FYI

 

 

Hi EPC Faculty and Staff,

The Grad School sent the email below to all graduate students.  I thought you might like to be aware of information coming to our students. 

 

Good afternoon all,

We’ve been working to gather information for graduate students related to COVID-19, and we have just sent out a message to all of the graduate students. Below is the text of the message we sent. Please send this out to all of your faculty, especially your department heads:

------------------------------------

To all graduate and professional students:

The spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) is creating disruption to our campus and our daily lives. Please know that I, and the entire Graduate School staff, are here to support you during this time. Our campus administration is updating all members of the campus community as decisions are being made. A website has been created to share the most up-to-date information for our campus:  www.utk.edu/coronavirus.

For those who are GA/GTA/GRAs at UT, please communicate with your supervisor regarding your obligations during the two weeks following spring break. From March 23 through April 3, classroom instruction will be delivered online. If you are a GTA, communicate with your supervisor regarding resources for online delivery of instruction. If you are a GA or GRA, communicate directly with your supervisor about work assignments during this period.

For those who have applied to graduate in spring 2020, rest assured that the Graduate School will work with you to ensure that this coronavirus disruption does not impede your graduation. If you have any questions about your graduation status, please contact your Graduation Specialist at [log in to unmask]. We have taken the following steps to assist you in the weeks ahead:

• For thesis, project, or dissertation defenses, we will allow all defenses to be completed remotely through Zoom, Skype, or any other online video platform. Students and their committee members will not be required to complete a Remote Participation form. This form requirement will be waived for all defenses.
• For non-thesis master’s programs, if your program requires successfully completing a comprehensive examination, you will need to work directly with your committee to determine how and when you will complete your comprehensive examination.
• Beginning March 16, 2020, we will allow all Graduate School forms to be signed electronically, scanned, typed, etc. Completed forms must be sent from departmental personnel (faculty member, director of graduate studies, administrative personnel, etc.) to our Graduation Specialists at [log in to unmask].
• Pay close attention to spring graduation deadlines:  gradschool.utk.edu/graduation/graduation-deadlines/.
• As of March 12, there have been no decisions related to commencement ceremonies, including the hooding ceremony. The campus community will be updated if changes are made to the planned events. In the meantime, we encourage everyone who wishes to participate to RSVP for the hooding ceremony.

For those of you who have upcoming travel to conferences or for professional development, travel restrictions are found at www.utk.edu/coronavirus/. Please continue to monitor this since it is updated frequently. New GSS Professional Development Awards will not be issued, but we will honor awards already made as long as they conform to university travel guidelines and restrictions. We are currently assessing how to handle the GSS Travel Awards for travel in summer 2020. If you are having difficulty getting answers related to UT travel, contact Sharon Foy at [log in to unmask]. 

Many of us are feeling stress related to the spread of COVID-19. I encourage you to follow the hygiene and social distancing measures that are being shared by the CDC and local health departments. The decisions made by our campus administration are designed to help lower the risks to our campus community. Things are likely to continue to evolve over the days and weeks ahead. I encourage you to closely monitor your email for messages from the campus. Also, continue to refer to the UT COVID-19 website because things can change rapidly.

All of us at the Graduate School want you to know that if you have questions or concerns, do not hesitate to contact the Graduate School at [log in to unmask]. 

Be Well!

Dixie L. Thompson
Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School

---------------------

Thanks,

Sean