Intersession, Spring Semester Start to Be Held Online

On October 15, the Very Rev. W. Mark Richardson, PhD, shared the following update with the CDSP Community.

The coronavirus pandemic continues to shape the contours of our life and witness as we approach the end of 2020. As promised, I write to you today to share the current state of our administrative planning for health and safety practices and their implications for academic and community activities.

The major takeaway is that we will continue with our current policies through Intersession in January and the opening weeks of Spring Semester at the very least.

Among the factors informing our discernment are the following:

(1) the insufficiency of available instructional and worship spaces to operate safely at even the greatly reduced capacities currently allowed by Alameda County—particularly due to the limitations imposed by our ventilation systems, which our analyses suggest are insufficient for Covid-safe air circulation at the capacities we require;

(2) the need to provide access to instruction and worship for our residential students who have compromised immune systems and other elevated risk factors (which, for example, prevents us from moving classes or community worship outdoors);

(3) similar local decisions by our GTU colleagues and UC Berkeley neighbors; and

(4) scientific consensus predicting a likely worsening of the national resurgence that seems to be already underway and to which California is unlikely to be wholly immune despite our more temperate climate.

All Intersession classes will be taught in a remote synchronous format. Dean Meyers has already initiated conversations with Intersession instructors about the likely need for fully online pedagogy. She will continue those conversations in light of this decision and of the lessons we have learned together this fall. She will also confer with spring-semester instructors about online pedagogy for those courses.

Our partners at the Industrial Areas Foundation have continued trainings and actions in online formats during the pandemic and are eager to work with us to offer a fully online version of the community organizing class.

We will continue to monitor the local and national data and recommendations and to consult with our colleagues at Trinity, including our health and safety advisor Secretary David Shulkin. The timeline below establishes the dates by which we will make decisions about commencement activities and Summer Intensive.

I encourage you to continue to support one another online, and through the socially distanced outdoor prayer and formation activities in which I know many of you are already safely involved. Please also continue reaching out for support when you need it.

Be assured of my prayers and affection, as well as my gratitude for all you are doing to fill these difficult days with hope and grace.

In Christ,

Mark

Timeline of Upcoming Activities and Decisions

• January 11-22 – CDSP Intersession classes held fully online
• February 1 – CDSP Spring Semester begins fully online
• February 15 – Announcement of plans for 2020/2021 Commencement
• March 15 – Announcement of plans for June Intensive
• May 21-22 – 2020/2021 Baccalaureate & Commencement (if conditions allow)
• May 22 – Online Celebration of 2021 Graduates (if necessary; see above)
• June 14-25 – June Intensive (format TBD)