Hello Carolyn,

Welcome to the Academic Affairs newsletter. Browse updates and announcements, connect to tips and resources, and check out stories from around campus.

Upcoming Town Halls

Faculty and Research Town Hall

Tuesday, Jan. 17, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. 

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Staff Town Hall

Tuesday, Jan. 31, at 10 a.m.

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Latest Bargaining Update Provided by UCOP

Please visit the Labor Negotiations Update webpage for the most recent bargaining information from the University of California on the labor negotiations with UC Graduate Student Researchers (GSRs) and Academic Student Employees (ASEs) represented by the UAW.

Providing Support for the Grading Process During Ongoing Labor Negotiations

The following information has been provided by campus leadership including the Dean of the Division of Undergraduate Education and the Associate Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management. 

Grading for Undergraduates

As labor negotiations continue between the UC system and the UAW, it is understood that some instructional and grading processes have been impacted. In order to reduce the impact of late or missing grades on students, the Dean of the Division of Undergraduate Education, the Academic Senate, San Diego Division, and the Registrar have made the following changes for the upcoming grading period: 

• The Registrar has extended the deadline for the instructor submission of grades through eGrades to Tuesday, Dec. 20. The revised deadline is intended to offer instructors some relief while also supporting those students with a variety of acute needs around grading, such as determining academic standing, eligibility for graduation, athletic participation, or continued eligibility for financial aid recipients on an approved Satisfactory Academic Progress appeal. Once grades have been submitted, they will be visible to students the next day. Note: Financial aid for Winter 2023 will begin disbursing 10 days prior to the start of the quarter for all other eligible students.
• Enrollment Management is working with the Dean of the Division of Undergraduate Education to proactively identify students in the above categories as well as other scenarios in order to alert instructors of any potential impact; this will be done in a way that maintains confidentiality and does not reveal individual situations. If a student has an extenuating circumstance that is not outlined above or questions about the posting of grades, they are being urged to reach out to their instructors.. 
• Faculty will submit letter grades (unless there is already a P/NP option in place). We understand that many of our students need timely letter grades for the reasons outlined above. Therefore, our campus will not be moving to a default P/NP grading system for the fall 2022 quarter.
• The Teaching + Learning Commons will remain open for the remainder of the quarter to provide academic support and will continue to work with its campus partners (OASIS, academic departments, and resource centers) to ensure student support remains in place. For details about programs and services currently available to support students, they should visit the Teaching + Learning Commons website.   
• Please encourage students who need additional, timely support to reach out to their Dean of Student Affairs or Dean of Academic Advising.

The following guidance is based closely on what has been shared by the Academic Senate, San Diego Division in their December 5 communication. 

Grading Graduate Coursework

The Academic Senate is aware that many Instructors have questions about the distinction between academic work for which a graduate student is seeking credit and work for which the student is being paid and might be striking. 

Graduate students withholding their labor during the strike are still expected to complete academic work. The UAW considers withholding participation from research courses (e.g. 299s) for Graduate Student Researchers and apprentice teaching courses (e.g. 500s) for Teaching Assistants a protected activity. The UC Administration has stated that if a student is taking a course for academic credit, it is not considered an employment activity. Issuance of unsatisfactory grades in the context of a strike could result in UAW claims of unfair labor practices*. This information is provided as background as Instructors think about how to approach grading for graduate courses. We offer the following for consideration:

• Instructors have flexibility and may be generous when considering the totality of the work completed over the course of the quarter.
• For courses that are not related to employment (like didactic graduate seminars), graduate students will continue to be graded based on their academic work.
• For individual research courses (e.g. 299s) and teaching apprentice courses (e.g. 500s), Instructors may wish to consider student performance up to the point of the strike and assign a grade based on that work. That is, if the enrolled student was fulfilling their duties satisfactorily up to this point, then issuing a satisfactory grade could be seen as appropriate.

* Footnote added by the Administration: The UC is now contesting UAW claims of unfair labor practices with the appropriate state administrative agency.

Guidance to Academic Senate Faculty During Labor Negotiations



In the Nov. 30 letter from UC Executive Vice President and Provost Michael T. Brown, the following guidance was provided to Senate Faculty:



“If Senate faculty choose to withhold their labor during the strike, then they should be advised that doing so means that they are choosing to withhold all of their labor, and that the University in turn may withhold their compensation. It is part of the definition of being on strike. This is true under any circumstances where duties are not performed; it is not a disciplinary action. It is also important to note that withholding labor is an “all or nothing” proposition: Senate faculty may not choose to meet some responsibilities while withholding their labor for other responsibilities. For example, under labor law a Senate faculty member may not cancel classes, decline to grade exams, or withhold grades in solidarity with the strike while continuing to fulfill other aspects of their job such as their research or service obligations. This could put the faculty member at risk of disciplinary action under the Faculty Code of Conduct.”

UC San Diego Community Can Now Access CUR Resources



UC San Diego is now a member of the Council on Undergraduate Research, or CUR. This membership gives all members of the UC San Diego community access to the resources CUR provides. The CUR Undergraduate Research Programs Community is a place where anyone affiliated with a member institution can share best practices, ask questions, suggest resources, connect with each other, and pose issues confronting the operation of undergraduate research and creative activity offices and programs. The community includes members of the Undergraduate Research Programs Directory, and any other CUR stakeholders interested in supporting the forward movement of undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative activity offices and programs. In the spirit of collaboration, inclusion, and innovation, our membership in the CUR community is an important piece of achieving UC San Diego's vision of enriching and advancing society through Undergraduate Research, scholarship, and creative inquiry.

Library's Strategic Plan Completed

After an extensive consultation process that engaged more than 100 stakeholders across all levels of the university and generated over 2,500 comments and ideas, the UC San Diego Library has released its new five year Strategic Plan. Aligned with the goals of UC San Diego’s Strategic Plan, the Strategic Plan for Inclusive Excellence, and the vision, strategy and initiatives of Academic Affairs – specifically that of Collective Impact – the plan positions the Library to work in direct service to the academic mission of the university. View the plan at lib.ucsd.edu/strategicplan.

Expanding the Employee Experience IdeaWave Campaign

The Enhancing the Employee Experience IdeaWave campaign started yesterday, Dec. 6, 2022, and concludes Jan. 13, 2023. Following on the Staff@Work (S@W) survey, Human Resources wants to hear your ideas about specific ways to improve the staff experience around the themes identified in the S@W survey. Human Resources has organized the IdeaWave campaign around the five anchors of the UC San Diego People Proposition, the promise to be able to deliver on to the people of UC San Diego - Care, Inclusion, Growth, Equity and Purpose. Your ideas are wanted on how to enact concrete, practical steps to enhance the staff experience and deliver on that promise. Using IdeaWave, staff can share your ideas; comment or build on other’s ideas; and vote/like the shared ideas. Commenting and voting are critically important for us to be able to identify and learn from the ideas that most resonate for you. Make sure to log in using your Active Directory credentials.