Memos

Dear Colleagues:

I welcome you back to your teaching duties and to other job responsibilities for the 2009-2010 academic year. It is an exciting time as we welcome Dr. Bernadette Gray-Little, the next Chancellor for the University of Kansas. This may also be an unusual year as we confront the H1N1 flu, which is expected to affect our faculty, staff, and students this fall. I am writing to request that you prepare yourselves in three ways in order to ensure the continuity and success of our academic, research, and service missions.

First, familiarize yourself with information about the H1N1 flu, keep abreast of information about preventive measures and vaccines, and encourage students to be informed. KU will regularly update information about the H1N1 flu at www.alerts.ku.edu/ (Lawrence Campus) and http://edwardscampus.ku.edu/alerts/ (Edwards Campus).

Second, learn more about the major strategies for limiting the spread of the H1N1 flu:

• “Social distancing” means reducing the contact between healthy individuals.
• “Isolation” means separating symptomatic individuals from those that are healthy.

If the spread of H1N1 flu is significant, assume that faculty, staff, and students may be absent more often this fall than in typical years. These absences may very well be based upon symptoms and/or directives of the health department; written documentation of H1N1 by a health care provider, such as Student Health Services at Watkins or community physicians, will not be available.

Third, plan for strategies to ensure continuity in the academic mission when there are absences.

• Develop contingency plans for dealing with student absences because of flu, both during the semester and final examinations. Avoid policies that encourage infected individuals to come to class or examinations.
• Do not compromise academic standards; do think about alternatives for effectively accomplishing your course goals under unpredictable circumstances.
• Be attentive to your own health and encourage departmental planning to deal with possible illness among faculty and GTAs.
• Include links on your syllabus or course Blackboard site for the KU Pandemic Response Plan and the “Personal Guide to Protect Against Flu”.

Comparable strategies can be employed by units to assure continuity in the research and service sectors.

We are fortunate that to date the H1N1 strain has proven to be milder than initially expected. With appropriate planning to deal with the spread of H1N1, we hope to minimize disruptions. Thank you for taking appropriate measures to address this possibility as you plan for the semester. Best wishes for a successful start to the new academic year.

Best,

Danny J. Anderson
Interim Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor