<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif"><span id="gmail-docs-internal-guid-f9210051-7fff-65ff-2212-7c7ec96e21f2"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial;font-size:11pt;white-space:pre-wrap">Dear Colleagues,</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">I’m writing to update you on a few matters as 1/31/22, our first day of classes, is fast approaching.  </span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">First, I wanted to make sure you were aware that all of our current start-up policies for the Spring 2022 are posted via a tab on our homepage.  See here:</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><a href="https://www.plattsburgh.edu/covid-19/index.html" style="text-decoration-line:none"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;text-decoration-line:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">https://www.plattsburgh.edu/covid-19/index.html</span></a></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The masking policy indoors, including all classrooms, continues as a mandatory safety practice for containing the spread of COVID and its variants on our campus.</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Our Enrollment and Student Success division (ESS) and Health Center have been busy regularly and repeatedly communicating to students that per SUNY policy, they must be vaccinated and boostered (if eligible) if they plan to access campus facilities/buildings this spring.  I’d like to share a moment of appreciation for TJ Myers, our Chief Information Officer, whose team is working at great speed to ramp up the technological services required to track student documentation of testing before they return to campus as well as booster status.  This is really a massive undertaking.</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Faculty should be aware that students are being advised, repeatedly, to please stay home if they have a positive test just prior to their planned date of return to campus.  Thus, I would predict that there may be some number of students contacting faculty during that first week about their inability to attend a first class or two that is in-person because they are observing this safety protocol.</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">I am also aware from various conversations with faculty, especially at the end of last semester, that students, especially first year students, seem to be struggling more than usual with focus.  Over the winter break, I saw some interesting informal survey data that two of our Psychology faculty members, Jeremy Grabbe and Eddy Sturman (Queensbury campus), collected regarding student learning perceptions from the fall semester.  It was clear from open-ended comments that many are very aware that they are struggling with focus, in particular.  For students transitioning out of a high school experience that was largely remote, these types of comments were repeated: “Harder to focus on material when in class.” and “in person classes are now a struggle for me. I can’t stay concentrated with in-person now.”  </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">I am sure this type of student experience is posing new challenges for all of you as you work to teach and meet your students’ needs.</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">I wanted to remind you that Jessamyn Neuhaus, Interim CTE Director, has uploaded a large set of resources for teaching–many of which are specific to current COVID challenges–via the CTE Website and Moodle Page:  </span><a href="https://www.plattsburgh.edu/about/centers/cte/support.html" style="text-decoration-line:none"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;text-decoration-line:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">https://www.plattsburgh.edu/about/centers/cte/support.html</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">I also received this article from one of our faculty members on the concept of Cognitive Load Theory in relation to COVID.  Sharing just as an FYI, if you are interested.  </span><a href="https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20201103-cognitive-load-theory-explaining-our-fight-for-focus" style="text-decoration-line:none"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;text-decoration-line:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20201103-cognitive-load-theory-explaining-our-fight-for-focus</span></a><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"> </span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Lastly, don’t forget that we are *all* required to test during the first week of classes; an alphabetical schedule was sent out earlier to the campus, but if you missed that email, here is the link: </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><a href="https://www.plattsburgh.edu/covid-19/covid-19-testing.html" style="text-decoration-line:none"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;text-decoration-line:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">https://www.plattsburgh.edu/covid-19/covid-19-testing.html</span></a></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Hoping that you all enjoy the remaining week of winter break.  Best wishes as you prepare for another semester.</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Sincerely,</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Anne</span></p></span><br class="gmail-Apple-interchange-newline"></div></div>