Provost
4. Requests will be processed as quickly as possible so as to facilitate the successful delivery of our courses.

What about next week?

As is stated in the March 12^th communication,

Monday, March 16, to Thursday, March 19, 2020 – All instruction (face-to-face, online, lab, studio, exams, and assignments) will be suspended to provide faculty time to prepare and transition their courses online. No classes (including classes currently online) will be held during this period. Field-based assignments, internships, and clinical placements will continue if the site is still hosting student placements. The campus will remain open.

All instruction is suspended other than the exclusions mentioned above (e.g., clinical placements). While some courses may be ready to transition online earlier than March 20^th, to avoid confusion, to provide faculty the maximum amount of time to transition, and to allow faculty skilled in online delivery to help their colleagues transition, no instruction is to happen, no assignments are to be collected, and no exams are to take place during this window.

My class requires conversation to be successful, what should I do?

While we have suspended in-person teaching in most cases, it is not impossible to have robust interaction with your students. There are many alternatives. Please go to the Academic Continuity webpage for guidance. These other means likely will not be as comfortable nor probably as effective as the way you have perfected your teaching thus far. However, experts in the Center for Teaching and Learning are prepared to help you transition to remote instruction.

One possibility is to replace in-person class meetings with virtual, synchronous class meetings through Zoom. You and your students will still see and interact with each other in real-time, virtually. If you do choose to meet with your students synchronously, the class meetings should be at the same time as the originally scheduled class meetings to ensure students don’t find themselves in conflicting meeting times across their classes. Of course, you can record your class session and allow students to watch it later, but if you want your students to interact with you “live” while you teach online, you need to teach the class at its currently scheduled time.

Once again, I appreciate everything you’re doing to maintain the highest quality learning experience possible for your students. Now is the time to come together with colleagues and as a campus community to face our challenges together, on behalf of our students.

Academic Continuity Planning, March 5, 2020

March 5, 2020

Dear Colleagues,

We are all working very hard to provide the best learning environment possible for our students. In the past we have experienced significant disruptions to our abilities to do so, and current events regarding the Covid-19 virus could potentially impact us. In order to be as prepared as possible, we are working on resources for faculty to prepare to Keep Teaching under various circumstances. These preparations should not alarm anyone. Rather if we proactively plan, we can build a sense of confidence and calm.

The foreseeable impacts of Covid-19 range from:

- a student or faculty member not being able to participate in the classroom for some period of time to
- a short suspension of congregation on campus to
- a long suspension of congregation.

These disruptions will have varied impacts on each professor’s ability to minimize the effect on the learning of our students in our widely divergent classes.

At a minimum, we want to be able to communicate with our students to share information and/or course materials. A very efficient way to do both of these is through our Learning Management System, Canvas. We recommend and urge you to follow these steps as soon as possible to be sure that Canvas is available to you and your students if you need it in the future.

If you have not already done so:

- Publish all of your courses in Canvas and populate them with students
- Post whatever course material you have available to your students in Canvas
- Send a test email to your students to ensure they are receiving it and know how to communicate with you

Our colleagues in ATS and CTL are ready to help anyone who needs it through this process. Additionally, we have developed an “Academic Continuity” webpage with several resources and helpful information regarding ways to Keep Teaching. It includes step-by-step instructions for how to publish your courses and add online content if you haven’t already done so.

We also encourage you to be creative in developing ways to Keep Teaching in the event that there is a disruption to our normal operations, and to exercise compassion and discretion when working with students and colleagues facing challenges.

It is very important that we communicate as clearly and quickly as possible regarding the impacts of Covid-19 on campus. As such we urge you to:

- Sign up for ENS because it will be used to communicate crucial timely information to the campus—you can do so by accessing the Emergency Notification System (ENS) page. You can also verify that your contact information is correct by visiting the link.

- Regularly check the campus website where there will be a link to a dynamic website for up-to-date information

- If you have any questions or ideas, please reach out to academicaffairs@csus.edu.

Thank you for all you do to support our students, each other, and our region. By proactively planning we will be able to minimize the impact of potential disruptions on our community.

FW: President Nelsen's Coronavirus Update, February 28, 2020

February 28, 2020

Hello Faculty and Staff Colleagues:

As noted in President Nelsen's email (below), we have experienced a direct impact from the COVID-19 virus in the Sacramento community. This presents us with another opportunity to show our compassion, care, and creativity when faced with unforeseen circumstances. Please continue our practice of being understanding and flexible when working with students who experience challenges. If a student reports feeling sick, please refer them to the resources in the President's email and work with them to minimize any impact due to illness on their learning in your course. Please refrain from asking for a doctor's note for their absence. Due to privacy considerations, medical providers cannot confirm if a student is ill, only that they have visited or spoken with a medical provider.

We have shown many times and in many ways what a caring campus is and this is one more opportunity to exhibit it.

Thank you for all you do for our students, colleagues, and region, Steve.

============================================================================

To All Members of the Campus Community:

On Thursday, the California Department of Public Health confirmed that a patient at UC Davis Medical Center has tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Sacramento County health experts have indicated that the risk continues to be low. To date, no one at Sacramento State has tested positive for the virus. The University continues to be in close contact with the Sacramento County Public Health Department regarding appropriate next steps. We continue to prepare for any operational, health, or educational issues that may arise.

While COVID-19 has a high transmission rate, it has a low mortality rate. For those who have tested positive for COVID-19, approximately 80 percent do not exhibit CDC's COVID-19 listed symptoms that would require hospitalization. Most people with illnesses due to coronavirus infections recover on their own without medical treatment.

We encourage you to stay home if you are sick. Do not go to class or to work. Notify your faculty member or supervisor if you are going to miss class or work. Also, be aware of the symptoms of COVID-19. Seek medical care if symptoms become more severe.

I hope that the Hornet Family will show itself to be a caring campus and will be understanding during this time. I ask for your flexibility when students or employees determine that they need to stay home. There may be individuals who are asked to self-isolate at home and who may have to miss up to two weeks of class or work. Individuals who become ill but do not need medical intervention may not have a doctor’s note or medical documentation for their absence. It is critical that individuals not be expected to obtain a written excuse from a medical provider for their absence.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that if you believe you have been exposed to or infected with COVID-19, you should immediately self-isolate at home except for getting medical care. Before going to your healthcare provider, call in advance to tell them you suspect that you may have COVID-19 so they may take steps to prevent further exposure to others and provide appropriate guidance to you before arrival. If you are experiencing a medical emergency and need to call 911, you should notify the dispatch personnel that you have or suspect you have COVID-19. Patients who have been instructed to self-isolate or quarantine should remain at home until your healthcare provider releases you. Information about self-monitoring, isolation, and quarantine is available at the Sacramento County's COVID-19 Update Page.

These websites offer the latest information:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/Immunization/nCOV2019.aspx
https://dhs.saccounty.net/PUB/Pages/PUB-Home.asp

At this time, Sacramento State is open and classes will continue as usual. I encourage all members of the campus community to enroll in the Emergency Notification System (ENS) with their personal contact information. ENS is our primary means of communication in the event of an emergency, including a campus closure. Information also is shared via the University website, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

We understand that there is a great amount of fear, anxiety, and concern around COVID-19. Let us support one another during this uncertain time. COVID-19 is a virus that can affect all humans. Racism, stigmatism, and anti-immigrant rhetoric about specific communities do not reflect the values of the Hornet Family. The Hornet Honor Code reaffirms our commitment to inclusion and to being a caring campus. We will not stand for misinformation, denigration, and stereotyping of Asian and Asian American communities.

We are taking all appropriate measures and working closely with local, state, and federal healthcare agencies. Please take care of yourselves and stay home if you are sick. Students have access to healthcare resources from Student Health and Counseling Services. Keeping the Hornet Family healthy is a campus-wide effort, and I appreciate your understanding during this time.

Sincerely,
Robert S. Nelsen

Archive of Provost Communications

• Fall 2021
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• Spring 2021
• Fall 2020
• Summer 2020
• Spring 2020
• Fall 2019
• Summer 2019
• Spring 2019