March 19, 2020

COVID-19: Update 20 [Spring Term Resumes]

Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff,

I begin this note with sincere hopes that you and your loved ones are safe and that you are managing as well as can be expected during these challenging times. I also want to offer, on behalf of the entire ArtCenter community, my deep gratitude for your patience and understanding as the College responds to the global COVID-19 pandemic. I hope the following will clarify some of the more pressing questions of the moment as we transition to the next phase of our Spring 2020 term.

Classes Resume Monday, March 23
Classes will resume on Monday, March 23. Most classes will be taught remotely using an array of online tools, including DotEd, Zoom video conferencing software, ArtCenter email, and other technology platforms. Classes will meet at their regularly scheduled times and be recorded (when possible) for reference purposes, and to accommodate students who may now be resuming classes in remote locations in other time zones. Your Chair and/or instructor will contact you with information on how to access your online class for the remainder of the term. There will be no in-person classes.

Campus Remains Closed
We continue to adhere to recommendations made by various public health agencies and government officials regarding limited operations and social distancing behavior. As such, we will maintain our policy of restricting access to both campuses for the remainder of the term (see section below for possible exceptions for graduating students). Specifically, we ask students to prioritize completing the Spring term remotely, as instructed by your faculty and department chair/department staff. Chairs and faculty are working to adjust all course curricula accordingly so that no students’ grades are affected by lack of access to on-campus resources.

Please note as well that, although campus offices will be closed, administrative staff will remain available by e-mail and phone to support student services to whatever extent possible. Individual offices will announce operating hours and procedures to the campus by next week. Please pay close attention to those campus-wide emails when they are sent.

Spring 2020 Graduates
Given that there are no subsequent terms for our graduating students to complete unfinished work, we realize that restricted access to campus facilities (labs, shops, studios, etc.) presents a particular challenge. We are exploring every option to meet the specific facility needs of these students and will, hopefully, communicate a solution for controlled and safe access in the coming days. Additionally, more details about a virtual Grad Show, industry networking opportunities, and employer recruitment will be provided next week. The graduating class must be especially attentive to ArtCenter emails for the remainder of the term because some announcements will require immediate response.

Access to Learning Materials
As we transition to a distance learning environment, we are also aware that individual students have a variety of needs for hardware and software, technology, equipment, materials, etc. We encourage you to be in touch with your instructors and Department Chairs to inform them of your individual needs. The College will endeavor to support your financial requirements in this regard as much as possible.

If the suspension of classes announced on March 10 (and that went into effect on March 12) did not give a student enough time to pack up all belongings to complete the Spring semester remotely, those students should contact Campus Security at 626 396-2299 or security@artcenter.edu. The College will attempt to permit limited and controlled access to the extent that we can safely do so.

Accommodating Facility-Dependent Classes for Continuing Students
We know there are a few classes that cannot be modified for remote learning, and each of the individual departments will identify those classes. The College will make financial accommodations to affected students so that they can complete their work in future semesters when campus facilities are once again available. Additional details will be forthcoming.

This global pandemic has called for creativity and agility. The terrain might be difficult to navigate, but we are confident that the learning will be rich and meaningful as we create a path forward.  We are honored to be taking this journey together with you.

Wishing you all a rewarding continuation of the Spring 2020 term.

Lorne M. Buchman

President