Dear SEFS Community: 

Greetings to all of you, wherever you may be. It’s eerily quiet on campus during this time of the year, which is usually one of the busiest. I hope you are finding ways to make the most of this unusual time. 

We recognize the added burdens and diminished opportunities of an all-online quarter, and I’m pleased that SEFS has been able to waive all course fees for spring quarter. Course fees are often assessed to cover costs of field trips or lab experiments, which are an important part of our curriculum. Our faculty, staff and students have led the way within the University in creatively adapting coursework and research to remote learning. As described in this newsletter, several SEFS faculty members have adapted by mailing research equipment and plants to students to carry on with the engaged learning that is a hallmark of SEFS. We appreciate everyone’s flexibility and quick thinking in getting this done. Thanks to the generosity of our friends and donors, we have been able to cover the costs associated with these replacement activities without assessing additional fees.

We know this quarter is a disruption for our students who are concerned about research activities and degree timelines. There remains some uncertainty about summer, and we are tracking this with university and college leadership to provide the most timely guidance we can as you plan summer field work. SEFS faculty advisors are providing guidance to students on how their work might be affected and how to adapt. SEFS is placing the highest priority on the health and safety of our students, staff, and faculty at this time and looking forward to carefully adapting critical teaching and research activities to evolving public health guidance.

Undoubtedly, this is a difficult time for everyone that has changed the way we work and learn. Please remember to be kind to yourself and others. The University recently shared tips on staying healthy mentally during this time. 

I know that the loss of in-person connections in the SEFS community can feel socially isolating. Please reach out, stay connected and know that we are here to support you in carrying on through challenging times. In addition, stay connected to our social media and visit our SEFS Together webpage, which was made especially to keep us connected as a community during this time. Together, we will get through this and come out the other side stronger and even more connected. The most important thing at this time is that we look after our individual and collective well-being. 

Stay healthy and keep in touch, 

Dan Brown