Let's Finish Strong

I hope you have all had a chance to view Dr. Cureton's message and encouragement about working together to have a strong finish to our semester. Although we have seen our internal numbers ticking up in the past few weeks our campus has been able to remain at Green because of the confidence the Senior Leadership Team has in our community to maintain our protocols into these final weeks. Thank you for doing your part and remaining diligent in these final days.

Supporting Students During Finals

As we near finals, we want to clearly communicate how you will know if a student is not able to take a final exam due to COVID or other sickness.

• If a student is in isolation or quarantine and cannot come to an in-person exam, you will receive an email from the Registrar’s office stating an approved exam reschedule date.
• If the student is in isolation or quarantine, is feeling fine, and the exam can be taken virtually; the student will be expected to take the exam.
• If a student is sick (in isolation, quarantine, or otherwise) and unable to take a virtual or in person exam, you will be notified by the Registrar’s office of an approved exam reschedule date.
• If a student notifies you on the day of the exam that they are not feeling well, please direct them to Academic Achievement (academicachievement@unwsp.edu) who will work with Health Services to determine if adjustments need to be made. If needed, you will be notified by the Registrar’s office of an approved exam reschedule date.

Please also keep in mind the information shared in last week's communication regarding Anticipating Student Needs and that the Online Learning Office is available to help. 

Lecture Capture and Teaching Modalities

The Academic Continuity Team has continued gathering feedback regarding the potential continued use of lecture capture along with hybrid and virtual teaching modalities to help us prepare for in the 2021-2022 academic year. Faculty will have the opportunity to offer feedback during next Tuesday’s Faculty Meeting and again on Friday, May 7, during the Provost Coffee Hour. I am eager to hear your thoughts on these important topics. Faculty and Staff staff can continue to provide feedback to the Assumptions for Post-COVID Learning Environments document through the month of May by sharing comments at any time by using this anonymous Qualtrics link. You will see on the shared document that comments from other areas, including Student Government, have been added for consideration.

In addition to collecting your feedback, we are also taking the following steps to ensure we have the a full pictureas much information as possible for these decisions:

• We are planning to administer a student survey next week to better understand their learning experiences to help inform decisions for the 2021-2022 academic year.  
• A subcommittee of the Academic Continuity Team is in the process of researching guidelines implemented by other institutions to help determine guidelines for utilizing face-to-face, blended, virtual and hybrid learning modalities.

Planning for Fall

Now that we are nearing the end of the spring semester I know that many of us are beginning to look ahead and are asking questions related to the fall semester. Topics such as vaccines, protocols, and accommodations are on people's minds and have been raised in various meetings. While details still need to be worked through, I wanted to provided an update based on the information we have at this time. 

Vaccines

Under the oversight of the Resurgence Analysis Team, a cross-functional group of staff and faculty members has been formed to provide information to the Senior Leadership Team on what position our institution should take on requiring regarding the requirement for members of the community to have COVID vaccine for this the fall. At this time, there is no requirement for employees or students to receive the vaccine. Because we desire to make wise well-informed choices and understand the implications of any decision we make for our community, I am thankful that this group is taking time to explore this important topic and options for Northwestern. My hope is to have I am expecting a decision will be made and announced before the end of the spring semester. 

Expectations for Protocols

Throughout the entire pandemic, we have used guidance from the CDC and MDH to inform our decisions related to mitigation strategies and protocols. Although things may change, at this point we will planning to continue to require masks in our classrooms, in line with the state mandate. If the state mandate changes, we will review available guidance and make a decision on how to proceed forward. 

In addition, we are planning on moving our classroom distancing to 3 feet instead of 6 feet as this has been endorsed by MDH for the fall. Distancing for classes over the summer will remain at 6 feet.

Faculty Accommodations

Any faculty seeking an accommodation for the Fall 2021 semester should reference Faculty Accommodation and Flexible Teaching Arrangements form. If you have questions about your arrangement for the fall, please work with your Department Chair/Assistant Dean. You are also welcome to reach out to Kelly Franck, our Academic Affairs HR Business Partner, to discuss any questions you have.

Commencement Viewing Opportunity

We are excited to celebrate our spring graduates in just a few short weeks! Although faculty will not be able to attend ceremonies in the Knight Performance Hall, you are invited to join other colleagues in the Nazareth Great Room (NGR) where light refreshments will be available. Capacity in the NGR is limited so you will need to RSVP by Monday, May 3 indicating which ceremony/ceremonies you plan to attend in the NGR. You can view the email sent by Andy Simpson with more information about commencement ceremonies including live streaming options.