Flu Shots Required to Return to Campus Spring Semester

Emory University is now requiring that all students, faculty and staff who will be on campus for the spring semester get a flu vaccine no later than December 15, 2020. It takes about two weeks for the body to develop immunity from the vaccine so getting a flu vaccine prior to December 15, 2020 gives adequate time for you to develop flu antibodies prior to being on campus for spring semester.

Here is how you can get a free flu shot through your health plan coverage:

• OPTION 1 (Recommended): Visit any in-network retail pharmacy such as CVS, Walgreens, Target, Publix, or Kroger. You will need to present your Emory CVS/Caremark prescription drug card (or other insurance card, if you are not covered by Emory’s plan).
• OPTION 2: Get a flu shot as part of your preventive exam at your doctor's office (Tier 1 & Tier 2 Emory medical plan in-network doctors only). Note: if you've already had your annual preventive exam and make an appointment for a flu shot, you may be charged for the visit.

If you are not covered by an Emory medical plan, call the telephone number on the back of your medical plan’s membership card. Or call your doctor, your local pharmacy, or go to www.vaccinefinder.org.

In order to receive clearance to be on campus for the spring semester (January-May), all faculty, staff and students will be required to go through the university’s onboarding clearance process which will include the requirement of a flu shot. Individuals who need a medical, religious, or other exemption from the flu shot requirement will have the opportunity to note that when completing the onboarding process. Faculty, staff and students who do not adhere to the new requirement will not be eligible to come to campus.

For questions, please email ecas_connections@emory.edu.

Fall 2020 Course Evaluations Now Open

Emory College Fall 2020 course evaluations are now open, unless they were customized for certain dates. Evaluations for most courses will close Wednesday, December 2 at 11:59 p.m. Students are receiving email and pop-up notifications in Canvas letting them know when they have course evaluations to complete.

Faculty are encouraged to continue to set aside time in final synchronous class meetings for course evaluations and consider offering incentives to students to complete them for both synchronous and asynchronous courses. Best practice suggests that students be advised to stay connected to the synchronous section but mute their audio and video (as should instructors) during the evaluation interval.

Class evaluation results are expected to be released the week of Jan. 8 to department administrators and faculty. Lane DeNicola, Emory College director of institutional research, will notify departments once they are available. If you have any questions about online course evaluations, please email ec-courseevals@emory.edu.

Online Teaching Support: Academic Integrity and Exams

The Academic Integrity and Online Learning session with Associate Dean Jason Ciejka last Friday is now available online via the Zoom recording here. Please email emorycollegeonline@emory.edu if you are unable to access the link.

For final exams, please remember the following:

• Be explicit about your expectations during exams (which resources are allowed, time limits, etc.).
• If you are proctoring the exam, either through Zoom or through Respondus Monitor, please make sure that your exam parameters are a good fit with your proctoring method. Review our considerations for Proctoring with Zoom and Proctoring with Respondus Monitor.
• Make sure that students have experience with the proctoring method prior to the final exam to minimize technical difficulties.
• Remember student accommodations. Please reach out to the Department of Accessibility Services with questions about accommodations. Please make an appointment with a Canvas specialist for help with implementing specific accommodations (extra time, etc.) within Canvas Quizzes.

Visit the Academic Integrity page on the Emory College Online website for additional resources pertinent to the online setting. Visit the Emory College Honor Council webpage for Honor Code resources.

Online Teaching Consultations

As you prepare for the final exam period or begin preparing your spring courses, you may schedule an online course consultation or email emorycollegeonline@emory.edu with any questions.

Office for Undergraduate Education: Final Exams, Grade Deadlines

Overbooked/Conflicting Exam Schedules

Students who have three final exams scheduled on one calendar day or conflicting exam times are eligible to request that one of these exams be moved, with the approval of the faculty member responsible for the affected exam.

Students should complete the ‘Three Exams in One Calendar Day’ form and have this certified by OUE. Should students approach you without this paperwork, please direct them to the Resources A to Z section of the OUE website to access the form and instructions on use. We thank you in advance for your work to accommodate student requests as you are able.

Final Exam Policy Reminder

Emory College policy prohibits faculty from moving final exams or giving exams during the final week of class or on the reading day. Details of the policy can be found in the Course Catalog. Contact Dean Jason Ciejka, jciejka@emory.edu, with questions.

Grade Deadlines

Final grades for Fall 2020 degree candidates are due on Friday, December 18 at noon. All remaining grades are due on Tuesday, December 22 at noon.

Reminder: COVID Reporting Protocols

Detailed guidance for department chairs and program directors for responding to a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 is available on the Office of Faculty website. The guidance includes the appropriate contacts and protocols for reporting COVID-19 cases, including communications from chairs to your department or program in the event of an active case. Please email ECAS_Connections@emory.edu with any questions.

Faculty Funding Opportunities

Winship Awards for Lecture-Track Faculty

Emory College is pleased to announce a competition for the Winship Awards for Senior Lecturers and Professors of Pedagogy. The Winship Awards, typically one or two per academic year, will provide a one-semester leave (i.e. a release from both teaching and service) and a $1,500 budget for professional expenses during the year of the award. Winners of the Winship Awards for Senior Lecturers may take their leaves during either semester of the 2021-2022 academic year.

For more information about the application process, please go to the Office of Faculty website. The deadline for applications is 5 p.m., Monday, December 7.

Degree-Tracker Training Available

The Office of the Registrar will conduct a Degree Tracker Lab session for staff and faculty this Friday, November 20 from 2-3 p.m. This week’s session covers Degree Tracker's overall features and particularly the summary report that facilitates screening students for graduation. Staff and faculty may sign up via this link.

Upcoming Events

JWJI 2020 Election Forum: What Happened and Why?

Please join the James Weldon Johnson Institute for its quadrennial election post-mortem from 6-7:30 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 19. JWJI convenes a panel of experts on race and voting behavior after each presidential election to break down the election results. Moderated by JWJI Director Andra Gillespie, the panel will feature four experts on race and political behavior, including Bernard Fraga (Emory), Ashley Jardina (Duke University), Karthick Ramakrishnan (University of California, Riverside), and Ismail White (Princeton University). Register here.

Science Gallery Atlanta Launches Video Series on Coping and Resilience

Science Gallery Atlanta at Emory University will launch a multi-part video series on coping and resilience beginning this week. The online events will be hosted by Emory students and feature faculty and staff from across the university, ranging from Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Jericho Brown to psychiatrist Joseph Mathias and Rabbi Jordan Braunig.

The “Connect and Cope” series kicks off at 4 p.m., Friday, Nov. 20, with Jericho Brown, director of Emory’s Creative Writing Program, who will share his poetry and discuss the role of creativity in connecting with the world.

The virtual events can be viewed on Science Gallery Atlanta's YouTube channel here. See the Emory News Center for the full list of events.

Emory Forward

For the latest Emory University COVID-19 guidelines and information, visit the Emory Forward website.