From: José Luis Cruz <JoseLuis.Cruz@cuny.edu> Sent: Friday, March 20, 2020 3:05 PM To: Subject: Update #6: CUNY COVID-19 Guidance on Academic Continuity

Dear Presidents and Deans,

Thank you for your continued focus on and determined leadership to ensure that our nation’s top engine of opportunity does not miss a beat in these most challenging of times.

Attached you will find the sixth installment of our University’s COVID-19 Guidance on Academic Continuity. Because the document has grown significantly in the past several days, we have reformatted it as a PDF that we hope will be easier to work with and to share with others.

For convenience, I have lifted from the attached document the most important changes from previous guidance and reproduced it below my signature line. Please make sure you review these as they touch upon important academic continuity matters and FAQs we have been fielding in the following areas:

Distance Learning and Contractual Obligations [Office Hours, Teaching Observations, Reappointments, etc.] Prospective Academic and Business Travel (Faculty, Students, and Staff) [Major New Travel Restrictions] Middle States Council for Higher Education [College Reporting Requirements] Incomplete Grades [Deadline Extensions] Student Veterans, National Guard & Reservists [Accommodations in Case of Activation] Human Subject Research [Ethical Principles]

Please know that we continue to actively look into several other policy and practice related questions, including a University-wide policy on Pass/No Credit grading. More soon.

All the best, JL

– José Luis Cruz, Ph.D. Executive Vice Chancellor and University Provost The City University of New York

MAJOR CHANGES — Update #6: CUNY COVID-19 Guidance on Academic Continuity

Distance Learning and Contractual Obligations: The following guidance is in response to questions pertaining to faculty office hours, classroom observations, annual evaluations, and the reappointment, tenure, and promotion process. This guidance is based on consultation with several provosts and in discussion with the Professional Staff Congress at a recent labor management meeting with the Chancellor and his executive team. For more information, contact: Pamela Silverblatt, pamela.silverblatt@cuny.edu Both full-time faculty and adjuncts who are responsible for, and paid for, office hours will hold office hours through distance technology and will notify their students and their department chair regarding how they plan to hold the hours. These notifications should be made on or before Friday, March 27. Classroom teaching observations that have not yet been conducted during the Spring 2020 semester, will only be conducted if requested by the employee to be evaluated. The department may use the new protocol for observations in online settings (Article 18.2(b)3), where the course was changed to a distance modality mid-semester, provided the employee is made aware and has the option to proceed with the observation. Teaching observations for those who have been teaching online since the start of the semester, and who were otherwise contemplated to be observed pursuant to the new provision in Article 18.2(b)3 for online observations, will have their observations conducted. Annual evaluations which include the conference and confirming memorandum will have the conference conducted through distance technology, which may include telephone and/or videoconferencing. Decisions on tenure, promotion, reclassification and discretionary assignment salary differentials that are currently in process shall be completed. Faculty and staff shall be permitted to retrieve personal belongings and materials needed to work remotely.

Prospective Academic and Business Travel (Faculty, Students, and Staff): All non-essential university-related international and domestic travel is indefinitely suspended at this time, this includes the suspension of all Spring 2020 and Summer 2020 study abroad programs. It also includes all CUNY-sponsored student international travel (including spring break), non-CUNY credit-bearing programs, and non-credit travel under the auspices of CUNY or any CUNY college or student organization. Please know that credits earned on non-CUNY study abroad programs this summer will not be accepted by the University.

Requests for exceptions to this policy will continue to be reviewed by the Office of Global Education and Initiatives and the Office of Risk, Audit and Compliance, but will also be elevated to the Executive Vice Chancellor and University Provost, who will make a final recommendation to the Chancellor after consideration of any national and local travel restrictions, as well as guidance established by local health authorities and the CDC for New York and the travel destination to limit the risk of exposure and unintended geographic spread of COVID-19.

Offices supporting group travel should continue to submit Trip Proposals and provide risk management reporting as usual.

Planning For and Returning from Personal Travel: The Department of State’s Global Health Advisory (issued March 19, 2020) warns that a shutdown of international travel options is imminent, and that Americans abroad should arrange to immediately return to the U.S., or risk an indefinite stay abroad. In order to help CUNY students return home before it is too late, CUNY will continue to offer rebooking support to any CUNY student or employee abroad (regardless of citizenship) who is unable to make these arrangements directly with the airline. Individuals should contact evac-support@cuny.edu with details on their CUNY affiliation (including EMPLID if possible) to receive instructions on accessing this support.

