Dear Romance Studies Faculty, Graduate Students and Staff,

 

VP Opperman Meeting

I attended a virtual meeting jointly hosted by the Cornell Office of the Assemblies and the Employee Assembly this afternoon where Vice President for Human Resources, Mary Opperman shared information and answered questions regarding Cornell’s response to COVID-19, and what that means for employees of the University. I will share the recording when it’s made available. In short, VP Opperman reminded people that this is a very new and unique situation in which we find ourselves. There is significant ambiguity and associated stress as we cope with what we cannot control. She advised staying connected to family and friends, eating well, getting adequate rest, getting outside for fresh air and remembering that this is a marathon and not a sprint, and we will get through this.

 

It’s important to remember, while it may feel like this situation has gone on a long time, just two weeks ago things on campus were relatively normal. The article 7 Days at Cornell: How COVID-19 Changed Campus in Just One Week was published in the Cornell Daily Sun yesterday and demonstrates the student experience in this rapidly changing environment.

 

DROP/Change Grade Date Extended

Please note that the drop/change grading basis date has been extended from March 17 to April 21. More details about this change and other impacts from COVID-19 can be found on Cornell’s Coronavirus Virtual Instruction page.

 

IT for Remote Instruction

Further information regarding technologies and remote teaching was announced at this morning’s College of Arts & Sciences Department Managers Meeting. Please note that Facetime and Skype are not FERPA compliant, and are strongly discouraged for communicating with students.

 

TCAT Service Reduction

As expected, further service reductions by TCAT were announced today. More details are in the Ithaca Voice article. In short, there will be no changes to routes 11S, 14, 14S, 40, 41, 53, 65, 74, 75, 77 and 81. If you take other routes, be sure to check schedules in advance of your planned trip.

 

Area News

In accordance with guidelines issued on Tuesday by New York State Governor, Mario Cuomo many local government offices will be reducing their hours and/or services. More details about changes at specific offices can be found in the associated Ithaca Voice article. Additionally, the Governor has delayed village elections throughout the state which were originally scheduled for today, until April 28.

 

Stay safe, stay well and stay in touch,

Mary Beth