UCLA Faculty Association: Two Notes on Flexibility

Wednesday, March 25, 2020

Two Notes on Flexibility

From two emails circulated late yesterday afternoon:

Dear Colleagues:

As we prepare for a spring quarter unlike any UCLA has ever seen, prioritizing remote learning while the majority of campus operations are suspended, we thank all of you for your understanding as we adapt to the changes UCLA has made to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Please treat the first week of spring quarter as a time of transition, being particularly patient and flexible with your students and yourselves. Keeping open lines of communication with your students is essential to understanding their needs. Please consider recording lectures in the first few weeks for students who may miss classes as they become familiar with new computers and internet access solutions, which UCLA is working to provide for those who need them. Recorded lectures do not need to remain available indefinitely; they can be removed at any time.

We are all in this together, and we urge all of you, like us, to simply be patient, do your best, listen to others’ needs, and share your own needs with them. Please be supportive of each other and take care of yourselves.

Sincerely,

Emily A. Carter

Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost

Michael S. Levine

Vice Chancellor for Academic Personnel

Michael Meranze

Chair, UCLA Academic Senate

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To: Deans and Department Chairs

Dear Colleagues:

We wanted to express our great appreciation for all you are doing as we navigate this difficult time together. We know this is a stressful moment for every member of our community and that it will take time for our faculty, students, and staff to adjust to the new realities we face as a community working to slow the spread of COVID-19.

During this time, we ask that schools, divisions, departments, and leadership all across UCLA be flexible and considerate of our faculty as they work to develop and adopt remote learning procedures and new learning theories for their courses. We recognize that many faculty, particularly those caring for dependents at home or facing other acute challenges related to the current crisis, will have difficulty continuing their creative and scholarly activities. We must be flexible and alter our expectations of what can be accomplished in this very trying time.

These modified expectations can be addressed initially by deans and chairs who should provide, to the extent possible, appropriate flexibility in assignments and scheduling. Both the Academic Senate Committee on Academic Personnel and campus administrative leadership are well aware that expectations during a faculty member’s next review will have to be changed in consideration of the current challenges.

We also ask all department chairs and program directors to assess each faculty member’s situation, especially for those with dependents or ill family members at home and those who have additional clinical responsibilities outside of UCLA related to COVID-19. If faculty members have dependents for whom they are now the primary caregiver and teacher, additional external clinical obligations, or other especially acute challenges created by this situation, we strongly encourage department chairs and program directors to work with each such faculty member to handle these situations with compassion and care. In some cases, that could include postponing certain activities, such as a one-time reduction of their responsibilities during the spring term for certain elective courses or service activities. These and other forms of flexibility will help us, individually and collectively, get through this current period of stress and challenge while still focusing on the core educational commitments we have to our students.

Finally, for those faculty with young children, we know you may not have the luxury of joining virtual meetings from home in a room apart from your children. Please be assured that we will be understanding and hope you will continue to participate in important discussions.

Thank you again for your continued understanding, flexibility, and support. Please know that we are here to support all of you as well. Please email covid19@ucla.edu with any questions regarding UCLA’s response to COVID-19 and remember that the Staff and Faculty Counseling Center remains a resource. We will get through this together.