Carnegie Mellon University

August 13, 2019

Dear Carnegie Mellon Faculty,

As you are finalizing your preparations for the fall semester, I'd like to share some important reminders and information with you to assist in your planning. The topics covered in this communication include:

Classes Cancelled: Community Engagement – October 25, 2019

October 25, 2019, has been designated as a special day for community engagement — for Carnegie Mellon community members to gather in conversations and activities focused on connection to one another and to the university, personal well-being and resilience, and reflection on personal and community values. A recommendation stemming from the Task Force on the CMU Experience, this special day was chosen to align with other major fall events such as Homecoming to enhance further our community–building experience.

To accommodate these community engagement activities, all classes at the Pittsburgh campus will be cancelled for the entire day on October 25, 2019. We ask that you consider this important date as you plan your courses and schedules for the fall semester.

Add/Drop/Withdrawal Deadlines

This is a reminder that the changes to the course add/drop and withdrawal deadlines implemented last year are still in effect. These calendar changes were designed to allow students to make better, informed choices regarding their workload, focus their energies and commitment to a course earlier in the semester, and minimize disruptive changes to class rosters that may negatively affect the course dynamics, especially in team-based work.

For full semester undergraduate and most masters courses, the add deadline is at 10 days (September 9), the drop deadline will be at 6 weeks (October 7) and the course withdrawal and pass/fail designation deadlines are at 10 weeks (November 4). Please consult the full 2019-20 academic calendar for other key dates and deadlines

Regarding the use of late drop vouchers, masters and undergraduate students can use up to one voucher per semester. Before making this decision, they must consult with an academic adviser.

Please visit the academic policies and practices (APP) page for more information. The APP Working Group will continue to review data related to these changes and will provide an update to Faculty Senate in Spring 2020.

Preparing Course Syllabi

In support of the Faculty Senate resolution on Syllabus Best Practices, we ask that all course syllabi should be made available to students by the day the course first meets or formally begins. We also ask that the syllabus be added to our syllabus registry. The registry gives the campus community access to information on current CMU courses in a timely and comprehensive manner. To help students plan ahead and manage their time effectively, we ask that syllabi include information on key milestones in your course, such as exams, important dates, project deadlines and other major assignments. The Senate Resolution also called on instructors to consider including reference to the university's policy on access to accommodations and a statement encouraging student wellness.

Suggested text is provided for two requested syllabus elements for student well-being and access to accommodations. This sample language is provided for your convenience, but feel free to personalize this text, consult the Eberly Center's website for additional language, or discuss further with an Eberly teaching consultant.

Examples:

Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

If you have a disability and are registered with the Office of Disability Resources, I encourage you to use their online system to notify me of your accommodations and discuss your needs with me as early in the semester as possible. I will work with you to ensure that accommodations are provided as appropriate. If you suspect that you may have a disability and would benefit from accommodations but are not yet registered with the Office of Disability Resources, I encourage you to contact them at access@andrew.cmu.edu.

Statement of Support for Students' Health & Well-being

Take care of yourself. Do your best to maintain a healthy lifestyle this semester by eating well, exercising, avoiding drugs and alcohol, getting enough sleep and taking some time to relax. This will help you achieve your goals and cope with stress.

If you or anyone you know experiences any academic stress, difficult life events, or feelings like anxiety or depression, we strongly encourage you to seek support. Counseling and Psychological Services (CaPS) is here to help: call 412-268-2922 and visit https://www.cmu.edu/counseling. Consider reaching out to a friend, faculty or family member you trust for help getting connected to the support that can help.

Course Moratorium Scheduling

Carnegie Mellon recommends that you limit undergraduate courses scheduled between the hours of 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. each weekday. The purpose of this university free time is to ensure that our students have the full opportunity to develop in multiple dimensions, and, equally important, to allow our entire campus community to interact in a variety of intellectual, cultural, social, recreational and competitive athletic activities.

In order to hold regular class meetings in the free time period, requests for exception must be made to University Registrar John Papinchak for explicit approval to do so. Basis for such an exception may include adjunct faculty availability, facilities restrictions, and/or student ability to attend an equivalent class or meeting at an alternative time.

Academic Integrity Procedures

The Office of Community Standards & Integrity provides academic integrity resources for CMU faculty to help them to uphold the highest standards of personal, moral and ethical conduct.

Also, a new academic disciplinary actions procedure will go into effect as we begin the Fall 2019 semester. Please visit the Office of Community Standards & Integrity website or contact the office for more information about the procedure, and important areas relevant to faculty and student success in the classroom, including Enhancing Academic Integrity in the Classroom, Investigating Suspected Violations and Reporting Academic Integrity Violations.

NameCoach

A new tool, NameCoach, was launched earlier this year to give students the ability to record the pronunciation and phonetic spelling of their name, and store their pronoun identification. NameCoach is integrated into Canvas and S3, and is designed to support inclusive teaching practices in our curriculum. Please visit the NameCoach website for a faculty instruction guide and helpful tips.

I wish each of you a successful semester ahead, and as always, thank you for everything that you do to ensure that our students receive the best educational experience possible during their time at Carnegie Mellon.

Regards,

James H. Garrett, Jr.
Provost
Thomas Lord Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering