Operational changes for Fall 2020 in response to COVID-19 and university policies
To: GPC General Assembly, Graduate and Professional Student Body, Graduate and Professional Student Organizations
From: Jesse Wyatt, GPC Vice President
Date: July 27, 2020
Subject: Operational changes for Fall 2020 in response to COVID-19 and university policies
As we prepare to return to campus for the Fall 2020 semester, many plans have been drawn up to ensure the safety and well–being of students, staff, and faculty. There will be many changes for the coming academic year and together we will continue to navigate the changing landscape we find ourselves in. I encourage everyone to read through the Show Me Renewal plan released by the University. The safety of all graduate and professional students, faculty and staff, and the broader community is a top priority of the Executive Board. We have been continuously advocating on your behalf and been actively involved in discussions regarding the reopening of campus. If you have any questions or would like to voice your concerns, I ask that you reach out to us at gpc@missouri.edu.
For the upcoming Fall semester, GPC will be altering its normal operations to account for new safety guidelines while ensuring that we ultimately remain accessible and continue to provide services for our students. A new policy change is being implemented for the upcoming semester, see below.
For the Fall 2020 semester of the 2020 – 2021 academic year, all physical meetings (including but not limited to meetings of the General Assembly, committee meetings, and meetings of the Executive Board) and programming (both social and professional development) will be held online through Zoom or another accessible digital platform. GPC will further increase its digital accessibility to accommodate all students, staff, and faculty.
These changes will be implemented for the Fall semester only. We will evaluate the need for continuing a digital only operational status for the Spring 2021 semester at the end of Fall semester. To aid in our transitioning to a digital only operational status, GPC will be developing best practices guidelines on how we intend to operate for the upcoming semester. These guidelines will be distributed to the General Assembly and be accessible to student organizations for their own use.
The Executive Board looks forward to welcoming you back to campus in the Fall in a safe and responsible manner.
With warmest regards,
Jesse W Wyatt
CC: Executive Board; Dr. Jeni Hart, Dean of the Graduate School; Dr. William Stackman, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs