Updates on the COVID-19 Situation at Carleton

March 13, 2020

Updates on the COVID-19 Situation at Carleton

Dear CUASA members,

Carleton has announced that classes will be cancelled Monday, March 16, and Tuesday, March 17, to give teaching staff the opportunity to prepare alternative modes of delivering their classes.

Beginning Wednesday, March 18, instruction will be delivered online and through other means for the remainder of the term. Lectures cannot be face-to-face. The University has also announced that there will be no in-person examinations for the winter term.

CUASA members will need to make arrangements to complete their classes in the way that is most appropriate for their course material and learning objectives. The University has provided a list of resources available to assist with this.

During a call this afternoon with Deputy Provost Lorraine Dyke, it was stated explicitly that CUASA members have full discretion for how they wish to complete their courses. It is entirely up to you, and if you receive any pushback from how you decide to approach this, we ask that you contact us immediately.

We wish to advise that CUASA has asked the University to consider not administering student teaching evaluations for the winter term. This is of particular importance given that our members have a right to choose paper evaluations, and those will no longer be possible. We asked that, if the University does decide to administer the evaluations, that they not be used for career decisions. The University has said it will look into these requests.

The University remains open, despite the objections raised by CUASA regarding the safety of those who continue to be on campus. We have been assured that anyone who does not wish to be physically on campus does not have to be. The University has also advised that members with children affected by school closures may also seek accommodation, including possible flexibility if you are taking care of children and do not have time to complete work from home. Should you require accommodation to not be on campus, please speak with your Chair/Director. Carleton has promised that no leave will be deducted, nor will pay be impacted, for any employees seeking accommodation.

We understand there will be challenges. These are extenuating circumstances, and we ask CUASA members to proceed as best they can with accommodating these changes. If you have any questions or concerns about how to complete your classes, please send them immediately to your Chair/Director, with a copy to CUASA and your Dean.

If you have any concerns about anything mentioned above, please do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected]. We await answers to other questions we posed to the Employer today. Updates will be passed on to CUASA members as they become available.