Pres Schill on coronavirus response: no sports spectating, meetings restricted, no in-person finals, first 3-weeks next term all online

Provost Phillips is talking about this to the Senate now. Very knowledgeable and sensible. Answering many many questions, earning every penny of his full-priced provost pay. Emphasizes UO is not closing, but practicing “social distancing”. I expect UO’s response plan below will reassure a lot of people who have already been taking similar steps themselves.

I shudder to think how Scott Coltrane, who couldn’t even deal with a GTFF strike, would have handled something of this magnitude. Gottfredson on the other hand was a natural at social distancing from day one.

Also, we’re not supposed to say we’re “teaching online”. We’re “teaching remotely”. Online is apparently now a bad word. Does anyone know why?

5:00 In the Senate, Pedro Garcia-Caro has proposed extending the session and suspending the rules to introduce an emergency resolution:

Resolution on the academic response to the pandemic Coronavirus impacting classes in spring 2020

Sponsors: Kristen Yarris (Global Health and International Studies) Pedro García-Caro (Spanish and Latin American Studies), Eileen Otis (Sociology)

WHEREAS campuses across the region and around the US, classes are being moved from physical, in person classes to online format classes to provide necessary social distancing to avoid contagion

WHEREAS the UO administration has announced that spring classes will be offered as online classes throughout the beginning and perhaps the whole of the spring term

WHEREAS academic continuity is guaranteed by the current provisions of our legislation but the extent of this crisis impacts the quality of academic instruction for an extended and indefinite period of time

The SENATE has agreed on the following RESOLUTION

1. 1. INSTRUCTORS OF RECORD will be allowed to use two weeks at the start of spring term with no instruction as preparation time to move their classes online
   2. We acknowledge that online education is never the same quality or value as what we do in classroom/in person teaching. Not setting an expectation that we will be great or even good at teaching online in the spring, with so little transition time (doing just ok as a form of resistance)
   3. online content produced for these classes will remain faculty intellectual property, and we ask the administration and departments not to assume otherwise
   4. We recommend having week-long inservice, online meetings and trainings to prepare to teach online before actually doing so,
   5. We acknowledge the impact that all this will have not just on professional-class workers, but on the service workers around us, who clean and maintain and otherwise keep our universities running,
   6. We will expect institutional financial support for the technology and infrastructure needed to do online teaching (e.g. site licenses for Zoom and other online platforms),
   7. During this time of temporary modification to our teaching practice, we recognize and seek to mitigate the impact of the virus not just on our universities and students, but on the public health systems that surround us.

UAUO Pres Sinclair: Believes motion covers matters related to working conditions, which the faculty union can negotiate with the Admin, by law. This motion is unnecessary.

Prov Phillips: We will continue to consider something along these lines.

More debate ensues. Senate barely has a quorum, including online senators. Sorry, I mean remote senators.

Me, online: We already have a process for what this motion covers, through the Academic Council and the Faculty Union. Why would we do this as special legislation?
 It’s called a Resolution, but it reads as binding legislation.

Someone moves to amend to replace “online” w/ “remote”. Seriously. Passes.

I argue remotely against the motion, on the grounds we have a policy that gives part of this authority to the AC, a CBA that gives some to the Union, and that both reserve the rest for the faculty to make their own decisions under academic freedom.

Frances White makes the same argument in RL, and with more emphatic language.

Garcia-Caro praises the Pres and Provost for their response so far, still supports the motion.

Koopman: The admin has said that all instructors can already do what’s in A: use two weeks at the start of spring term with no instruction as preparation time to move their classes online. Where is it written?

Skowron: Clarification will come.

5:30 PM: Vote called, motion fails.

Brief video recap of discussion here.

Message from Pres Schill to campus:

Dear University of Oregon community,

For some time now, the UO has been monitoring the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and preparing contingency plans as the virus spreads across the state of Oregon, our nation and the world. At this time, there are still no known cases of COVID-19 in Lane County, but with spring break quickly approaching, we believe it is time to enact active measures to increase social distancing to limit the spread of COVID-19 on campus and protect students, faculty, staff and the broader community. The UO will take the following steps:

• • Effective Sunday, March 15, the UO will cancel nonessential events and gatherings of more than 50 people. For information and guidance about events or to seek a waiver, please use this web form. In addition, attendance at all UO home athletic events will be restricted primarily to participating student-athletes, essential personnel and credentialed media. The UO Department of Intercollegiate Athletics will communicate directly with ticket-holders about refunds.
  • No finals exams will be offered in-person for winter term. Provost Patrick Phillips will send guidance shortly to all UO instructors, who will be asked to quickly provide clear direction to students about how they intend to complete courses and assign final grades. Students will receive additional information in the coming days.
  • For the first three weeks of the spring term – which starts March 30 – the UO will deliver all classes remotely. We will continue to assess and monitor the situation, and provide further guidance about plans for the rest of the term no later than April 10.
  • Effective Sunday, March 15, all nonessential university travel, both domestic and international, is suspended indefinitely. For more information and guidance on UO travel or to seek a travel waiver, email [email protected].
  • We strongly encourage students, faculty, and staff to consider not traveling during spring break. We know that may not be possible, but everyone should be aware of travel warnings, quarantine restrictions and other guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help inform personal travel choices.
  • The UO campus remains open and operating under a normal schedule, including business functions, offices hours and other support operations. Classified employees and officers of administration should continue to perform their normal functions. Employees should review the frequently asked questions and work with their supervisors to learn more about social distancing techniques and flex work options.
  • Residence halls will stay open over spring break and beyond, and limited dining will be available during spring break.

We are continuing to work in close coordination with the Oregon Health Authority. Many of the steps we are taking will be disruptive to our institution and to many of you individually. We do not take these actions lightly, and even though the UO campus will remain open, we recognize and appreciate that many of these measures will have a significant impact on our operations. We also do not have answers to all the questions that will come from these decisions. This continues to be a very fluid situation, and we have an incredible team that is working tirelessly to implement these policies and to protect the safety and wellbeing of campus. Please be patient and know we are moving as fast as we can under some extraordinary and unprecedented challenges.

Students, faculty and staff will receive additional instructions in the coming days about the specific impact of these changes on their activities. We will communicate as quickly as we can with updated information, so pay close attention to your university email and frequently monitor the UO’s coronavirus website, which includes a list of frequently asked questions and extensive links to outside health agencies. We will continue to utilize the website as the best place to get the latest information about the UO’s response to COVID-19.

Questions, concerns or suggestions should continue to be directed to this web form or to a new coronavirus information line at 541-346-7007 (the line will be staffed from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on weekdays). The UO’s Incident Management Team (IMT) – which has grown to more than 150 people working – is monitoring and responding to queries submitted online and by phone. Depending on the volume of questions, they may or may not be able to directly respond to every submission, but the information will be used to inform changes to campus operations, update FAQs or to draft additional communications to campus audiences to address emerging issues.

If you are not feeling well, stay home and follow the health support instructions listed on the UO’s coronavirus website. We know one of the best ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is through good hygiene, so please follow the CDC’s guidance for hand washing and other prevention recommendations.This is a tough time, to be sure, and I wish the steps we are taking were not necessary. Some of these disruptions to our schedules and routines may create stress or anxiety. Take care of yourself and demonstrate grace to each other in the face of these challenges. Now is the time for the UO community to band together to ensure that, even in the face of adversity, we are dedicated to supporting students and committed to delivering on our mission of teaching, research, and service.Thank you for all that you are doing on behalf of the UO.

Sincerely, Michael H. Schill, President and Professor of Law