Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University

Assignments and Exams: Suggestions for Remote Delivery during the COVID-19 Period
https://gatech.service-now.com/continuity?id=kb_article_view&sysparm_article=KB0023730

Georgia Tech Academic Continuity Resources for Faculty/Staff
https://gatech.service-now.com/continuity?id=sc_category&sys_id=c2180688dba30c10391b9837db961952

Link to Research Continuity Frequently Asked Questions
https://research.gatech.edu/research-continuity-faqs

To the Georgia Tech campus community:

I thank you for your continued patience and understanding in this rapidly evolving public health emergency. Based upon new guidance we have received from the University System of Georgia, which is included at the end of this message, we can now affirm that we are moving all instruction to a distance format for the remainder of the semester.

Faculty are working hard to adapt the curriculum to a distance format using various technological solutions at their disposal. They may use the week of March 23 to test and practice those solutions as needed. Classes will re-start formally on March 30, but students are asked to make themselves available the week of March 23 should their faculty need them to test the new systems. Graded assignments, tests, or quizzes planned for the week of March 23 will be postponed until after March 30 in order to give everyone adequate time to adjust to the new learning environment. Please be on the lookout for communication from your faculty about your courses.

The FAQs at http://health.gatech.edu/coronavirus#faqs are being regularly updated and should be your primary resource for current information. Please direct any additional questions you may have to provostsoffice@gatech.edu. International students with specific questions related to their status can contact info@oie.gatech.edu.

Students are asked to stay away from campus for the rest of the semester. If you haven’t moved out, we will be providing separate instructions as to how to do it safely. Please note that you are not allowed to return to campus and check out without specific permission from us. This is necessary to ensure minimal contact with others while you move out of your residence halls.

Details regarding refunds for housing and dining are being reviewed and finalized by the USG. We will communicate with you as soon as we know more.

If you are unable to leave campus, please fill out and submit a Housing Accommodation Request form. There will be follow-up communication specifically for students in that circumstance.  We will make every effort to accommodate students who are unable to return home or who cannot find housing elsewhere but we need everyone’s cooperation to limit the population on our campus as much as possible to reduce risk of infection for everyone.  

I know there has been some frustration as a result of my premature communications of these changes last week. I understand it, and I acknowledge and apologize for the confusion they caused.

These are difficult times for everyone. Yet, every day I am encouraged by the dedication, the sense of responsibility and mutual support among members of our community. I thank all students for what they are doing to adjust to this situation, as well as their families and friends who are helping them to ease the transition. I thank all faculty members for creatively finding ways to shift their instruction to an entirely new format in a very short period of time and caring for the academic growth and progression of our students. I thank our research faculty, graduate students, and postdocs for finding ways to adapt our research enterprise to this new reality. I thank all staff for finding ways to get the job done without putting themselves or others at risk. And, I thank the Institute´s administration for their commitment to steering us through these uncharted waters.

Please take care of yourselves while you are away from campus and be mindful of the various safety measures you should take to avoid and prevent illness. We will keep in touch with you via email, social channels, and on the resource page here as the situation changes and additional decisions are made.

-Ángel Cabrera
President


USG Moves to Online Instruction for Remainder of Semester

The University System of Georgia (USG) has decided that all 26 institutions will move to online instruction for all courses for the remainder of the semester with extremely limited exceptions.

This action comes following last week’s decision to suspend instruction for two weeks to ensure business and instructional continuity, and to allow further state assessment of COVID-19.

Students are not allowed to return to campus until they receive permission from their institution, which will be forthcoming soon.

Additionally, residence halls will be closed, with minimal exceptions for students unable to return home, or who cannot find housing elsewhere. Students will receive specific instructions from campus leaders regarding when they will be allowed to return to campus to retrieve their belongings from residence halls. Students must follow those instructions. For those students who are unable to depart campus, we will make every effort to accommodate these students.

The USG will be providing guidance to campuses on refunds for housing, dining, and other services. Students should wait for their campus to contact them.

Institutions will remain open, with minimal staff physically on-site, to ensure continuity of certain services.

In the end, we want to ensure that our faculty, staff and students are safe; that we do our part to help stem the spread of the coronavirus in Georgia; and that we fulfill our mission to graduate our students even in the face of these challenging times.

