Coronavirus Response Update

As you are most certainly aware by now, our work as faculty, academic professionals, and educators will take place remotely for the entirety of spring term. Conducting our work in this fashion is going to be a challenge, but under the circumstances, there is no better alternative. To the best of our abilities we will be maintaining the continuity of our work, of our educational mission, and of our students’ education.

While we weather this pandemic, in the midst of the turmoil, confusion, and isolation, please imagine how our courses can become a respite, relief, and a place for meaningful human connection for our students. Here is a list of suggestions to incorporate into your course planning, to reduce your stress, and to help students experience their education as a true lifeline of relief over the next few months.

Your PSU-AAUP leadership — all volunteers — and our staff, have been working to identify, respond to, and advocate for the needs of faculty, academic professionals, our students, our more vulnerable colleagues, the part-time faculty (“adjuncts”), and graduate employees.

Yesterday we reached an agreement with PSU on a year tenure-clock extension for faculty members coming up for tenure review during this crisis.

Here we share a partial list of the work we have done in the last week to protect our members. We will continue to advocate for our members and the community  through Spring Break and Spring Term. Please continue to reach out through our AAUP C-19 help email (aaup.c19.help@gmail.com).

If you have been trying to get support, or equipment, to prepare for remote work, and you are not getting what you need from the university, please fill out this “I need support” form.

On the other hand, if you are able to share some minutes of your time to support a colleague with any aspect of setting up the tools for teaching a course, working, or advising students remotely, please fill out this “I would like to support a colleague” form. 

As you look after your health and that of your loved ones, there are many in our midst, and in the larger community, facing significant hardships. As a community of academics and educators, we find ourselves in a relatively advantageous situation, and while we look out for our own, we also urge you to do whatever is within your means to support less fortunate members of our community. Here is a list of community relief resources and mutual aid efforts.

Please look after your health, the health of your loved ones, do not overwork, consider a soft start to your term, and do your best under the circumstances to continue our work.


Your PSU-AAUP