Important Update

Hurricane Helene Update

Dear Academic Affairs Faculty and Staff,

I wanted to provide an important update regarding campus reopening and instructional plans. The university will remain closed until Monday, October 7th. In regards to instructional hours, I understand that there is concern about the possibility of extending the term.

At this time, I am actively petitioning both the University System of Georgia (USG) and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to allow the final exam week to count toward required instructional hours. If this is approved, we will not need to extend the term to make up for the lost time. I will keep you updated as soon as I receive feedback from USG and SACSCOC.

Additionally, EMSS's Eagle Preview event, originally scheduled for October 5th, has been postponed. Once a new date has been selected, that information will be communicated to you and the university community.

Starting Monday, October 7th, we will resume standard modes of instruction. However, should you encounter power outages or access issues, please use Folio to continue teaching until everything normalizes. I have made clear that Deans and Chairs should be working closely with you to resolve individual instructional challenges and ensure a smooth transition back to normal operations.

Please note that no assignments can be due or required during this week while the university is closed for instruction. No penalties should be imposed on students during this period, and faculty are reminded to adjust deadlines accordingly.

Please be aware that you may need to adjust your syllabi to reflect the disruption, and I encourage you to be considerate of student challenges related to the storm. Faculty should reach out to students to communicate any syllabus changes, adjusted deadlines, or other modifications to coursework as soon as possible. These changes should also be posted in your courses' Folio sites.

Additionally, the withdrawal deadline has been extended to October 21st to provide students with more flexibility during this time.

If you need assistance with using Folio or adjusting your syllabus, resources are available through th i s l i n k, and we encourage you to reach out.

I hope that you are safe and secure. I know this has been an extraordinarily difficult time for our community, but I am confident that we are up to the challenge.

-Carl