The spring semester has been unprecedented for the campus, with record-breaking snowfall in New England forcing the cancellation of more than seven class days.

Due to the sequence of the storms, Monday and Tuesday schedules have been disproportionately affected by cancellations. Faculty and students alike are feeling the loss of these regularly scheduled classes.

Please note that Tuesday, Feb. 17 (the day after Presidents Day) is a Monday schedule.

Many faculty members have already taken steps to adjust course calendars and taken advantage of campus technology to make up for lost meeting time. But, given the total number of class days missed, we want to offer additional means of making up time.

To ensure that classrooms are available for this use, we have identified the following Saturdays asoptional dates available for faculty and students to make up lost class, lab and meeting time:

• Saturday,
  Feb. 28 ‘ Monday class schedule
• Saturday,
  March 7 ‘ Tuesday class schedule
• Saturday,
  April 25 ‘ Tuesday class schedule
• Saturday,
  May 2 ‘ Monday class schedule

Faculty will confirm any intended use of make-up dates with the Registrar’s Office, and classrooms and labs will be scheduled according to the normal schedule for the specified day of the week.

Faculty will clearly communicate with students about any classes or labs to be held on those specific dates and students are encouraged to check with faculty to confirm any scheduled dates.

We ask that faculty electing to use make-up days work closely with students who have conflicts such as work commitments or religious observances that would prevent their attendance to ensure that they are not disadvantaged by these calendar adjustments. We recommend that faculty not schedule examinations or quizzes on the Saturday make-up days.

Courses offered through Online and Continuing Education already have three make-up dates built into the calendar: Friday, Feb. 20; Friday, March 27; and Friday, April 10.

We hope that these opportunities to conduct critically important coursework will allow students to reach the intended learning goals for each class and we thank both faculty and students for their patience and flexibility as we adapt to this unprecedented weather pattern. We also thank the committed staff in facilities operations and other areas who have taken on the enormous task of returning the campus to normal following multiple heavy snow events.

Regards,
Ahmed Abdelal, Provost