Subject: [All Staff] Important update: fall 2020 semester will be online
From: Presidents Office <[email-masked]>
To: undisclosed-recipients:;
Date: Mon, 20 Jul 2020 08:57:16 -0700
List-Id: <allstaff.cca.edu>

Dear CCA Faculty and Staff,

On Friday evening, senior leadership made the difficult decision to move
the fall semester entirely online. The following message is being sent to
students this morning. We know you will have many questions, and we will
follow up with more details specific to faculty and staff as soon as
possible. We will have more information once we see the impact on student
enrollment.

Thank you for your patience and ongoing commitment to our students and
colleagues as we navigate this continually shifting situation.

Sincerely,

Steve and Tammy Rae

To: Students

From: President’s Office

Subject: Important update: fall 2020 semester will be online

Date: Monday, July 20, 2020

Dear Students,

We write today with the unfortunate news that our fall semester courses
will be conducted entirely remotely (online). We will not be able to return
to campus until we are confident that we may do so safely and effectively.
For several months, we have been planning for a fall semester that includes
a mix of online and hybrid (part online, part in-person) instruction. At
the same time, we have been developing a contingency plan for an all-remote
semester.

Since March, the virus has set our course of action. Last week, we received
guidance from the San Francisco Department of Public Health that prohibits
our return to in-person instruction at this time, and on Friday
California’s Governor announced he is rolling back the state’s reopening
plans as cases of COVID–19 have surged in our state and across the United
States. In light of these developments and for the safety of our students,
faculty, and staff, we believe the responsible choice is to now put our
contingency plan for an online-only semester into place.

We regret that we will not be able to welcome you back to campus this fall
as we’ve been planning for all summer. We look forward to the time when we
can be together again in our classrooms, shops, and studios. Yet the
benefits of returning to in-person instruction this fall cannot justify the
substantial risks of gathering together when the pandemic remains
unchecked. Ultimately, this decision was made with the health and safety of
our faculty, staff, and students as the primary factor, and was based on
science and data.

We know this shift raises many questions. We have attempted to address the
basic ones below, and CCA staff will provide more detailed information and
guidance in the coming days. We have also included a contact list at the
end of this email to help direct additional questions you may have.

Sincerely,

Stephen Beal, President

Tammy Rae Carland, Provost

Course schedules + registration

Courses already planned for online will remain online. Some courses that
were planned to be hybrid will be able to take place entirely online, while
others may be postponed until spring or summer. Academic Affairs and
Student Records are working this week to update the course schedule,
including moving some courses that would typically be offered in spring to
this fall. If you already filled out a Workday request to indicate you were
planning to be remote/online, no additional action is required on your part
at this time. As was originally planned, your academic advisor or program
manager will adjust your course sections, contacting you if there are any
questions.

   -

   If you filled out the Workday request to indicate that you planned to be
   hybrid, we will share details as soon as possible and will coordinate with
   you to have your schedule changed.
   -

   If you have not filled out the Workday form, we will adjust your
   schedule as if you had indicated a preference for remote/online instruction
   unless you inform us otherwise via the form. Where possible, we will honor
   class-level seniority as we make our adjustments and will be in touch about
   options that may be available.

We hope that when more information is available about spring courses that
will be offered in fall, students who initially considered taking a leave
of absence will consider the advantages of an online fall. We plan to have
schedules finalized by the end of July.

To ensure a robust, high-quality academic experience this semester and keep
students on track to complete their degrees, academic advisors will be
available to support undergraduate students in your decision-making.
Graduate chairs and program managers will be available to assist graduate
students.

We are looking ahead at both spring and summer 2021 schedules to make sure
that classes or course content that cannot be delivered fully remotely in
the fall will be available to students as soon as we can safely return to
campus. Our goal is to have a robust spring and summer schedule that will
provide as much access to shops, studios, and equipment as is safely
permitted.

Tuition + fees

We will freeze tuition at last year’s rate for the 2020-21 academic year
and will not implement the previously announced 4% tuition increase this
year. If you have already paid your tuition, your account will be credited
accordingly. Course Materials and Student Services fees will be credited or
removed from your account for the fall semester.

Financial aid + support

Financial aid scholarships will not be reduced despite the decrease in
tuition rates unless financial aid exceeds the total amount of tuition.
This means that most financial aid recipients will experience an increase
in aid relative to tuition. If you are no longer able to enroll full time,
the Financial Aid Office will prorate your financial aid according to your
registered qualifying units.

CCA has dedicated more than $1 million in new funding to scholarships for
students and their families whose financial circumstances may have changed
due to the pandemic. In addition, CCA will use funding received through the
Federal CARES Act to assist students who need to purchase equipment and
supplies or have other expenses related to the pandemic. See the CARES Act
application
<https://portal.cca.edu/essentials/financial-aid/coronavirus-covid-19-information-and-resources/>
process and the CCA financial aid petition
<https://portal.cca.edu/essentials/financial-aid/forms/#petition-information>
on Portal to apply.

Housing + dining

CCA housing will be open for students who need or want to live on campus.
For fall, all rooms will be single occupancy. CCA’s Housing, Dining, and
Residential Education
<https://portal.cca.edu/thriving/housing-dining-resed/> staff will contact
all students who are currently assigned to housing, and will work with you
to make adjustments as necessary for those who will no longer require CCA
housing. Fall meal-plan options will be announced soon, once we have a
better idea of how many students will live in CCA housing and what the
demand for dining services will be. Students arriving from outside the Bay
Area will need to quarantine for two weeks as required by public health
orders.

International students

Continuing international students on F-1 visas will be able to enter or
remain in the United States while taking online-only classes as long as you
are enrolled full time or have been approved for a reduced course load by
the ISAP office. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has rescinded its
policy from earlier this month that would have required students in F-1
status to take at least one in-person course. International students will
also be able to take their fall courses remotely from wherever they are.
Please review the updated information on Portal at Maintaining F-1 status
at CCA: Fall 2020
<https://portal.cca.edu/thriving/international-student-affairs-and-programs/maintaining-f-1-status-cca-fall-2020/>
to learn more. CCA’s Office of International Student Affairs and Programs
(ISAP) will continue to keep international students updated and ISAP staff
are available to answer any questions or concerns you may have. Please
email ISAP at [email-masked] or make an appointment
<https://portal.cca.edu/thriving/international-student-affairs-and-programs/make-appointment/>
with an ISAP advisor for assistance.

   -

   New F-1 international students for fall 2020 who are currently outside
   of the United States can study 100% online, but should remain outside
   the U.S. for the fall semester. Students in this situation will be
   contacted by the ISAP team in mid-October to update I-20 paperwork for a
   spring 2021 arrival in the U.S. to attend classes on campus.
   -

   New F-1 international students for fall 2020 who transferred your SEVIS
   record to CCA and are currently residing inside the United States with a
   CCA I-20 issued for "transfer pending" are under current Immigration
   guidance indicating that students in this situation can remain in the U.S.
   and take online-only classes as long as you are enrolled full time.

Technology + equipment

CCA computer labs will be closed until we are cleared to return safely to
campus. During this time, there will be a process for students and faculty
to access that software remotely. Instructions will be available on Portal.
Access to Adobe Creative Cloud will continue to be available to all
students.

There will be several new components to the online course tools, one to
support visual collaboration, and another to support the necessary increase
in the creation, delivery, and management of video. Faculty will
incorporate these tools into their courses as appropriate to the course
needs.

CCA will use funding from the Federal CARES Act to assist students who need
to purchase equipment and supplies. We recognize that not everyone has
access to the basic technology required for remote learning. See the CARES
Act application
<https://portal.cca.edu/essentials/financial-aid/coronavirus-covid-19-information-and-resources/>
process on Portal if you need additional assistance.

Access to facilities

At this time, all campus facilities are closed to everyone except essential
staff. CCA will continue to work with local health officials to determine
when, and if, CCA facilities can be safely re-opened for limited use if
circumstances improve.

Alumni Course Audit + Shop/Facility Access

Students who graduate in spring, summer, or fall 2020 will be able to take
two free courses at a future time once our San Francisco and Oakland
campuses have safely reopened. We are also revising our shop, campus, and
facility access policies to provide those alumni with access to campus
resources for two years following their graduation semester.

_____

Contacts:

Student Records
<https://portal.cca.edu/essentials/student-records/student-records/>

Course schedule & registration information

   -

   Send an email <[email-masked]> / call 510-594-3651

Academic Advising <https://portal.cca.edu/learning/academic-advising/>

Academic advisors will be available to assist undergraduate students.

   -

   Send an email <[email-masked]> / Schedule an appointment
   <https://portal.cca.edu/learning/academic-advising/undergraduate-advising/program-advising/>

Graduate chairs and program managers will be available to assist graduate
students.

Financial Aid <https://portal.cca.edu/essentials/financial-aid/>

Financial aid and support

   -

   Send an email <[email-masked]> / Schedule an appointment
   <https://ccafinancialaidappointments.youcanbook.me/>  /  call
   415-703-9528

Housing, Dining, and Residential Education
<https://portal.cca.edu/thriving/housing-dining-resed/>

   -

   Contact Information
   <https://portal.cca.edu/thriving/housing-dining-resed/important-information/get-in-touch/>

International Student Affairs and Programs (ISAP)
<https://portal.cca.edu/thriving/international-student-affairs-and-programs/about-international-student-affairs-and-programs/>

Assistance for international students, including advising for students on
F-1 and J-1 visas.

   -

   Send an email <[email-masked]> / Schedule an appointment
   <https://portal.cca.edu/thriving/international-student-affairs-and-programs/make-appointment/>

Human Resources <https://portal.cca.edu/working/office-human-resources/>

Assistance with HR-related questions

   -

   Send an email <[email-masked]>

Have a question but you’re not sure whom to ask? Email [email-masked]
and we will do our best to provide an answer or connect you with someone
who can.