Research Ramp Down Plan-Chaouki T. Abdallah, Executive Vice President for Research - March 17
https://research.gatech.edu/research-ramp-down-plan

Dear CoE faculty and staff,

As Spring Break week continues, I’d like to thank everyone in the College of Engineering for the quick action, collaboration, flexibility and focus on the health and safety of our entire community - students, faculty and staff. The many stories I have already heard of the community coming together are reassuring that we will be stronger and better together in the face of this unprecedented challenge.

The Schools are working on many issues and we are grateful for all the good work that is going on. Much work is happening, and happening fast. We’ve seen staff members working long hours to assist students with specific needs, faculty rapidly developing online lesson plans and finding ways to deploy their expertise in this crisis, and caring alumni who’ve stepped forward to volunteer their help.

It is understandable that many are feeling anxious. We may not have all the answers now, but we will get them. Your first point of contact is the GT resource page: health.gatech.edu/coronavirus

Some reminders in addition to all the other emails you have been receiving:

* GT is trying to minimize the number of people coming to campus. Many of you are already working remotely. For those that are on campus but can work remotely, working from home protects you and the entire GT community.

* Late yesterday USG informed all universities that we will be moving to online instruction for the remainder of the semester. Course instructors should already be prepared. If you are not, you need to use the resources available (https://gatech.service-now.com/continuity) and contact your School Chair to let them know you need assistance.

* Many research groups have gone to remote/online operations– thank you. If you have not already moved research group to entirely online, please begin to think about the possibility that a ramp down of all on-campus research activities research may be needed. Many other institutions have already done so. You can stay updated on the Institute’s Research Continuity Plan here.

* Finally, as before, for anyone feeling ill, stay home. For those believing they have symptoms of the COVID-19 please follow the CDC guidelines (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/steps-when-sick.html ).

* The OneUSG Connect transition is moving ahead as planned. The transition involves changes to many of our policies, processes, and roles for all GT employees. Please visit http://transformation.gatech.edu/oneusg-connect-training



I have already seen how resilient and determined members of the College community are. There is hard work ahead of us. I am confident we will come through this together as an even better community. Thank you for all you are doing during this difficult time, and don’t ever hesitate to reach out to me directly.



All the best Steve
********
Steve McLaughlin
Dean and Southern Company Chair
College of Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA 30332
********

“Due to public health concerns, Georgia Tech is unable to offer in-person advising at this time. We are offering students the choice to conduct advising via videoconference, but must convey that this method does make ensuring FERPA privacy difficult. Advisors will conduct video advising in a private location, and recommend that students do the same to limit the amount of information which could be overheard by others in the vicinity. By agreeing to videoconference-advising, students are confirming they understand this situation.”.

To ensure the environment is kept safe effective immediately and until further notice entrance into the Whitaker Building will be Buzzcard access only. Each person accessing the building must swipe their Buzzcard. Please be mindful tailgating is not allowed and doors must NOT be propped or taped open. Whitaker Building Access Forms can be found at: https://bme.gatech.edu/bme/admin-forms and sent to operations@bme.gatech.edu for processing. Questions regarding access to the Whitaker Building can also be sent directly to operations@bme.gatech.edu.

The University System of Georgia (USG) has decided that all 26 institutions will move to online instruction for all courses for the remainder of the semester with extremely limited exceptions. This action comes following last week’s decision to suspend instruction for two weeks to ensure business and instructional continuity, and to allow further state assessment of COVID-19. Students are not allowed to return to campus until they receive permission from their institution, which will be forthcoming soon. Additionally, residence halls will be closed, with minimal exceptions for students unable to return home, or who cannot find housing elsewhere. Students will receive specific instructions from campus leaders regarding when they will be allowed to return to campus to retrieve their belongings from residence halls. Students must follow those instructions. For those students who are unable to depart campus, we will make every effort to accommodate these students. USG will be providing guidance to campuses on refunds for housing, dining, and other services. Students should wait for their campus to contact them. Institutions will remain open, with minimal staff physically on-site, to ensure continuity of certain services. In the end, we want to ensure that our faculty, staff and students are safe; that we do our part to help stem the spread of the coronavirus in Georgia; and that we fulfill our mission to graduate our students even in the face of these challenging times. (The full press release is linked below in the Georgia Tech COVID-19 Updates section)