The following post is a message from ASMSA Director Corey Alderdice sent at 4:30 p.m. on March 16, 2020. ASMSA understands this is a fluid situation, and as new information becomes available, we will provide updates.
With yesterday’s announcement from Governor Hutchinson that schools statewide would transition to alternative methods of instruction this week, it appears ASMSA’s decision to proactively return students to their home was for the best. I want to commend our Residence Life Staff for their extraordinary efforts in getting students checked out and on their way home.
Thank you to the many ASMSA parents and colleagues who expressed their appreciation regarding our communications on COVID-19 to date. We will continue to do our best to provide you with timely and focused updates as developments warrant.
Please review the following updates regarding remote instruction, ASMSA’s transition to optional remote work for employees, and other important points for all members of our community of learning.
Transition to Optional Remote Work
Beginning Tuesday, March 16, 2020, employees with the option to work remotely may transition to that format with approval from their supervisor. Employees will need to document their plan of action with measurable project/work objectives. Faculty are automatically approved for remote instruction. Since campus is not closed, all employees must complete their weekly 40 hour work commitment.
Campus Remains Open for Essential Operations
Campus will remain open unless a mandatory closure is ordered to ensure continued janitorial, maintenance, human resources, finance, payroll, information technology, security, and other functions remain in place. The on-campus presence will focus on those employees whose responsibilities cannot be conducted away from campus as well as a rotating essential crew for the operations described above. Mail will be delivered to the Student Center but will be distributed in the usual manner.
Parent Zoom Call on Thursday
A word of thanks to parents who submitted questions and responded to this week’s Possip survey. We received the report earlier this afternoon and will use it as a frame to our discussion on Thursday night. Dean Flynn, Dean Morris, and I will discuss ASMSA’s ongoing response systems as well as mid- and long-term planning in light of COVID-19 during a special Zoom forum at 7 p.m. Students and parents may attend the session at https://zoom.us/j/6377584498. If you wish to connect only by phone, please dial 312-626-6799 and enter meeting ID 637 758 4498.
Sick Leave
Our usual policies and processes related to sick leave will continue. As a result of the public health emergency, if you are sick, are caring for someone who is sick, or have been exposed and are quarantined, you will be required to use sick leave hours. Please refer to our leave policies as outlined in the ASMSA employee handbook for further clarification.
covid@asmsa.org Email Address
IT has established a special email account that will allow administrators to follow communication between faculty and students’ classes. Faculty should add this account to your Google Classroom sections. If faculty are using email to directly communicate to their class as a whole, please copy the message to the covid@asmsa.org account.
Information Technology Support
IT will provide guidance on how to forward to employees’ campus phone number to another number should they need to receive direct calls while working remotely. We have also activated our voicemail to email system for all employees, which has been an elective option in the past.
Zoom has announced expansion of its free software for educators as a response to the current situation. IT is testing this version against our paid version (which has a limited number of accounts). You may also wish to explore Google Meet and other options. For this week, we ask that faculty keep synchronous instruction to a minimum as we work to address individual issues with access to broadband.
Students and employees who have not yet signed up to receive emergency text messages and voicemails through the campus system should email techsupport@asmsa.org. Please note that you must opt-in through a notification text to receive future updates. If you did not receive the messages on Thursday night, then you are not subscribed at present.
Instructions for Faculty
The most important item for today is that faculty make direct contact with their students through Google Classroom and/or email to ensure they understand the expectations for the week ahead. Timely and responsive communication are the most essential elements as we transition to remote learning. If you need assistance with Google Classroom, Zoom, or another online platform please contact Dean Flynn.
I shared with students last Thursday that all emails should receive a reply as soon as possible. If a faculty member or other employee has not replied to a student or parent message within 48 hours, they have been instructed to forward the original message to both Dean Flynn and me in order to ensure a reply.
Please use this week as an opportunity to catch up on grading as well as to post updates in FAweb/NetClassroom. I recognize that many of you planned to issue tests, midterms, or other assignments this week toward the progress report. While we will not yet use midterm grades in the usual manner, we do hope to have a snapshot of student performance through the midpoint of the semester in order to ready our intervention systems.
Admissions Interviews
The Office of Admissions is actively pursuing alternative options in light of revised CDC guidance for group meetings over the next eight weeks. An announcement will be made on changes to our review and selection processes for the Classes of 2022 and 2023 by the end of this week.
Commencement Ceremony
The Board of Trustees has asked campuses to evaluate their plans for Commencement ceremonies in May. ASMSA will make a determination on current May 23, 2020, date no later than Monday, April 20th. We wish to ensure a proper celebration of the accomplishments and persistence of the Class of 2020 at a time which is proper and safe to do so.
In Closing
We recognize that this is a period of high uncertainty, anxiety, and stress for all members of our community of learning. We will continue to be flexible in order to address individual needs while also maintaining reasonable expectations for all students and employees. Please do not hesitate to reach out should you have questions or needs.
