Fall 2020: Welcome and Update from Natalia Sidorovskaia, Chairperson

Dear Physics and EESC family: faculty, students, staff, researchers, alumni, and benefactors,

I hope you and everybody among your family and friends are staying safe, healthy, and positive in these challenging times. As the beginning of the fall semester is approaching, I am sure we all have many questions about how the fall semester will progress. I would like to update you about our plans for the fall semester.

As you may have read, UL Lafayette had made the decision to reopen the university offices on August 3, 2020, to assist students in preparation for the fall semester. The physics department's main office is physically open Monday through Friday between 8 am and noon. Mr. Todd Henry is available during these times to assist you in-person. He works remotely (available over the phone or email) during the second part of the day (1 pm - 5.30 pm, Monday through Thursday) to minimize health risks and to continue smooth operations of the department. We will inform you of any further changes in the schedule. The semester will start on August 12 and classes will commence on Monday, August 17, 2020. The academic calendar was changed but not shortened. There will be no fall break and the semester (as for classes and final exams) will end before Thanksgiving, on November 25, 2020.

The majority of the physics classes will be offered in the new Hy-Flex mode. This week you will receive the communication from your instructors explaining the details on how a particular class will be run and when you are expected to be on-campus. This type of instruction was introduced by the university to assure that we provide the best possible education and academic progress for all students consistent with challenging, dynamic, and uncertain situations imposed by the world pandemic. In the Hy-Flex approach, you may be required to come to campus to take exams in the Testing Center or Broussard Hall outside your scheduled class hours on Friday afternoon or throughout Saturday. Your weekly course load will not increase due to such provision. Such schedule adjustments will be announced by your professors in their syllabi during the first week of classes and will be maintained. If you have any concerns about your health or the way how classes are run, I am encouraging you to communicate with your instructors and me as soon as possible. Each of our classes will include accommodations for you to progress or finish any class remotely if such need emerges due to the circumstances pertaining to the pandemic. However, such accommodations should be compliant with the university’s policies and procedures.

Louisiana’s new infection rates are the highest in the country, so we should act vigilantly and responsibly, mindful of not only ourselves and our immediate desires and emotions but also of the future and well-being of our family, colleagues, classmates, city, state, country, and the whole world. The victory and path back to normality depends on all of us. When we meet on campus, we all will be required to follow safety protocols to protect the most vulnerable (most of your fellow faculty and staff will be to some extent in the higher-risk group) and to keep the virus from wide-spreading so our medical facilities will not be overwhelmed and will be able to provide help to everybody who is in need. We will be (1) maintaining 6 ft physical distancing in all our classrooms and office meetings (all seats in your classrooms were marked accordingly and face-to-face meetings will be held at reduced capacity); (2) wearing masks everywhere in buildings including the whole time you are in a classroom or laboratory (I recommend to keep a mask on when you walk in large crowds outside between classes); (3) avoiding congregation in the buildings and following posted moving patterns and entrance/exit marked doors in the buildings. The instructors will provide more detailed instructions in their syllabi. You will possibly encounter a mixture of different types of instructions. The university will provide laboratory space, library space, and many Wi-Fi hotspots on campus and in parking garages, so you can efficiently transition between your face-to-face meetings and online classes. All physics majors are welcome in our physics lounge or unoccupied lecture rooms as long as physical distancing, safety, and consideration of the needs of your fellow physics majors are maintained.

I, our physics faculty, and the entire UL administration is as much disappointed as you are that we cannot welcome you back on campus in the ways it was before we moved to remote operations last March. We will continue to do everything possible to provide you with a safe and high-quality education. Please understand that things can evolve as we continue reopening the university and state. We should be open to the possibility of changes during the semester and should be flexible working together to face unprecedented challenges. Please, remember our hearts and office doors are always open to help you.

Best wishes,

Natalia Sidorovskaia, Chairperson