Provost Communications - Spring 2020

February 27, 2020
 

Dear LMU Community:

As the worldwide response to the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) develops rapidly, we are continuing to monitor the situation closely to ensure the safety of our students, faculty, and staff here and abroad. As of today, there have been no known cases identified at LMU. Please note that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently updated its information on the COVID-19 with new travel guidance and elevated advisories for specific countries.

As a result of growing health concerns, several Study Abroad locations in Italy have been closed. Fifteen LMU students who were enrolled with the Gonzaga-in-Florence program will be returning home, with academic plans to support them in completing their coursework remotely. LMU has also canceled the semester program to Sogang University in Seoul, South Korea, scheduled to start in March, as well as other academic programs whose courses had an international component to a country with a Level 3 travel advisory, including China and South Korea.

We are making these decisions thoughtfully and carefully: We acknowledge that our students gain from studying abroad and the essential role these enriching academic learning experiences play in their formation. LMU will continue to follow closely the guidance of the CDC and the U.S. State Department as we consider options that safeguard our students and faculty who are currently abroad or planning to travel soon. Additionally, I have convened a university-wide working group to respond to the rapidly changing conditions of the COVID-19 virus and to manage the logistics to support our students if further cancellations are necessary.

This is a challenging time and our thoughts are with community members, family, or loved ones impacted. Please continue to reflect our core values as we stand in solidarity with our international students and scholars.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has confirmed only one case of COVID-19 in Los Angeles. The immediate risk from COVID-19 is low for workers in non-health care settings. However, the CDC also reports that more cases are likely in the United States in the coming days, and that person-to-person spread within the United States may occur. The university will continue to closely monitor this situation and provide updates as needed.

In areas where the COVID-19 virus is spreading, it is transmitted through:

• Respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes;
• Close personal contact, such as caring for an infected person; and
• Touching an object or surface with the virus on it, followed by touching your mouth, nose, or eyes before washing your hands.

If you have traveled abroad within the past 14 days, or have been in close contact with people who have recently traveled in that timeframe, please call your medical provider or emergency room immediately (prior to visiting) if you are experiencing these symptoms: fever, cough, and difficulty breathing.

We are still in the midst of cold and flu season, so we recommend these precautions to avoid illness:

• Get a flu shot;
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer;
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands;
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick;
• Stay home when you are sick;
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash;
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

The university has launched lmu.edu/coronavirus, which will be updated regularly to keep the LMU community notified with the most relevant information regarding COVID-19.

Visit these additional websites for more information:

• CDC: cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about
• L.A. County Health: publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus

The health and safety of our students, faculty and staff are our highest priorities and we will continue to monitor the situation and adjust the university's response as appropriate.

Sincerely,

Thomas Poon, Ph.D.
Executive Vice President and Provost

March 6, 2020

Dear Colleagues:

With the rapid spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus and after L.A. County's March 4 announcement of a state of emergency and increased cases in Los Angeles County, LMU is preparing for a variety of scenarios, including circumstances in which students, faculty, or staff may become ill or unable to be on campus in the near future. The university shared a Community Advisory with LMU students, faculty, staff and parents on March 3 announcing new travel restrictions, and we will continue providing proactive and responsive guidance as appropriate. Please visit LMU's Coronavirus Website for the latest information and guidance.

After consultation with Faculty Senate and the academic deans, I share the following guidance to best support our students and our educational mission. Your dean's office will also be sending you college- and school-specific guidance. If you encounter any challenges or require additional support, please consult with your department chair, program director or instructional technologist.

1. Please plan how you will adjust course attendance policies so as not to penalize students who may become ill or are placed under quarantine. Ongoing course activities may or may not be able to continue synchronously online via video conferencing (Zoom) or classroom capture through Echo360. If you do wish to use Echo360 in a specialized space, please contact the ITS Service Desk at 310.338.8777, and they will do their best to accommodate you. If synchronous instruction is not feasible, consider using Brightspace discussion boards, Brightspace quizzes, Voicethread, or FlipGrid to support asynchronous instruction and engagement. It is likely that asynchronous instruction will be easier for faculty and students in the event of an emergency or campus closure. In the absence of video recording devices, even cellphones can capture sufficient audio and video. Additional guidance and support for faculty in need of moving coursework online can be found here or by consulting with your instructional technologist.
2. Upload all key course documents (e.g., syllabi, assignments, reading lists) to your course(s) in Brightspace so that students can access the materials even if they are unable to come to campus. If the course has a separate website, provide a link to it from your Brightspace course.
3. All general-purpose classrooms are equipped with Echo360 classroom capture capability. If you teach in a general-purpose classroom, please activate lecture capture for your course by submitting a request to the ITS Service Desk at 310.338.7777 or [email protected]. Use of the Echo360 classroom capture toolset will ensure that course lectures and demonstrations are saved online and shareable with students from your Brightspace course.
4. Establish and maintain a regularly updated grade book in Brightspace or another electronic means that could be shared with appropriate individuals if needed (i.e. an Excel file or a scanned PDF of your paper grade book located in Box). This is a key continuity measure that will ensure an accurate record of student work should an instructor become ill or unable to teach. Directions for setting up the Brightspace grade center can be found here. If Brightspace is not an option for you, please consider uploading your grade book to Box and sharing the link with your department chair or dean's office.
5. Ensure that final exams and papers can be reliably collected and graded, and that final course grades can be computed and submitted. Brightspace submission folders are designed for collecting and evaluating student work digitally online. Box is an alternative. Regardless of how you choose to collect work, ensure that the method is clearly articulated to students.
6. We have learned that faculty know best how to contact their students and sometimes use platforms for doing so outside of email. It would be much appreciated if you would let your students know of LMU's Coronavirus Website (especially the student FAQs on the site) and remind them that their LMU email address is our official channel of communication with them.

I anticipate there will be more questions than answers during this rapidly changing time. Please email [email protected] with specific questions. I appreciate your understanding as we collaborate on solutions, and I am confident that our LMU community will do what we do best: unite, care for each other, and ensure that we can provide our students with the outstanding education they know and have come to expect.

In gratitude,

Thomas Poon, Ph.D.
Executive Vice President and Provost

March 14, 2020

Dear Students: 

I can’t thank you enough for your patience and amenability during this disruptive and constantly changing time. In an effort to respond to your concerns, we will delay the start of online instruction by one week to Monday, March 23. You are the heart of everything we do and I believe this change will support your success. In addition, we want to provide you and your families time to focus on moving out of our residence halls within the designated period as we cannot delay the move-out process due to COVID-19-related health concerns.

Please note the following pertinent information associated with the delay:

• There will be no instruction next week, March 16-20. Postponing online instruction will not affect the academic calendar. We are not extending the spring 2020 semester.
• We will ensure that you will remain on track in your degree programs and completions.
• The Registrar’s Office will change the last day to withdraw from classes or apply for credit/no credit grading from March 20 to March 27.

I hope this head start will alleviate some of the stress and uncertainty to come. I am confident this delay will allow you the time you need to deal with the transition. I am relieved that you and your families will have additional time to concentrate on moving, so you’ll be prepared  to begin this new chapter of your education.

With thanks,

Thomas Poon, Ph.D.
Executive Vice President and Provost

• Academic Holds
  If you have a hold on your account, you will need to resolve the hold and communicate with the Registrar’s Office at [email protected].
• Course Withdrawal Date
  The last day to withdraw from classes has been extended to May 1, 2020. To withdraw from a course, visit your registration page in PROWL through your MyLMU portal. If you choose to withdraw from a course, a grade of W will result.
• Credit/No Credit Grading
  We have extended the last day to change your grade option to credit/no credit to May 1, 2020. If you would like to change your grade option, please complete the form designated for your college or school for dean’s office approval.
• Counting Courses Changed to Credit/No Credit
  Graded courses taken on a credit/no credit basis will count towards fulfilling Core, major, and minor requirements during the spring 2020 semester. Some exceptions will apply where local, state or national accreditors or licensors have indicated that letter-grades will still be required for the degree or certificate program. Additionally, students in majors or programs where the minimum required grade is higher than C will still require letter-grades for courses since the minimum grade to earn credit is C. Please note the minimum required grades for Core attributes (C-) and for flags (D).

• Students considering any of these options should speak to their advisors about the ramifications of withdrawing from a course or changing the grade option to credit/no credit. For example, some graduate and professional schools, post-graduate agencies such as international fellowship programs, or certain employers may expect letter grades for all required courses on transcripts and these bodies may not be as accommodating of the current circumstances.
• International students need to check with the Office of International Students and Scholars (OISS) before making a decision to go credit/no credit because some governments won’t allow it.
• Veterans need to check with the Veteran Programs office before making a decision to go credit/no credit.
• Students who are currently on academic probation should consult with the advisors in their college/school if they are considering taking one or more classes for credit/no credit.