Safer Return at Cal Poly Pomona

Adjusting Work Schedules in January 2022

Date: 12/31/21
To: Faculty, and Staff
From: Provost - Vice President for Academic Affairs
Subject: Adjusting Work Schedules in January 2022

Dear colleagues,

I hope that you have enjoyed some well-deserved rest during this winter break and that you have been able to spend time with loved ones. Earlier today, you received a message from President Coley updating you on campus operations. Academic Affairs is providing guidelines that are consistent with the university message. In response to rising COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in Los Angeles County, and across the country, the university will utilize remote working tools to adjust the scale of our in-person operations from Jan. 3 to Jan. 18.

In the first two weeks of January, we can reduce our campus density, and the risk of broader community transmission, without significant impact to student services. The university and our division will continue to be open and provide essential services to students and the university community. We will utilize the temporary remote work agreements to shift to virtual and remote work where it is appropriate and feasible. This is a temporary scaling back of our in-person operations for the first two weeks of the year. We expect that all offices will provide services, either in-person or remotely, during business hours.

The university will be open as planned on January 3rd. We anticipate that January will be a transitional month, with a higher volume of remote work at the start of the month, and greater levels of in-person work to support students and the university community at the start of the spring semester. Your HEERA manager will work with you to determine the appropriate schedule of in-person and remote work within your unit.

On January 18, Academic Affairs will resume on-campus operations as planned for the spring 2022 semester. Currently, we are not adjusting the in-person start of spring semester classes, which begin on Jan. 22. We will continue to monitor local health conditions and communicate with you — our campus community — as information becomes available and decisions are made.  

As you know, we cannot predict how conditions will evolve, the precise timeline, or the decisions that may be necessary to effectively mitigate risk. The university will continue to monitor local health conditions and follow our University Risk Response Plan, prioritizing health and safety while also protecting and supporting our mission of student success. Please be sure to read through the President’s message, especially the detailed information from the CPP Safer Return Task Force for specifics on upgrading masks, on-campus testing, and more.

Thank you for your understanding and commitment to our campus community. I know this continues to be a challenging time for us all and I appreciate your dedication. I offer my very best wishes for a Happy New Year and brighter days ahead in 2022.

Kind regards,

Iris S. Levine, DMA 
Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs