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Provost Communications - Spring 2022

Provost's Communications - Spring 2022

Welcome Back and Happy New Year

Solidarity and Support for Our Faculty 

Spring Semester Reminders and Updates

Special Procedures as a Result of the COVID-19 Pandemic 

 

 

Welcome Back and Happy New Year

January 7, 2022

Dear LMU Students, Faculty, and Staff,  
 
Happy New Year! I hope that you had a joyful and reinvigorating holiday break. As we welcome you back for spring semester, I take this opportunity to assure you that colleagues across the university are working around the clock to prepare our campuses for your arrival and to safeguard our community in alignment with guidance from public health authorities.  
 
Thank you to our students and families for your patience and grace as we continue to navigate these turbulent times together. I also thank our faculty and staff for your continuing ability to pivot during quickly changing circumstances.  
 
With two weeks of virtual instruction beginning on Monday, I’d like to reiterate a few points that were shared in the Jan. 4 Community Advisory and provide additional information: 

  • Remote Work: Out of an abundance of caution and to help facilitate our safe return to in-person instruction on Jan. 24, effective Wednesday, Jan. 4, only faculty and staff who must be on campus to do their jobs prior to Jan. 23 should continue in-person work. Those who believe they can work remotely should obtain manager approval. Our campuses will remain open, including academic facilities, administrative buildings, and campus dining. Please consult with your supervisor with your questions.  
  • Boosters Required: LMU requires that you provide proof that you have received a COVID-19 booster prior to Jan. 24, 2022 or within one month of your eligibility unless you have a previously approved medical or religious exemption. Please upload your booster information to Vax LMU as soon as possible and please check our FAQs for updates. For questions, students should contact [email protected] and faculty and staff should contact [email protected].  
  • Masks Required: We continue to require that you wear your mask indoors on our campuses, including common areas in housing buildings, regardless of vaccination status. Please wear your mask outdoors when you are in a crowd or interacting with individuals from outside of your household.  
  • Surgical-Grade Masks Recommended: L.A. County Public Health strongly recommends that you wear a surgical-grade mask (3-ply mask up to and including N95 masks) instead of cloth face coverings. Faculty and staff on the Westchester or Playa Vista Campuses may request masks through Environmental Health and Safety online. Faculty and staff on the law school campus can obtain masks at the Information Center, Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. While surgical masks should be disposed of daily, per Cal/OSHA N95 masks may be worn up to five times. Currently Public Health is not mandating particular types of masks for students, but we are monitoring the guidance and will adjust accordingly.  
  • Dining Services: We will offer a modified campus dining program while classes are conducted virtually. Open venues, hours of operations, and modes of service will vary based on campus population, staffing levels, and safety measures. For the most up-to-date information, visit LMU Dining Services or follow @LMUDining.  
  • Faculty Meeting/Voting Update: Please note that I am extending an exception to the Faculty Handbook for meetings and voting procedures that are normally required to be conducted in person so that these may instead occur remotely during the spring semester only.  
  • Remote Instruction and Classrooms: Students, please attend your classes from your home, student residence, or from an outdoor space. Faculty, you have priority access to and may use classrooms at your assigned time. Please note that while students may use empty classrooms, the maximum occupancy is one person per classroom. Gatherings in classrooms are not permitted during remote instruction. Also, masks are required in classrooms, even if you are alone.  

Given the current winter surge, it is essential that we all adhere to the following precautions:  

  • Do not come to campus or leave your on-campus residence if you exhibit symptoms of COVID-19. Follow this guidance and do not return to campus until you obtain a negative COVID-19 test, are fever-free for 24 hours, and your symptoms have improved without the use of medication.  
  • I strongly encourage fully vaccinated students, faculty, staff, and contractors who are on-campus to test weekly; if you are not fully vaccinated, you are still required to test twice weekly at the on-campus testing center. This requirement applies regardless of the reason or the number of days you may otherwise be on campus. You can schedule an appointment at the Westchester campus here and the LLS campus here.  
  • Avoid congregating in buildings’ common areas, including shared kitchens and break rooms. Please consider eating outdoors, especially when eating with others.  
  • Conduct meetings remotely via Zoom whenever possible, and avoid serving food or drinks at in-person meetings or events.  
  • Postpone in-person gatherings, and consider rescheduling events. Indoor event spaces will not be available prior to Jan. 24.  

Please consult these resources for more specific information:  

County Public Health is monitoring the situation and making recommendations dynamically, so please be on the lookout for future updates.  
 
I wish good health to you and your families, and I eagerly anticipate seeing you on campus when in-person instruction resumes on Jan. 24.  
 
Sincerely,  
 
Thomas Poon, Ph.D.  
Executive Vice President and Provost

Solidarity and Support for Our Faculty

January 12, 2022 

Dear Faculty Colleagues,  
 
As we begin the spring semester, I share a message of solidarity and support. You may be aware that in recent weeks, a few of our faculty were targeted by social media campaigns that seized on incidents in their classrooms and twisted them into polarizing headlines designed to sensationalize, stoke anger, and drive website traffic. As a result, our colleagues have been on the receiving end of vitriolic posts/emails, harassment, and even threats of physical violence. This is disheartening to say the least, and I write today to assure you of my and the university’s unwavering support for those faculty who have been attacked in this way.  
 
Increasingly, higher education has become a battleground for those who see our academic freedom and unfettered pursuit of scholarship and inquiry as a threat to their identity. These disturbing developments must never be permitted to distract nor prevent you from providing a world-class education to our students. I strongly affirm the university’s support for our faculty and your right to develop your own classroom curricula and pedagogical approaches, to conduct your research, and to pursue your creative endeavors.  
 
The university is working diligently to intercept inappropriate emails and monitor threatening social posts, and track and respond to media coverage. LMU Campus Safety Services conducts extensive investigations and engages law enforcement agencies when appropriate. Our social media and PR teams in MarComm will continue to provide support and guidance to faculty who face challenges on social platforms, in the news media, and in the public sphere. I thank these colleagues and our community members who have offered these supports, as well as those among the faculty, our department chairs, our deans and dean’s offices, and within other areas who tirelessly provide assistance to our affected faculty.  
 
In the coming weeks, I will be convening a working group to discuss these issues and collaborate to develop policy, provide guidance, and ensure proactive support for our faculty. I will continue to share more information about these efforts.  
 
Sincerely,  
 
Thomas Poon, Ph.D.  
Executive Vice President and Provost  
Professor of Chemistry

Spring Semester Reminders and Updates

January 19, 2022  

Dear LMU Community:  
 
As previously announced, I look forward to welcoming you back for in-person instruction on Monday, Jan. 24. To safeguard our community, please review the following updates and reminders:  
 
Vaccinations and Testing  
LMU requires that eligible community members obtain their COVID-19 booster within one month of eligibility. Upload your booster record in VaxLMU using your phone or tablet before Jan. 24 (or within one month of eligibility if you are not yet eligible), unless you have a medical or religious exemption. The CDC has classified those who are boosted as “up to date” in their vaccination status and LA County Public Health has issued new quarantine and isolation protocols for those who are up-to-date, vaccinated but not up-to-date, and unvaccinated. Being boosted gives you the best opportunity to minimize disruption in your education or work. For example, if you are exposed to a positive case of COVID-19 but not up-to-date, you are required to quarantine for five days. You can avoid this scenario if you are boosted. Please note:  

  • Boost. Upload. Win! Students, get your booster and upload documentation to VaxLMU before Jan. 24 and we will enter you in a drawing to win a $500 Visa gift card or one of five $100 Visa gift cards. Do your part to #ProtectThePride.  
  • Campus Access Testing Requirement and Upload: We are requiring that all students produce a negative COVID-19 test (48 hours for a PCR test and 24 hours for a rapid test) or attest to having had COVID-19 in the last 90 days prior to accessing campus. At-home tests will be accepted. Please submit a photo of your negative test results. Upload your negative test results or complete your attestation here. 
  • LMU Vaccination Clinic Reopens: We are reopening our Westchester Campus Vaccine Center on Jan. 20 and Jan. 21 so LMU and LLS students, faculty, staff, and contractors can get boosted. Appointments are required (make an appointment or learn more).  

New Mask Requirement  
We now require faculty and staff wear a surgical or medical grade mask while on campus or working for LMU off-campus, per L.A. County Health Officer Order. You may obtain your own masks or request masks from the university.  

  • Faculty and staff on the Westchester Campus may request a surgical or N95 mask from Environmental Health and Safety online.  
  • Students on the Westchester Campus (and faculty, staff, and visitors) may obtain surgical masks in Malone, VDA, University Hall, Public Safety, Burns Rec Center and William H. Hannon Library beginning on Jan. 24. LMU resident students may also obtain surgical masks in their residence halls.  
  • LLS Campus Community members may obtain masks at the Information Center. Additional options for students will be announced soon.  

Reopening  
Though our campuses have remained fully open, we temporarily offered limited services due to the Omicron surge. The William H. Hannon Library, Dining Services, and the Burns Recreation Center will reopen on Monday, Jan. 24 to students, faculty, and staff for normal business hours.  
 
To support in-person instruction while minimizing community spread in our early stages of transitioning back, we encourage virtual meetings and remote work wherever possible through the end of the month. Please consult with your supervisors and managers to determine work schedules and office coverage. Human Resources will soon provide additional guidance about the implementation of the university’s new policies related to hybrid and remote work.  
 
While indoor events may be scheduled, we also recommend limiting events with food and planning outdoor events whenever possible.  
 
Additional Resources  
As always, please review these resources for more specific information:  

Thank you for your patience and flexibility as we resume in-person instruction and the world-class educational experience for which we are known. We will continue to monitor our progress and align with guidance from public health authorities. Please be on the lookout for future updates and remain healthy and safe.  
 
Sincerely,  
 
Thomas Poon, Ph.D.  
Executive Vice President and Provost 

Special Procedures as a Result of the COVID-19 Pandemic

March 23, 2022 

Dear Colleagues,

In consultation with Faculty Senate and the Deans Council, we are providing all assistant professors an opportunity to delay their tenure clock based on continued complications due to the pandemic during the 2021-22 year. If you would like to take this opportunity, you should consult with your dean, who can provide guidance on whether or not such a delay would be prudent. Ultimately, however, the decision rests with you. Those scheduled to go up for tenure this year, must submit their intention to delay in writing by May 15, 2022. All other eligible faculty must submit their intention to delay in writing by October 1, 2022. Written requests should be submitted via email to the Office of Faculty Affairs at [email protected] with a cc to the department chair and dean. You can take this delay whether or not you took the delay offered in 2020-2021. Please note that faculty eligible for multiple delays in the same year may only receive a total of one delay. For example, a faculty member on a delay-qualified parental leave this year may not get two total years of delay. 
 
In addition, faculty may include the Rank & Tenure Riders on applications for tenure and/or promotion submitted through fall 2027. 
 
Thank you for your continued excellence throughout the pandemic. Your quick pivots to and from remote instruction have served our students and our university admirably, and I am truly inspired. 
 
Sincerely, 
 
Thomas Poon, Ph.D. 
Executive Vice President and Provost 

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