Students returning from abroad should coordinate closely with the Study Abroad Office on their home campus to ensure they receive support to complete the semester whenever possible. Employees returning from abroad should contact their supervisors to make arrangements to work remotely, if this is not already in place.

Middle States Council on Higher Education: MSCHE is working directly with colleges, as well as with CUNY Central, to provide support and flexibility for accreditation matters. Please know that Central will work with colleges to navigate the current rapid changes, but that MSCHE expects individual college relationships and reporting to remain in place. Colleges must submit a letter to MSCHE by April 1, 2020 to communicate changes made in the areas of a) Distance Education; b) Temporary Agreements with Other Institutions; c) Academic Calendar; and d) Temporary Sites for Instruction. Substantive Change requirements have been temporarily waived in these areas to allow institutions to act first. MSCHE expects the college president or Accreditation Liaison Officer (ALO) to submit the letter and encourages questions via their MSCHE VP liaison. Note that while the University is keeping MSCHE apprised as a system, this doesn't replace the individual letters. The Spring Annual Institutional Update (AIU) may have some flexibility but will likely still be required; MSCHE will communicate more soon. All Self-Study Preparation Visits (kickoff visits two years before the evaluation) will be rescheduled. Baruch has completed the Spring Self-Study visit. The GSUC's will be rescheduled. The CUNY MSCHE Symposium scheduled for April 24 is canceled.

For questions, please contact Karen Kapp (karen.kapp@cuny.edu) or visit our CUNY MSCHE website which includes a list of college ALOs and MSCHE VP liaisons. MSCHE will continue to email for outreach, but updates will also be available here.

Incomplete Grades: Students who receive an INC grades in the Spring 2020 term would generally be required to submit outstanding work, “according to a deadline established by individual colleges of the University but no later than the last day of the following semester.” But the University will allow students to submit incomplete work to faculty for resolution of INC grades for courses taken in Spring 2020 through the Fall 2020 semester, and the new deadline for faculty to submit Incomplete to Grade forms to the Registrar’s Office for resolution will be Wednesday, December 23, 2020 (for KCC/LAG/GCC – March 1, 2021). This date coincides with the “Final Grade Submission Deadline” for Fall 2020 courses. For Students who received an INC grade in the Fall 2019 semester, the University will allow students to submit incomplete work to faculty for resolution through end of Summer 2020 semester. The new deadline for faculty to submit Incomplete to Grade forms to the Registrar’s Office for resolution will be August 30, 2020.

Student Veterans, National Guard & Reservists: Please advise students who are activated to communicate with their campus Veterans Services Coordinator, Registrar’s Office, and faculty. The University might be facing one of the following scenarios: 1) National Guard students called up as early as the week of April 1, 2020; 2) military personnel may be activated in 30 days; or 3) Military units might be given notice of activation at any time. Students’ response to all three scenarios SHOULD NOT be to drop classes or discontinue their Spring 2020 coursework. Rather, as per CUNY Military Activation Policy Sections 3.1 – 3.3 listed below, faculty can and should accommodate activated students to enable them to complete the Spring 2020 semester. For more information, contact: Lisa Beatha, lisa.beatha@cuny.edu.

3.1 A student who is called to active duty in the armed forces of the United States or National Guard should be given every consideration around either making up the work for the course, obtaining an Incomplete, or being given the grade that he or she has earned at the time that he or she is called to duty.

3.2 At each college, the appropriated committee or other designated authority shall be empowered to grant the remaining number of credits required for graduation to a member of the graduating class who lacks twelve or fewer credits in elective courses to complete the requirements for the degree for those called to active duty in the armed forces of the United States. Credits should be applied from the service members JST (Joint Service Transcript) as MILT elective credit

3.3 Colleges shall encourage students who enter military service to maintain their status as students by availing themselves of such opportunities as may be offered to them (by the colleges, by other accredited colleges, and/or by service agencies) to continue their studies while in Military Service.

Human Subject Research: For research involving interactions with people, interactions should be limited to minimize risk of contracting or spreading COVID-19, in accordance with CUNY Coronavirus Guidance, CDC Guidance, and campus guidance. Follow your campus HRPP guidelines, but in general human subject research involving direct interaction with study participants should be paused and no study participants should travel to CUNY colleges (except studies with therapeutic benefit, see below). Ethical principles of research and federal regulations for the protection of human research participants require an acceptable risk/benefit ratio for in-person contact associated with research. This guidance is being provided in order to promote public health. When PIs do not follow guidance that is in the interest of public health, they are not engaging in responsible conduct of research. Unethical or irresponsible conduct may result in disciplinary action taken by campus administration.