Update on Spring 2022 calendar

To: FAS Faculty and Instructors in Yale College and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

Cc: FAS Steering, FAS Dean’s Office, GSAS Dean’s Office, Yale College Dean’s Office, President’s Office, Provost’s Office, Poorvu Center, Registrar’s Office, FAS Chair’s Assistants, FAS Lead Administrators, FAS Operations Managers, University Cabinet
 

Summary: This message outlines important dates for the Spring 2022 term and provides additional details on instruction for the coming weeks. It includes details on the following:

• Spring 2022 calendar: one-week delay; Tuesday start; remote learning for first two weeks; single-week spring break
• Opening weeks of term: drop/add period; flexibility and compassion; accommodating student absences; support for remote teaching
• Accommodations for instructors
• Kindness and understanding for students and colleagues; March break as respite
• Where to find information

Dear Colleagues: 

We are writing today to follow up on the communications that you received from us prior to the winter recess. The final message that we sent prior to the winter recess provided preliminary details on the Spring 2022 calendar. Today, we write with reminders of important dates and additional details on instruction for the coming weeks.

First, though, we want to share our thanks to all who had to change your teaching and testing plans on short notice in December. We know that the change to the exam schedule was disruptive and stressful for faculty and students alike and we are grateful to you for adapting your teaching methods under these less-than-ideal circumstances. Thank you for all that you have done and are continuing to do to accommodate our students. 
 

Spring 2022 calendar: 

One-week delay; Tuesday start; remote learning for first two weeks; single-week spring break

We ask you to note four key elements of the adjustments that have been made for the spring semester:

One-week delay: As we wrote on December 22, the Spring 2022 term will begin one week late, on Tuesday, January 25, 2022. This delay will enable us to offer makeup exams, as detailed in a memo sent to affected faculty, for Fall 2021 courses whose exams were originally scheduled for December 19-22.

Tuesday start: To minimize the necessity for changes to existing syllabi, the new schedule is consistent with the old schedule in two respects: classes will begin on a Tuesday, and on the first Friday of term (now January 28) Friday classes will not meet; instead, January 28 will be a Monday class day.

Remote learning for the first two weeks: Please plan to offer your classes remotely from January 25 through February 4. Faculty who are abroad or away should plan to return to the New Haven area by the beginning of the teaching semester on January 25 to allow for a quick pivot to in-person instruction, without need to accommodate visa or quarantine issues. In-person instruction is expected to begin on February 7.

Single-week spring break: To accommodate the delayed start date, spring break will be reduced to one week, and will take place from March 19-27, 2022. 
 

Opening weeks of term:  

Drop/add period; flexibility and compassion; accommodating student absences; support for remote teaching 

Drop/add period: As you plan for the start of classes, please remember that your enrollment cap is based on the teaching resources allocated to your course at the conclusion of preregistration. Additional resources are not available to accommodate enrollment shifts during drop/add.

If you are at your cap, students may add your course during drop/add period only if another student drops the course.

Flexibility and compassion: We encourage flexibility and compassion during the first weeks of term. Students returning to campus will be required to go through periods of quarantine and isolation; disrupted travel plans may compound their stress and anxiety; and some may become ill. 

Accommodating student absences: Please consider recording your classes, structuring course requirements to accommodate student absences, and being flexible with office hours throughout the term, but particularly during the remote period.

Support for remote teaching: If you need assistance, the Poorvu Center has resources available to support remote teaching and has compiled suggestions for best practices. In addition, the Academic Planning Resources developed by the FAS faculty and staff contingency planning committees and task forces in Summer 2020 provide guidance and recommendations for remote teaching. 
 

Accommodations for instructors

Once in-person instruction resumes, circumstances may arise in which individual instructors will need to temporarily hold remote class meetings.

If circumstances prevent a faculty member from teaching in person for one or two class meetings – due, for example, to religious observance, personal illness, or isolation or quarantine of the faculty member or of a dependent – they should make arrangements that ensure continuity of the learning experience. Options could include remote teaching, a makeup class, or a substitute instructor, depending on course size and content. 

If, during the course of the semester, it becomes impossible for you to teach in person for more than a one-week period, please reach out to the FAS Dean’s office – with a cc to your department chair – to discuss next steps and so that we can provide support and guidance as appropriate:

Faculty in Humanities and Social Science departments should contact John Mangan, Senior Associate Dean and Dean of Faculty Affairs, at john.mangan@yale.edu.  

Faculty in Science and SEAS departments should contact Bob Burger, Senior Associate Dean, at robert.burger@yale.edu. 

If special arrangements or particular forms of technological support are deemed appropriate, details of those teaching arrangements will be coordinated at the departmental level, so as to best meet the needs of the students in the affected courses. Our goal is support both faculty and students at this challenging time. 
 

Kindness and understanding for students and colleagues; March break as respite

Kindness and understanding: We encourage kindness and understanding towards students and colleagues in the coming weeks: returning to remote instruction is dispiriting, many members of our community have experienced illness in recent days, and stress levels are high. We hope that you’ll extend flexibility to your students when possible, and that you’ll take the same care with yourselves.

March break as respite: Last year, students reported that preserving break days as times of respite was enormously helpful. To that end, we ask that you not schedule any assignments or assessments for the Monday and Tuesday after spring break (March 28-29) to enable students to use the shortened break for rest. 
 

Where to find information

All COVID-related messages sent to FAS Faculty continue to be archived on the FAS Dean’s Office website. This page is updated regularly with information pertaining to the FAS. The university COVID-19 information page remains the primary source of information for Yale-wide policy and procedures.

In addition, announcements sent to undergraduate students are available on the Yale College website, and announcements sent to graduate students are available on the GSAS Dean’s Office website. 
 

Closing thoughts

Thank you for your flexibility during this most recent round of changes to our academic calendar and for the creativity and grace with which you’ve weathered this disruption. We will continue to provide you with updated information as it becomes available. 

With best wishes for the coming term,

Tamar, Marvin, and Lynn

Tamar Szabó Gendler
Dean, Faculty of Arts and Sciences
 

Marvin Chun
Dean, Yale College
 

Lynn Cooley
Dean, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences