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Guidance for Fall Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity

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Dear Colleagues,

We are writing today with guidance about undergraduate research and creative activity for the fall semester, including associated undergraduate research and independent study courses. As in all of our reopening plans, we seek to prioritize the safety of our campus community, limit gatherings and density on campus wherever possible, and support the agency of our faculty, staff, and students in making choices about the degree to which they will be engaged in on-campus activities.

Guidance for fall undergraduate research and creative activity:

  • Training. All undergraduates who will be involved in research and/or enrolled in experiential learning credit (e.g., internship, undergraduate research, thesis, independent study) must complete the online COVID-19 safety training.  There are two options for completing the online training and either training is acceptable: “Returning to Research Training Course ” OR “Returning to Campus Training Course.” Students only need to complete one of the trainings even if they are engaged in multiple research or experiential learning opportunities. Students must provide email confirmation that they have completed the training to their research mentor/supervisor/faculty advisor.  As always, research mentors/supervisors are responsible for ensuring their undergraduate researchers have completed the EHS, human subjects, and/or animal use training relevant to the research in which they are involved.
  • Safety Plans. Undergraduates involved in laboratory and/or human subjects research should review, sign, and follow their mentor’s OVPR-approved COVID-19 Safety Plan. The responsible faculty member/principal investigator is responsible for ensuring undergraduates’ compliance with all facets of the approved Safety Plan.
  • Remote as Default. Wherever possible, research (including research with associated course credit or student employment) and related activities should be completed remotely in furtherance of the goal of limiting gatherings and density. This includes activities such as lab/research group meetings and 1:1 meetings. Consider remote activity the default and reserve in-person/in-lab/in-studio time for activities that can only be accomplished with the equipment and materials in those spaces.
  • Course Modality. If a student is enrolled in course credits based on their involvement in research, independent study, or creative activity this fall, ensure that the course’s modality accurately reflects the modality of the student’s planned involvement. Modality changes to these courses should be made promptly so students’ enrollment reflects how all their fall courses will be delivered.

For the remainder of the summer (through Friday, August 28th), the current undergraduate research approval process will continue via the submission of student and faculty request forms. This additional approval is for the summer period only; it is not required  for the fall campus reopening. Residential students with a summer undergraduate research approval may be involved in research on their campus of residence during the 2-week quarantine period (if they remain on campus and limit their physical contact with others), but may not be involved in off-campus or inter-campus research during that time.

Faculty are encouraged to contact the Office of the Vice President for Research (ovpr@uconn.edu) or the Office of Undergraduate Research (our@uconn.edu) with any questions. Our undergraduate students value the opportunity to engage in research, independent study, and creative activity at UConn. Thank you for your efforts to involve students safely this fall semester.

 

Sincerely,

Jeffrey Shoulson

Vice Provost for Academic Operations

Provost’s Message: Planning for Fall as a Community

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Dear UConn Faculty, Staff, and Graduate Students:

Over the past 6 months, the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted every aspect of our lives. Throughout this period, our faculty, staff, and graduate students have worked themselves ragged to shift courses, programs, and services to remote delivery with remarkable swiftness. These efforts have been essential in preserving our academic mission and I am grateful for your work. At the same time, I recognize that so much disruption has taken a toll, which is compounded by personal effects that range from seeing loved ones succumb to this illness, to experiencing heightened discrimination, to managing additional caregiving responsibilities, and a host of other impacts.

As we prepare for a fall semester unlike any we have ever experienced, we are using a community-based approach that incorporates and benefits from our entire University’s involvement. I am thankful to everyone who has raised suggestions, questions, and concerns, through town halls, emails, and other venues. To invite further feedback, the Provost’s Office will host weekly Office Hours open to all faculty, staff, and students starting next week. More information on upcoming sessions can be found on the Provost’s Office website, provost.uconn.edu/.

To facilitate our preparations, multiple re-opening planning groups are meeting across University operations, including a weekly academic planning group, provost.uconn.edu/covid-19-fall-planning/. A recent outcome from that group includes an IdeasLab from InCHIP that has brought extensive feedback from students, faculty, and staff regarding proactive strategies we can put in place to support a safe reopening.

In addition to more formal working groups, I am also holding weekly meetings with deans as well as with the Senate Executive Committee. Additionally, our team is meeting regularly with academic advisors across our campuses as well as representatives from our unions, our cultural centers, and our incoming chief diversity officer. Across all of these efforts, UConn Health has played a crucial role in ensuring we are making decisions that are in line with best practices to promote a safe return.

Much is at stake, including the educational experience of our students and the health of our community. Moving forward will take care, thoughtfulness and courage to get it right and recalibrate as we learn what works and as conditions change. Your feedback is crucial to inform our plans, to let us know when we’ve hit the mark, and to let us know when we haven’t. We will remain in close contact over the coming weeks and we will navigate these uncertain times best as a community, together.

Thank you,
Carl

Carl Lejuez
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs

Updates for the Academic Community

  • Faculty town hall: The University’s series of town halls continues, with a faculty town hall planned for July 29, at 12:30 p.m. The town hall is hosted by President Katsouleas and will feature updates from several administrators on reopening plans across the University. The details for the town hall, including how to submit questions in advance, can be found here: https://ait.uconn.edu/town-hall/. The livestream will also be recorded and available to watch later.
  • Technology recommendations: ITS has created a new webpage to share recommendations on equipment and internet access for continued remote working, instruction, and learning. Please visit https://remotework.uconn.edu/ to review this resource.
  • Instructional modality changes: We are leaving open the opportunity for instructors to change course modality until end of day Friday, July 24. One of our guiding principles has been to support instructors in choosing the modality that best fits with individual comfort level and course objectives. At the same time, we want to ensure that when continuing student registration reopens on July 27 any further changes to students’ schedules will be minimal to provide them a stable picture of how their fall courses will be delivered.
  • Faculty overseas: Any faculty who will be outside of the United States for the fall semester should make sure that they have the approval of their department head for remote working, should inform Global Affairs of their location, and may wish to independently seek advice of a CPA about any tax implications.
  • Course materials for UConn Bookstores: The UConn Bookstores are missing a sizeable amount of information they need to make appropriate orders for the fall term. This can be attributed to the flux in course modalities for the coming semester, however, now that the term is quickly approaching, please be sure to provide the bookstore with the information they need to order course materials for our students. Faculty and administrators can use the online adoption portal Faculty Enlight: https://www.facultyenlight.com/?storeNbr=8207, or by emailing the information to David Yutzey at david.yutzey@uconn.edu. Direct any questions to the General Manager, Len Oser at leonard.oser@uconn.edu.
  • Vice Provost for Faculty and Staff Affairs and Development: We announced last week the three finalists for this position. More information on the finalists can be found on the Provost’s Office website: https://provost.uconn.edu/administrators-and-leadership/academic-leader-searches/.
  • Vice Provost for Undergraduate Studies: We have launched our search to fill this newly configured position in our office. We are accepting applications for this position through Monday, July 27. You can learn more about the position on our site: https://provost.uconn.edu/administrators-and-leadership/academic-leader-searches. Please feel free to reach out to the search committee, as well, if you are interested in the position personally or wish to recommend candidates.

Guidelines for Working Overseas

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Dear Colleagues,

The COVID-19 pandemic and associated travel and entry restrictions have substantially disrupted and in some instances prohibited the admission of our UConn faculty, staff and scholars to the U.S. for the Fall semester. The University is striving to be as compassionate as we can to our UConn community as we navigate the current realities facing the global marketplace. At the same time, a complicating factor for permitting remote work by our faculty and staff abroad is that local employment, labor, and tax obligations apply to work being done in the country in which the employee is sitting, even on behalf of an employer like UConn located in the U.S. UConn is not set up to meet every local employment regulation that applies to remote work abroad. In some cases, accepting a paycheck from an employer abroad may even expose the individual to personal liability in addition to any liability facing the employer under the laws of the local jurisdiction.

