Today marks the final Arts Update for 2020. Last January when we rang in the new year, “2020” carried an auspicious ring. But if hindsight is 2020, then those early reports of Covid’s devastation and its spread across the globe during the latter part of 2019 were warning signs of the impending impact of the pandemic on our daily lives. Now, nine months and counting since KPU made the rapid transition to its remote life, we continue to be humbled and inspired by the collective resilience of the Faculty of Arts.
When we reflect on 2020, the sense of connection and community that emerged in the Faculty of Arts’ online transformation is formidable and impossible to capture in a single list. Faculty pursued professional development workshops through the Teaching and Learning Commons in unprecedented numbers and pursued creative online teaching strategies. We opened our virtual doors to prospective students through initiatives like EDAS’s asynchronous information session, and celebrated our graduates through departmental messages, Music gatherings, and university-wide video productions. We established new routines of collegial support, such as Criminology’s Hallway Chats, and embraced opportunities to share our research and scholarly initiatives through record-breaking attendance at the Arts Speaker Series and Brown Bag Lunches. We migrated en masse from all parts of the country to attend our first-ever virtual Arts General Meeting, and mastered the intricacies of online committee meetings, procedures, training, and search interviews through the dedicated work of our amazing staff. We tested our wits through Jeopardy challenges and laughed heartily with friends during the Arts Holiday Social! Covid has truly created a different kind of ‘2020 vision’ that brings the strength, ingenuity, and compassion of the Faculty of Arts sharply into focus.
The Most Wonderful Deadline of the Year: Although we don’t want to be the Grinch, we do need to remind everyone that the ultimate deadline for final grades and any Incomplete Grade Contracts to be submitted is Monday, December 21st. Please remember that a grade must be entered for each registered student. Be sure to “save” and “submit” your final grades through KPU’s online system. All grades must be submitted, or students face serious consequences, including being deregistered from their courses next semester or facing delays in graduation. We anticipate hearing a collective sigh of relief on Monday, marking the finale and the hap-happiest part of the grading season!
Making a List, Checking It Twice: Until Santa brings us all vaccines, KPU is required to maintain strict COVID protocols. If you are planning a trip to campus, then, please continue fill out the Campus Visit Request Form here. Upon arrival, you are asked to stop at the campus security stations to complete the mandatory health check. The sheet linked here can be of use in preparing. Finally, please keep abreast of the latest Coronavirus safety information on the KPU website.
Deck the Halls with Respectful Workplace Training: If you haven’t completed your annual Respectful Workplace Training, don’t forget to partake of this special (and mandatory!) holiday treat. As a reminder, the link is here.
With KPU set to close for the holidays at the end of the workday on December 23rd, we wish a Merry Christmas to those who celebrate, and a restful, restorative break to all. We have weathered the pandemic storm, but a new year of renewal is at our doorstep. We bid 2020 a reflective farewell and look forward to ringing in 2021 as a year of hope and possibility!
We’ll take a cup of kindness yet for auld lang syne,
Diane, Wade, Greg, and Shelley
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