SUBJECT:

Academic Impact of the Fires

The campus community has suffered and come together in many ways during these past few days. Plans have been made to continue to accommodate those who have experienced especially difficult times. In particular, the members of our UCSD family who have lost homes in the fires still have a long road of recovery ahead of them, and we stand ready to help in whatever ways we can, both individually and as a unit. Classes are set to resume on Monday, October 29, and we will need the cooperation of all faculty, staff, and students to make the transition as smooth as possible.

Many inquiries have come from faculty regarding how they should deal with the loss of the week of classes. We hope this memo will provide some clarification. We wish to make the recovery plan as simple and painless as possible, recognizing that individual instructors have control over their courses and content.

* The UC Office of the President has approved a reduction in days of instruction for this quarter, given the nature of the emergency. Therefore the calendar for the remainder of Fall quarter and for final exams will not be changed.

* Faculty should adjust their syllabus and content for the loss of a week of classes, and should not expect to schedule additional class meetings to make up for that time.

* In those cases where faculty had already received CEP approval to offer out-of-class exams, the Registrar's Office will work with faculty and departments to reschedule these tests, but we will not be able to allow for the use of holidays or weekends. We urge you to take into account students' obligations to their jobs and other classes.

* Many students have expressed concern about the in-class due dates set by faculty. We urge you to consider delaying all exams and assignments by a week. Since some students may have had traumatic experiences during this week, you might consider establishing alternate exams and making assignment adjustments.

* The normal 4th week deadlines for students to change grading option, change units, and drop classes without a "W" on the transcript will be extended one week to November 2.

* We are getting very close to the time when the Winter quarter class schedule is set. The availability of that schedule, and student enrollment, may be delayed by one week also, to November 9.

* The UCSD libraries expect to resume normal hours of operation on Monday, October 29. Geisel Library will be open Thursday-Sunday, October 25-28, 10AM-6PM, with security and a minimal crew, but no services, in order to allow students who are on campus to study and socialize.

Please recognize that students may need to talk with someone about their experiences during the last week. Faculty may wish to remind students of the availability of counselors in Psychological and Counseling Services.

We should all anticipate that many special circumstances will arise as we return to our instructional mission. While we are confident that our departments and faculty will work together to address most problems, the Office of the SVCAA stands ready to help whenever necessary.

Paul W. Drake Senior Vice Chancellor - Academic Affairs James W. Posakony Chair Academic Senate San Diego Division