To strike the necessary balance between maintaining the University’s operations, acknowledging the risk of remote work abroad, and ensuring that our employees have salaries to provide for themselves and their families, the following guidelines are in place:

  • Faculty and staff should make every effort to return to the U.S. Faculty and staff on payroll are not permitted to work outside of the U.S. merely as a matter of convenience and/or preference.
  • For those cases in which UConn is in the midst of a multi-year and/or continuing contractual arrangement with a faculty or staff member, and that employee cannot return to the U.S. for reasons beyond their control, UConn will permit remote work from their current location on a temporary basis.
  • New hires who are not already on UConn’s payroll should defer their start date until they are able to enter the U.S.
    • The Provost Office will consider limited exceptions on a case-by-case basis depending upon the regulations of the country of the remote work and the needs of the hiring department. Any exceptions will not be considered precedent-setting upon the University at large.
  • Any remote research work must also and separately receive approval from the Office of the Vice President for Research to ensure that the research work is permissible while abroad under the terms of grant restrictions and/or export controls.
  • The hosting of new unpaid visiting research scholars traveling from overseas, or “gratis” sponsorships of scholars from overseas, by academic departments is suspended for the Fall 2020 semester and/or until other State of Connecticut COVID-related travel and gathering restrictions are lifted. Visiting scholars currently at UConn’s campus may continue, assuming that they meet all of UConn’s mandated safety measures.

If you have any questions about these policies, you can contact either the Provost’s office or the Office of Global Affairs.

Sincerely,

Jeffrey S. Shoulson

Vice Provost for Academic Operations

Professor of Literatures, Cultures, and Languages and Professor of English

Restrictions on International Students Rescinded

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Dear UConn Community,
One week ago, we shared our anger at exceptionally punitive restrictions aimed at international students that would put their educational opportunities in jeopardy this fall. We are pleased to report that the order has been rescinded by the Trump administration.
This result can be attributed to the actions led by states, universities, and individuals across the country to fight back against these cruel and pointless measures. In particular, I want to thank our International Student and Scholar Services, Global Affairs, Office of the General Counsel, The Graduate School, and the many other individual students, faculty, staff, and other UConn community members who led efforts to voice clear support and advocacy for our international student community. This includes our UConn students who spoke at the state capitol yesterday as Connecticut announced its partnership in the multi–state lawsuit, which included a declaration of support from President Katsouleas.
The lawsuit was led by Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, and included the attorneys general of Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Wisconsin. It includes declarations from more than 40 institutions affected by the new rule, including UConn.
We understand we have more work to do to support our international students in this difficult time but this is an important step in the right direction.
Sincerely, Carl
Carl Lejuez

Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs

Addressing New Restrictions on International Students

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Dear UConn Community:

This week, the Trump administration announced new restrictions that limitaccess to educational opportunities in the United States for international students. In short, international students on F-1 visas may not stay in the country to pursue their studies if their coursework is entirely online.

This is a serious challenge to our core values as a comprehensive and multi-cultural global research institution. Currently, UConn has 2,055 international undergraduate and graduate students in Connecticut who would be in jeopardy along with the 1,558 international students who are currently abroad and unable to return to campus. The majority of our normally enrolled 1,600 international graduate students serve as teaching and research assistants and provide essential services in support of our fall re-opening efforts. Without them, University teaching and research capacity will be restricted.

We are frustrated by this decision and the way it targets international students, who have already endured so many challenges related to the pandemic. This new ICE directive will cause severe disruption to the lives of our international students, a core part of the UConn family. Many of these students have stayed in Connecticut during the pandemic, have leases, spend considerable time away from their families and loved ones abroad, and at this moment, are simply unable to depart the United States given limited flights and travel restrictions. They made decisions to come to Connecticut for their education, decisions that lead to sacrificing time with loved ones in order for UConn to provide access to an exceptional education. It is our responsibility to ensure that they are treated fairly and their aspirations can be fulfilled.

Further, this creates additional complications for course planning for the fall, as we will have to be mindful of international student course availability that allows them to take at least one course in-person.

Our Global Affairs team and The Graduate School are working swiftly with other University partners to study these new restrictions and develop guidance and strategies to do all we can to allow our international students to continue their studies as smoothly as possible. We are also seeking congressional and legal assistance to have this directive reversed and be consistent with previous directives for online learning for international students during the pandemic. We will be in touch as we know more but please know now that we are distressed by these developments and we are exploring additional avenues that we may be able to use to assist affected students.

Thank you, Carl

Carl Lejuez
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs