| by Sujata Moorti

Faculty, Fall 2020

Dear Colleagues,

As we gear up for the fall semester I wanted to send you an update with a number of housekeeping details. First though I want to thank you all for all the work you have conducted over the summer on preparing for fall classes. Because of the time you have invested in course preparation, I am confident that the student learning experience this fall will be radically different from the spring.

Starting tomorrow, students will start to return to campus in a staggered arrival sequence. As you will see from the linked document, students will be tested when they first arrive, remain in their rooms until they get their test results, and will then remain in campus quarantine until next week. Other students will follow a similar timeline. Thus, it is important that only faculty who have been approved to return to campus use their offices over the next two weeks. If you need to get approval to return to campus, please complete this form and the other health and safety requirements. When on campus, you should restrict your presence to your office and/or lab. All other parts of the campus – the outdoor track, the grounds, etc – are not to be used. This is no doubt inconvenient but necessary to ensure the health and safety of our larger community. You are already familiar with the requirements of the Return to Campus guidelines. Apart from these official documents, students have received additional information to ensure that they stay in compliance with the College’s health and safety requirements.

Fall on campus will look radically different than anything we have experienced. Based on the survey you have just completed (or will be completing), the College will be appointing health safety advocates in each building. This is designed to ensure that the College remains in compliance with state health guidelines. If you have questions about these guidelines please send your questions to COVIDInfo@middlebury.edu

As you finalize your classes, if you should need any additional technology please contact Bill Koulopoulos (bkoul@middlebury.edu). The College has some funds dedicated for pedagogy related technologies. In addition, the message from our colleagues in DLINQ that went out earlier today provides additional information about support for your courses.

Many of you are aware that revised Title IX regulations went into effect last week. There are a significant number of changes; Hannah Ross and members of the Title IX office will update us on these policies later. For now, I want to remind you that the College has put into place an extensive set of policies and procedures if you feel you have been discriminated against, harassed, or have experienced bias. Please follow the guidelines outlined in the faculty handbook to make your complaints. Until the College has completed an investigation all parties are considered innocent.

In addition, Amy Yuen is now the faculty constituent member to the Board of Trustees. Amy takes over from Bill Hart who retired earlier this year. If you have issues or topics you would like to raise with the Trustees, please be in touch with Amy.

I apologize for the length of this email and the laundry list of information included. I have also attached a couple of documents: one lists answers to some frequently posed questions about the FY21 budget; a second includes a calendar of religious holidays which was compiled by the Scott Center for Spiritual and Religious life.

I wish you good luck and good health as you navigate the fall semester.

 

Sujata