Good morning everyone,

Commencement

I hope you had a nice weekend celebrating the graduating class of 2024. Thanks to each of you for your efforts in making commencement a great experience for our graduates and their families. I know it took an incredible effort to shift to smaller college commencements but the smiles on the faces of our graduates, their loved ones, and many of you spoke volumes. As a reminder, we have one commencement to go; our regional commencement which will be held tomorrow Tuesday, May 14, 2024, at 2 pm in Southern California.  For more information on regional commencement click here or to see photographs from the commencements held on Saturday, click here.  

Grading Deadline Extension

Many faculty have reached out asking for some added flexibility with regard to the grading deadline given recent events. The current deadline is Wednesday, May 15, 2024, at 11:59 pm. In partnership with the registrar, I have extended the grading deadline to Friday, May 17, 2024, at 11:59 pm. Please note that this extension is not a requirement to continue to work but rather an offer for more grace for faculty as they have sought to prioritize the needs of their students during this challenging end of the semester.  Please strive to complete grade submissions by Wednesday, May 15, 2024, as students need their grades posted as soon as possible for various reasons including summer school eligibility, graduate school, financial aid, and other considerations. Additional information will be coming from the registrar’s office likely today. Thank you so much for all of your work.  

Well Done- Low Degree Conferring Academic Program Action Plans Submitted

As you may remember, we were tasked with creating action plans for our low-degree conferring academic programs. That deadline was this past Friday and I am proud to say that despite all of our challenges over the past few weeks, we successfully submitted those action plans to the chancellor’s office on May 10, 2024, as required. A review of these action plans from all campuses will take place over the summer and a summary report will be offered to the CSU Board of Trustees in the Fall. Much appreciation for the work on those plans that contained creativity and a commitment to continuing to center the success of our students. A special thanks to Carmen Bustos-Works, Mark Wicklund, and Cameron Govier for their work. 

Soft Opening of Campus Beginning at 12:00 pm Today

The University will begin a soft opening of campus today Monday, May 13, 2024, with the intention of transitioning to an open campus for the start of the summer session on Tuesday, May 28, 2024.

Today, Monday, May 13, 2024, all employees—including student employees—whose work necessitates it, may come to campus. Authorized personnel will no longer need to check in to the G11 parking kiosk when coming onto campus. 

Employees will continue to work remotely when possible, but if the nature of the work requires staff and faculty to work on campus, the appropriate administrator may grant approval. 

Students needing access to research or other business on campus may do so under the supervision of a faculty or staff member on a 5:1 ratio. 

Buildings will remain locked, but employees will have their regular key access to buildings and offices starting at noon on Monday. Contact Facilities Management with issues related to key access.

During this period, cement and wooden barriers on campus entryways will be removed. However, access inside Siemens Hall and Nelson Hall East is prohibited, as are the areas near both buildings and the University Quad within the fenced area, as recovery of those areas continues. 

Parking lots will be open for anyone accessing campus during this week, and parking permit enforcement will resume as normal. Bus pick-up at Library Circle will resume starting Monday afternoon. 

The Cashier's Office will operate out of The Campus Store in Arcata on Wednesday, May 15, 2024, through Friday, May 17, 2024, from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Students and employees will be able to pick up paychecks, financial aid checks, reimbursement/refund checks, and cash advance checks as well as make payments on student or staff accounts. Photo ID is required at the time of pick up. 

On Monday, May 20, 2024, campus will reopen to all students, staff, and faculty for normal summer operations. On-campus services in the Student & Business Services Building will resume and the Library will reopen.

On Tuesday, May 28, 2024, the campus will fully reopen to the public. Summer instruction will continue as planned with in-person and online instruction. 

External and campus events will resume. The Student Health Center will be open for limited summer medical services. Check the website for more details.

The College Creek Marketplace will remain open throughout the summer, but the J and Depot will be closed, which is typical for summer operations. 

I hope everyone has a good Monday.

Sincerely,

Jenn Capps

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