Postponement of Finals Week

December 10, 2017

By now you will have seen the message from the Chancellor announcing that we are extending the quarter and moving finals week to the week of January 8th. We realize that there will be many logistical issues to address, and it will take some time to figure everything out, but here are some basic points:

• Winter quarter will now have nine weeks of classes beginning Tuesday, January 16th. Faculty may schedule additional classes, if needed.
• Because the fall quarter is ongoing, grades are not due until mid-January and students will not need to take incompletes.
• Some faculty have sabbatical or research travel plans for January. Arrangements will be made for proxies to administer their final exams, as well as arrangements for grading.
• For those courses that rely on Teaching Assistants to administer and/or grade final exams, or for courses taught by Teaching Associates, funds will be provided where needed to cover any additional graduate student work not covered by their normal appointments.
• Faculty who have made alternative arrangements with their classes in lieu of the regularly scheduled final should continue with those arrangements. Faculty who have not done so may now also make such alternative arrangements.
• Faculty will need to be flexible if power fluctuations, access to the internet, or travel have made it difficult to complete final assignments. Since deadlines will be extended for faculty to submit grades, there will be flexibility for faculty to accept delayed assignments.
• Faculty can consider offering students the option of getting a grade based on work completed to date, but students should have the option to take a final (or complete an alternative assignment) if they choose. In other words, both the instructor and the student must consent to this arrangement.

You may hear from students about concerns relating to financial aid and other issues. Information will be communicated soon. Here are some key points:

• Some students planned to graduate in December and will not be in town. Other students may be at UCEAP or UCDC locations. We will make arrangements for those students to complete their work remotely.
• Campus offices will be in touch with students with details about how we are handling incompletes, financial aid, visa issues, and other technical problems.

An extensive FAQ will be sent to students and faculty with more detailed information, and further discussions will take place with deans and chairs. We understand that there will be further complications, many of which will have to be dealt with on a case by case basis. We regret the additional work for faculty, staff, and students. We regret that changes that have been announced at the last minute, but the situation here has continued to evolve, and the changed conditions this morning, including the unpredictability of consistent power for the next week, compelled us to pursue a plan that we did not think was necessary just 24 hours ago.

Thank you for your patience and cooperation.