Dear Campus Community,
During this time when our campus is pulled apart by grief, anger, and frustration, we have come together to explain in greater detail our recent and ongoing decisions concerning instructional modality. With the main entrance of the residential campus now blocked by protesters and the West entrance alone serving all essential campus functions, we have again made the difficult decision to remain in remote instruction on Friday, May 31.
We have not made this decision lightly, and it is predicated fundamentally on safety, while acting in a way to de-escalate possible conflicts. Remaining in remote instruction allows us to depopulate the campus, thereby mitigating significant traffic effects, and provide some measure of predictability for both students and faculty as they continue their educational, research, and residential activities. Diminishing traffic flows also helps with the considerable operations challenges our campus faces with only one entrance available for emergency vehicles and on-site workers (dining, health, custodial, grounds, among others) as they continue their daily efforts to support the many residents of our campus.
At the same time, we fully recognize the fatigue and frustration many feel at the continued disruption by a small group of protesters to access, instruction, performances, and other essential and scheduled and long-planned campus activities. Our students have endured Covid, fire, power outages, and other losses of educational opportunity; they deserve better. We call on these protesters to immediately reopen full access to the campus and return to protesting in a manner consistent with both our community values and our student code of conduct. Denying instructional access is not free speech.
During the period of remote instruction, buildings will remain unlocked so that those who wish to use the classroom technology to project their classes remotely can do so. Faculty teaching lab classes or studios should consult Department Chairs and Deans about requests for exceptions to remote instruction.
The Teaching and Learning Center has resources available for instructional continuity in a wide range of circumstances and has prepared new resources specific to labor actions.
Instructors are encouraged to communicate directly with their students to let them know the alternate arrangements for classes, such as remote instruction or rescheduling. Students are encouraged to look for emails from their instructors with guidance for their courses. Instructors and students should contact the Disability Resource Center for support and assistance with accessibility needs.
Employees should check with their managers and supervisors to determine whether they need to be onsite.
Our operations continue as scheduled at our other sites and campuses.
More information about campus services and real-time updates are available at ucsc.edu.
Your patience and flexibility during this time is appreciated.
Sincerely,
Lori Kletzer
Campus Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor
Patty Gallagher
Academic Senate Chair, Professor of Performance, Play, and Design
Matthew McCarthy
Academic Senate Vice Chair, Professor of Ocean Sciences
David Lee Cuthbert
Chair, Committee on Educational Policy, Professor of Performance, Play, and Design
Andrew Fisher,
Chair, Graduate Council, Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences
