Good afternoon students,

I hope that you are all doing well and heeding the advice to socially distance yourself from others.

In light of the many emails you’ve received over the past few days, the Graduate Studies Office has made the following changes in how we will operate given this fluid situation.

Effective immediately we will not have in-person meetings in our office. All student issues will be addressed via phone call, email, or Zoom meeting. All forms needing to be sent to OGAPS should be scanned and sent to both Holly (richardh@tamug.edu) and Nicole (kinslown@tamug.edu).

Holly and I will be in and out of the office, but when we’re not here on campus we are working remotely at home. Please reach out to us if you need anything just like this was a regular semester.

We are here to help you all get through this semester. As you’ve seen from the emails I’ve been forwarding to you with guidance from TAMU and TAMUG, we’re going to do things a little differently and remotely. We’ll all get through this together.

Please reach out if you need anything, whether it is school related or not. We’re here.

Thanks,

Nicole and Holly

Dear Graduate and Professional Students,

We understand that reports on the impact of Coronavirus around the world can be stressful and confusing, and that the response measures taken by the university and others may be disruptive. Please know that your safety and well-being are our top priorities. If you have concerns or need support, please do not hesitate to contact advisors, faculty, staff, our office, or Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS).  Our most important mission is to support students in attaining their education goals while enhancing the safety of our campus.

In hopes of addressing your questions, I would like to provide you with a few clarifying details as they relate to graduate and professional students.

1. Graduate classes
   1. March 16-20 – Classes are cancelled
   2. March 23 to April 28 –
      • Classes: We recommend that all classes move to an online format. No student can be required to attend a face-to-face class. If small graduate classes (≤10) are held face-to-face, they must be held in classrooms that allow for the social distancing of 6 feet between students and most likely will require a larger classroom (i.e. 30 seats for 10 students). Therefore, we are instituting an exception policy for requesting to teach any small graduate class in face-to-face format.
      • Your instructor should notify you with details on how classes will proceed for the remainder of semester. Also, please inform your instructor if you need an online option for a planned face-to-face course.
   3. If you are ill or required to self-isolate, you may not enter any labs, classrooms, or seminar rooms. You must stay home and follow the appropriate protocols [see the self-isolate and self-monitor protocols found in the Frequently Asked Questions section on the university web site and on the CDC Care Guide]. Please contact your course instructors if you are self-monitoring, self-isolating, or at higher risk of getting very sick from COVID-19 and need accommodations.
   4. Graduate assistants are expected to return to work on Monday, March 16, and continue to perform their duties, which may be modified if need be. The goal is to maintain continuous employment status for graduate assistants to the fullest extent possible.
   5. Graduate assistants who are self-monitoring, self-isolating, or at higher risk of getting very sick from COVID-19 and need accommodations to continue their employment should notify their supervisor, PI, and department head.
   6. GATs (Graduate Assistant Teaching) and GALs (Graduate Assistant Lecturer): Please consult with your lead instructor/department head regarding how your assigned classes (including laboratory sections) will operate remotely and how you will be expected to provide support/remote instruction.
   7. GARs (Graduate Assistant Research): Research operations will continue. Please consult with your PI/supervisor/coordinator and department administration to determine whether you will continue working in your typical research location or an alternative work location.
   8. GANTs (Graduate Assistant Non-Teaching) and Hourly Student Workers: Please consult your supervisor or report to your regular work location to discuss whether you will continue working in your typical location or an alternative work location.
   9. Preliminary Exams and Final defenses are still allowed. These may be done fully online at the discretion of the student and Advisor. In-person final defenses and preliminary exams should be limited in attendance to the committee. Please set up remote meetings for any audience members. Hybrid in-person/remote meetings for the committee are recommended.
   10. In person qualifying/comprehensive exams and research meetings are still allowed but must be held in a room that allows for the social distancing of 6 ft. Virtual/remote meetings are recommended whenever possible.
   11. Students conducting clinical activities or student-teaching should consult their respective program leadership for guidance.
   12. As the United States is a COVID-Level 2 country, students, faculty, and staff should follow self-monitoring protocolsfound in the Frequently Asked Questions section on the university web site and on the CDC Care Guide. The same protocols are now applied to all Level 2 countries, be it traveling to, from, or through them.
   13. Any students, faculty, or staff traveling from CDC Level 3 countries (including most of Europe) must self-isolate for 14 days before returning to campus and report travel on the travel reporting portal. Domestic travel is not required to be entered into the portal at this time. Self-isolation protocols can be found in the FAQ section and are also listed on the CDC Care Guide.
   14. No university travel is permitted domestically or internationally unless approved by leadership as mission-critical or health-critical. The university strongly discourages out-of-state and international personal travel. Only international travel should be recorded on the travel reporting portal. If you were planning to engage in international or domestic research or course-related travel anytime over the next five months, you must follow university policies and should discuss with your instructor, PI, or department head before making any reservations.

Precautions to Continue to Take:

• Wash your hands for 20 seconds
• Use hand sanitizer
• Avoid shaking hands
• Disinfect frequently touched objects using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe
• Stay home when you are sick and avoid close contact with those who are sick
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.

FAQ’s and the university site will continue to be updated.

Additional questions or needs can be routed to the IT Help Desk at (979) 845-8300, where staff will address issues or transfer you to the correct support personnel.

I hope I have been able to provide you with some clarity and reassurance. We appreciate your patience as we adjust to this rapidly-changing situation.

Sincerely,

Karen L. Butler-Purry

Associate Provost for Graduate and Professional Studies

Texas A&M University Office of Graduate and Professional Studies

•  Request should be sent to Joe Pettibon (jpp2@tamu.edu) and cc to Karen Butler-Purry (klbutler@tamu.edu)
• The request should be from the instructor to the provost through the department head and dean.
• Request should include:
  • Course designation
  • The number of enrolled students
  • If the current classroom is large enough to allow the social distancing of students and instructor, provide the building and room location (i.e. 30 seats for 10 students). If the classroom is not large enough, please indicate that you need a larger classroom.
  • A justification from the faculty as to why the class would not be appropriate to move online
  • A discussion on how the faculty intends to accommodate any grad students who is unable or unwilling to attend the face to face class