Communications

Provost’s Communications

Academic Affairs Personnel Updates
April 13, 2022

First Class Academy Pause
April 8, 2022

Important Information about Masking
March 17, 2022

Spring Mid-Semester Update
March 2, 2022

Undergraduate Online Courses
March 1, 2022

Faculty/Staff Spring Week 2 Update
January 20, 2022

Student Spring Week 2 Update
January 20, 2022

Important Information for the start of Spring Semester
January 7, 2022

Academic Continuity for COVID-related Disruptions in Learning and Disability Services Office (DSO) Accommodations
January 7, 2022

Message from the Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs and Dr. Hull regarding COVID Adjustments
December 13, 2021

Pandemic Impact Statements
December 13, 2021

COVID-19 Impact Statement
December 13, 2021

External Reviewer Guidance
December 13, 2021

September Update
September 16, 2021

Course WD guidance for Chairs and Process Fall 2021
September 16, 2021

Course Modality Guidance
September 13, 2021

Accommodations and Accessibility for Students with Disabilities
September 1, 2021

Guidelines for Captioning Audio-Visual Media
September 1, 2021

2021 Provost Message to Faculty
August 24, 2021

2021 Fall Instructional Continuity Message to Associate Deans and Department Chairs
August 23, 2021

2021 Fall Academic Continuity Message to Faculty and Staff
August 23, 2021

2021 Provost Fall Welcome Message to Students
August 20, 2021

2021 Provost Fall Welcome Message to Faculty and Staff
August 20, 2021

FWA Provost Guidance
June 10, 2021

Teaching and Learning Environment Recommendations
May 7, 2021

Faculty Scholarship Reporting
April 7, 2021

Cover Letter – Report from the Spring–Fall Planning Committee
April 6, 2021

Fall Semester Registration
April 5, 2021

Personnel Recommendations from Fall Committee
March 23, 2021

Fall Calendar and Modalities
February 15, 2021

Where to Find Information

  • RIT Ready
  • RIT Dashboard
  • Red Folder - This tool is used to recognize and respond to a student in distress and outlines how to refer a student to the appropriate campus resources.

Provost’s Office Hours

 

Provost’s Office Hours
April 27, 2023 (11 a.m.) - Registration details will be sent closer to the event. 

Provost's Office Hours  - PDF | PPT
September 12, 2022

Provost’s Office Hours  - PDF | PPT
August 25, 2022

Provost’s Office Hours  - PDF | PPT
August 2, 2022

Provost’s Office Hours  - PDF | PPT
December 9, 2021

Provost’s Office Hours  - PDF | PPT
November 15, 2021

Provost’s Office Hours  - PDF | PPT | SHED Presentation
October 13, 2021

Provost’s Office Hours  - PDF | PPT
September 7, 2021

Provost’s Office Hours  - PDF | PPT
September 2, 2021

Provost’s Office Hours  - PDF | PPT
August 24, 2021

Provost’s Office Hours  - PDF | PPT
August 19, 2021

Provost’s Office Hours  - PDF | PPT
August 5, 2021

Provost’s Office Hours  - PDF
May 10, 2021

Provost’s Office Hours  - PDF | PPT
May 4, 2021

Provost’s Office Hours  - PDF | PPT
April 12, 2021

Provost’s Office Hours  - PDF | PPT
April 26, 2021

Provost’s Office Hours  - PDF | PPT
April 6, 2021

Provost’s Office Hours  - PDF | PPT
March 29, 2021

Provost’s Office Hours  - PDF | PPT
March 23, 2021

Provost’s Office Hours  - PDF | PPT
March 15, 2021

Provost’s Office Hours  - PDF | PPT
March 9, 2021

Provost’s Office Hours  - PDF | PPT
March 1, 2021

Provost’s Office Hours  - PDF | PPT
February 23, 2021

Provost’s Office Hours  - PDF | PPT
February 15, 2021

Provost’s Office Hours  - PDF | PPT
February 9, 2021

Provost’s Office Hours  - PDF | PPT
February 1, 2021

Provost’s Office Hours  - PDF
January 26, 2021

Provost’s Office Hours  - PDF | PPT
January 18, 2021

Provost’s Office Hours  - PDF
December 3, 2020

Provost’s Office Hours  - PDF | PPT
November 23, 2020

Provost’s Office Hours  - PDF | PPT
November 19, 2020

Provost’s Office Hours  - PDF | PPT
November 9, 2020

Provost’s Office Hours  - PDF | PPT
November 5, 2020

Provost’s Office Hours  - PDF | PPT
October 26, 2020

Provost’s Office Hours  - PDF | PPT
October 22, 2020

Provost’s Office Hours  - PDF | PPT
October 12, 2020

Provost’s Office Hours  - PDF | PPT
October 8, 2020

Provost’s Office Hours  - PDF | PPT
October 5, 2020

Provost’s Office Hours  - PDF | PPT
October 1, 2020

Provost’s Office Hours  - PDF | PPT
September 28, 2020

Provost’s Office Hours  - PDF | PPT
September 24, 2020

Provost’s Office Hours  - PDF | PPT
September 17, 2020

Provost’s Office Hours  - PDF | PPT
September 14, 2020

Provost’s Office Hours  - PDF | PPT
September 10, 2020

Provost’s Office Hours  - PDF | PPT
September 7, 2020

Provost’s Office Hours  - PDF | PPT
September 3, 2020

Provost’s Office Hours  - PDF | PPT
August 31, 2020

Provost’s Office Hours  - PDF | PPT
August 28, 2020

Provost’s Office Hours  - PDF | PPT
August 27, 2020

Provost’s Office Hours  - PDF | PPT
August 26, 2020

Provost’s Office Hours  - PDF | PPT
August 25, 2020

Provost’s Office Hours  - PDF | PPT
August 24, 2020

Provost’s Office Hours  - PDF | PPT
August 21, 2020

Provost’s Office Hours  - PDF | PPT
August 20, 2020

Provost’s Office Hours  - PDF | PPT
August 19, 2020

Provost’s Office Hours  - PDF | PPT
August 18, 2020

Provost’s Office Hours  - PDF | PPT
August 17, 2020

Provost’s Office Hours  - PDF | PPT
August 13, 2020

Provost’s Office Hours  - PDF | PPT
August 10, 2020

Provost’s Office Hours  - PDF | PPT
August 6, 2020

Provost’s Office Hours  - PDF | PPT
August 4, 2020

Provost’s Office Hours  - PDF | PPT
July 30, 2020

FAQs Related to the 2021-22 Academic Year

Health and Safety

All people, regardless of vaccination status, must wear masks when indoors in the presence of others. Masks are not needed when alone in a private space or when eating. Unvaccinated people must also wear masks when outdoors in crowded settings. 

Your concern for the health and safety of the RIT community is appreciated. Here are some tips for responding if you encounter an unmasked individual on campus who is not in a private office, living space, or eating: directly ask the individual to put a mask on, share a general reminder about the mask requirement with everyone in the space, or connect with a responsible party, such as a supervisor or lab manager for assistance. If you observe ongoing violations and/or blatant refusal to wear a mask even when requested, please notify Public Safety for appropriate follow up.

Faculty will be notified as needed by the Registrar’s Office through email regarding students who are entering or released from quarantine or isolation due to  COVID-19 related circumstances. Please be alert to these notifications throughout the semester. Students will also have a message through the myLife portal that they may share with you. You may ask to see the message; however, you may not ask for any details about their health or for additional documentation.

Since masking is required for everyone, we won’t know anyone’s individual status. If you have specific concerns, please discuss with the individual and your supervisor.

At this time, since everyone is required to wear a mask, there is no reason to ask anyone about their vaccination status. Exceptions may be made if there is a legitimate business reason. Curiosity does not constitute a legitimate business reason for asking. Questions about what constitutes a legitimate business reason should be directed to your supervisor. Please check the RIT Ready Site for updates. 

In person meetings and events can be planned in alignment with RIT’s Safety Plan and a unit’s budget capabilities. There are no limitations on size of the events or physical distancing requirements. Masks are required, and even in larger events held outside, masks are encouraged.

Unvaccinated people (faculty, staff and students) will be tested weekly.

Follow all masking requirements for visitors on the RIT Ready Site.

Faculty and staff may travel with the appropriate approvals. International travel must be approved by the provost and the senior vice president for Finance and Administration.

No, because we are all masked, faculty and staff are not required or encouraged to distinguish between vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals.

Please see the RIT Ready Flexible Work Arrangements page and speak with your supervisor for the options available in your unit.

Teaching and Learning

At this time there are no mandates from the state or the CDC regarding social distancing.

All faculty shall wear a face mask in classrooms, even if Plexiglass barriers exist in the classroom. This requirement shall be re-evaluated as the semester progresses.

Our goal is to provide robust and engaging in-person experiences for our students this academic year. Our facilities are safe, our on-campus procedures are designed to maintain safety of everyone, and the vast majority of our faculty/staff/students are vaccinated so there should be no hesitation to have in-person meetings. That said, there may be times when Zoom meetings are appropriate. Faculty and staff should use their judgement in providing the best experience for students. Zoom meetings can be held if necessary to meet student needs or at the student’s request. If a faculty member is meeting with a student in person, they must follow the appropriate health and safety guidelines. If office space is an issue, it is suggested that an alternate meeting place be identified.

Since the campus is fully open, the expectation is that most meetings will be in-person.  Each campus unit will need to make individual decisions about meeting modality when logistics/scheduling make remote access to meetings necessary.

There is no remote start option for undergraduate students. The only remote start option is  for masters’ students living outside the US. A very small number of graduate students will be utilizing this and have signed on for the remote start option. Diane Ellison, Senior Associate Vice President, is the contact person and is working with the appropriate graduate directors.

If a student is delayed past the add/drop deadline, the student should consult with the program chair.

Faculty should provide access to all materials through MyCourses. It is understood that instructors may have limitations in the amount of remote support they can offer and synchronous or asynchronous access is not possible for all courses. Electronic access to course materials and flexibility (i.e. quizzes/tests) on deadlines would be a suitable alternative. Current standard for isolation is 10 days. Unvaccinated, close contacts go into quarantine may be as long as 10 days. Each case may vary and may occur anytime during the semester. 

Food and drink are allowed in classrooms at the faculty member’s discretion. Please note that masks can be removed while eating and drinking if food is allowed. Food and drink is not allowed in labs and studios unless approved by Environmental Health and Safety.

No. Masking makes disinfecting voluntary in classrooms.

All faculty shall wear a face mask in classrooms, even if Plexiglass barriers exist in the classroom. This requirement shall be re-evaluated as the semester progresses.

Academic Policies and Procedures

The policy revisions apply to undergraduate students only.  

The course withdrawal policy revisions, D05.IV, apply to undergraduate students and requires students, including part-time students, who wish to withdraw below 12 credit hours to request approval from academic department leadership. Situations will vary, and decisions will be based on each student’s circumstances.  It is possible that some requests may not be granted.  If you are thinking about withdrawing from a course, I encourage you to talk with your faculty, access support resources, and check in with your advisor before withdrawing

 The revisions to the academic action/probation policy, D05.1.II, also apply only to undergraduate students. Academic probations will be limited to two over the course of a student’s degree program, and academic suspension will be for a minimum of one term rather than a year. If a suspension appeal is granted, a student will be placed on deferred suspension. Students on academic probation, deferred suspension, or returning from suspension will work with their program to create an academic success plan.

Please review the Grades policy (D05.0) and Academic Actions policy (D05.1) for more details on these  policies.  Questions should be directed to either your assistant dean or associate dean. 

These FAQs reflect what we know as of August 20, 2021, and the details are subject to change as planning evolves and university decisions are made.  Please check the RIT Ready Site for the most current updates.