Important: Coronavirus Planning Update
March 10, 2020
Dear Berkeley Community,
Our team continues to monitor the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak across New York and New Jersey. We are aware of confirmed cases and subsequent closings at schools and colleges in our region. There are currently no confirmed cases of the coronavirus at any Berkeley College campus. Below is an update on current planning efforts to ensure the safety of Berkeley College students, faculty, and staff.
Continuity Planning
We have been assessing our preparedness to operate all classes virtually in the event that we are not able to continue on-site teaching. At this time, faculty members are being asked to convert on-site and hybrid course sections to an online modality. The Teaching and Learning Commons will be providing faculty with regular training sessions to support this conversion beginning today, Tuesday, March 10, 2020. Faculty with any questions on this process should contact their department chair. Our goal is to maintain a continuity of learning for students outside of our campuses without regard to circumstances.
Our Business Continuity team, including Information Systems (IS), has evaluated the preparedness of each Berkeley College department to operate all college activities remotely. Staff who do not have access to a computer and/or internet service from home should reach out to their supervisor immediately.
In the event of a campus closure, a BerkAlert message will be sent. To update your BerkAlert contact information, please visit the BerkAlert website.
All staff members should also have access to the RingCentral app on their mobile device to continue to receive telephone calls while working remotely. Please call the HelpDesk at ext. 1540 with any questions.
Travel
We are advising faculty and staff to defer, to the extent feasible, any nonessential travel both domestically and abroad, including at professional development conferences and other similarly large gatherings. If you are traveling, we strongly encourage you to complete the Berkeley College Travel Registry form in order for us to reach you in case of an emergency.
Any students, faculty or staff who have traveled to a Level 2 or 3 region as classified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (which currently includes China, Iran, Italy, South Korea, and Japan) will be subject to a mandatory 14-day self-quarantine before they are permitted to return to a Berkeley College campus. If you are returning from an area with a CDC Level 1 designation, you should self-observe for symptoms of respiratory illness and remain alert for fever, cough, or difficulty breathing. If you experience these symptoms, please stay home and contact your healthcare provider prior to coming to a Berkeley College campus. Advice for travelers is available on the CDC website.
We are also encouraging Berkeley College staff to limit their campus to campus travel when possible. Staff have access to RingCentral and Zoom video-conference systems that can help facilitate meetings with staff at multiple campuses. Please contact the HelpDesk if you have any questions regarding these technologies.
Events
Most Berkeley College-sponsored on-campus events have been cancelled, postponed, or moved virtually through the end of March. We have not yet made any changes to the academic calendar but will communicate with the deans, department chairs, and faculty on how to best prepare if changes are required in short order.
Maintenance
Berkeley College’s Maintenance team continues to disinfect offices, classrooms, common areas, bathrooms, and high-touch surfaces such as doorknobs, elevator panels, and kitchen appliances each day. Tissues and hand sanitizers have been distributed to each campus as well as educational fliers on the coronavirus and how to prevent its spread.
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Our team has been meeting regularly to monitor pertinent updates and implement a proactive course of action.
A Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document is attached to this email to answer some questions you may have. For additional questions, please email COVID19@BerkeleyCollege.edu. Please also monitor the Berkeley College Coronavirus website, which will be updated as new information becomes available.
Sincerely,
Michael J. Smith
President
