Dear Colleagues,
Today President Percy and I will be sending a message to campus providing updates on our continued diligence in addressing the ongoing pandemic, particularly as the Omicron variant spreads. Our community is responding to this challenge with the care that characterizes PSU, wearing masks, following our vaccine requirements, reporting all COVID-19 cases, and isolating to avoid infecting others.
The predicted surge in Omicron transmission is expected to peak at the end of January and dissipate by early February. While COVID positivity rates have increased, symptoms appear to be relatively mild among the vaccinated and boosted.
Our plans for Winter Term instruction remain in place. However, as more students — and in some cases, faculty and staff — will need to quarantine, we may see short-term disruptions to in-person classroom experiences. To ensure the continuity of learning experiences and to keep the campus and our community safe, some classes and services may need to temporarily shift to a remote format so that effective student learning can be continued.
OAA has developed guidelines that will help faculty determine if a course may need to temporarily shift to a remote modality. The guidelines are effective January 10.
- In classes in which 20% or more of students are absent due to COVID-19, faculty may - in consultation with deans and department chairs - shift in-person classes temporarily to remote instruction. It may not be feasible for some classes, such as labs or internships, to shift to remote modalities.
- For classes that remain in-person, instructors are encouraged to utilize the existing Zoom capacities that were installed in all general pool classrooms to enable students who cannot attend in person to be able to stay current with the class;
- In-person classes in which the instructor must quarantine or attend to symptoms may shift temporarily to remote instruction;
- Please provide at least 24-hour notice to students when class modalities are changed;
- Any in-person classes that shift temporarily to remote should return to in-person instruction by February 7.
OAA compiled a COVID-19 Teaching Resources Guide that I encourage you to consult. The guide covers possible COVID-related scenarios instructors may encounter during the term, and it offers practical guidance, such as how to consider a student’s request for flexibility for pandemic-related circumstances.
PSU has also updated expectations for isolation and quarantine in line with revised guidelines from the Oregon Health Authority.
The surge and the entire course of the pandemic have disrupted our plans and schedules and caused emotional and mental distress for many. PSU offers several resources that are available to you as a PSU employee, including free, confidential counseling through our Employee Assistance Program. Please watch for another communication from the Incident Management Team with details about that program and many other COVID-19 resources and guidelines.
As always, thank you for your commitment to ensuring that our students are able to continue pursuing their learning goals during this disruptive period.
Sincerely,
Susan Jeffords
Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs