We believe that the University now has a good plan in place and are writing to provide a broad overview of our approach. Because our plan must be approved by SUNY and the Governor’s Office, at this point it is still considered to be a draft.
A key element of the plan is that we will change the fall academic calendar. Classes will begin on Wednesday, August 26, as planned, but we will hold classes on all holidays originally scheduled for the fall except Thanksgiving. Because we will teach classes on Yom Kippur, a significant break in our tradition of observing major Jewish holidays, faculty are required to accommodate students who observe the holiday. For faculty observing the holiday, please make alternative arrangements for your classes during that period. We are taking this step reluctantly to deter student travel in the midst of a public health crisis and will once again recognize the Jewish holidays in our 2021-22 calendar. This fall, we will work with local congregations and campus student groups to accommodate students who wish to attend synagogue on Yom Kippur. We will send updated information and details when available.
In-person instruction will conclude Friday, November 20, with three days set aside for in-person examinations: Sunday, November 22 through Tuesday, November 24. After the Thanksgiving break, we will have six days of remote instruction, November 30 through December 7, followed by a three-day examination period: December 8-10. The change allows us to retain the required number of class days while mitigating against the risks from bringing students back to campus after they have travelled home for a long break.
Large spaces on campus (e.g., the Events Center and West Gym) will be available for in-person examinations until Thanksgiving break. Instructors who feel that the last major assessment for the semester needs to be held in person, to prevent cheating or for other pedagogical reasons, will be able to hold two-hour assessments during the November 22-24 examination period and may use the December 8-10 examination period to assess the material covered during the online period following Thanksgiving. Other instructors may use the December 8-10 period to hold online final exams. Papers may be turned in and virtual presentations given during the December 8-10 period as well.
Classes will also be different. We will allow six foot spacing in our classrooms to reduce density / facilitate social distancing. With this requirement, we only have a handful of classrooms that can accommodate more than 40 students. As a result, most large classes and many smaller classes will need to be taught online; in some cases discussion sections for large lecture classes will meet in-person.
TA assignments also coming soon ...
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