12/02/21 Academic Affairs Brief
Faculty & Academic Staff Weekly Updates
IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES
Deadline to submit incomplete grades - Dec. 8
Last day to receive a medical withdrawal from the College - Dec. 10
IDEA Student Ratings of Instruction period extended to Dec. 8
Final Grades Due in WebAdvisor - Dec. 19 by 11:59 p.m.
Spring 2022 classes begin Jan. 17
This Brief Includes:
COVID-19 Update Incomplete Grade Process and Deadline CIC Faculty Development Nominations CLT Treat Trolley In Memoriam REMINDERS: So Good, It's Worth Repeating!
COVID-19 UPDATE
Testing Encouraged: We encourage anyone who traveled, attended large gatherings, or attended functions with little indoor masking to get tested for COVID.
Inform the College If: As a reminder, if you are identified as a close contact OR if you test positive please let the college know through this form (this link is located at the bottom of every Academic Affairs Brief email). A member of the Employee Health team will follow up with you to assess next steps.
COVID Updates:
The college continues to watch the emerging data related to the Omicron variant and will adapt our health and safety measures accordingly as we learn more.
As a reminder, residential students were required to test by Wednesday (12/1) due to the holiday break last week. We continue to be proud of Champlain students, the vast majority who met this requirement. Of our residential students, 94% tested through our testing center in the last 3 days. Any outstanding residential students were contacted in person by Housing & Residential Life Staff yesterday and were informed that access to campus will be jeopardized if they do not test today.
Our COVID Dashboard is updated.
WHAT'S NEW*S
INCOMPLETE GRADE PROCESS AND DEADLINE
The deadline to submit Incomplete Grade forms is Wednesday, Dec. 8. Faculty are encouraged to work with their students to complete their coursework by the end of the semester, but there may be circumstances where an incomplete grade is warranted. Students who have completed a major portion of the course, with a passing grade, may request an incomplete grade if they have been unable to complete the course requirements due to documented illness or extenuating circumstances.
Once the student has made the request and the instructor has approved it, the instructor will submit this electronic form on the student’s behalf. The student will then electronically approve the form and the form will be sent to the dean of the instructor’s division. Final approval will reside with both the dean and the Registrar’s Office. Please contact the Registrar’s Office with any questions, registrar@champlain.edu. Here is the Incomplete Work Policy from the catalog.
SEEKING NOMINATIONS FOR CIC'S FACULTY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS
The Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) is now accepting nominations for the following programs and workshops! Lodging, most meals, and workshop materials will be provided through various foundations. Interested faculty members must be nominated by the Provost as part of the application process. Please email Monique Taylor at mtaylor@champlain.edu by Monday, January 3, 2022, to request to be nominated. Please indicate in the email which program you are interested in.
CLT TREAT TROLLEY
Let’s celebrate our good work this semester! Dec. 9 from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m., the CLT Team will be delivering treats and hot cocoa to faculty members. We are inspired by your dedication to students and the ways you have cared for one another this semester. We want to remind you that we are here to support you as you wrap up the semester. And we wish you a very happy holiday season!
IN MEMORIAM
Two former long-time faculty members passed away in November, Brian King and Paul Gonsalves.
Brian King was a faculty member at Champlain College for over 30 years. He served as Department Chair of the Office Administration Division (Office Management, Legal Secretarial, Medical Secretarial, Court Reporting, among others.) Brian was described as “a quiet fellow who avoided the spotlight and did his job quietly.” He also enjoyed designing and building things, including the Barton Golf Club.
Paul Gonsalves taught math and statistics for 33 years at Champlain College, rising to the position of Mathematics Chair, and also was instrumental in starting the College’s Computer Science Department. He also served as coach for Champlain’s golf and hockey teams.
REMINDERS - So Good, It's Worth Repeating!
IDEA STUDENT RATINGS EXTENDED TO DEC. 8
The survey period for the IDEA Student Ratings of Instruction in 15-week campus-based will be extended. The survey will close at midnight on Wednesday, Dec. 8. Be sure to administer the survey during class time before the deadline. (See these instructions.)
If you have already administered the survey, check your response rates. If they are low, encourage students to complete the survey.
NOTE: You may be experiencing slowdowns trying to access the IDEA portals. As of Thursday mid-day, the system has been very slow to respond due to high traffic.
FINALS WEEK SCHEDULE
FACULTY DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY: CLIMATE CHANGE AND FOOD INSECURITY
Campus Compact of Maine will host a free online faculty development workshop, “Rise Up: How Faculty Can Respond to the Challenges of Our Time,” Dec.13, 14, and 16. This workshop will cover designing and implementing community-oriented courses that help students learn to address climate change and food insecurity. Register here.
ANTI-RACISM CIRCLES (ARC’S)
Anti-Racism Circles, or “ARCs”, are a new opportunity for faculty and staff to engage in constructive work in diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. For more information and/or to sign up to participate, please visit the ARCs website or contact one of the members of the ARCs Coordinating Committee: Liz Allen-Pennebaker, Emily Crist, Christina Erickson, Rebecca Hopkins, and Faith Yacubian.
FALL ACADEMIC CALENDAR DATES
12/13 - 12/17 - Finals Week
12/20 - 1/16 - Winter Break
Spring 2022 classes begin Jan. 17