Dear Infrastructure and Sustainability staff,
I hope you are all staying healthy and safe as we enter the home stretch in our preparation for the fall semester. I’m writing today to provide you with a few updates on our Infrastructure and Sustainability team’s progress in these efforts, as well as provide dates for an exciting upcoming series of learning sessions on race and diversity that we have set up.
We’re less than three weeks away from the start of fall classes, and I couldn’t be more thrilled with the work that has been taking shape. In recent weeks, we’ve moved in earnest from planning and establishing protocols to implementing these plans in areas like classroom physical distancing, building ventilation, cleaning, bus transit, building access, transportation demand management and outdoor spaces. We’ve begun installing air filtration units in classrooms that are naturally ventilated. We’ve established plans for open-air tents with installation starting on Aug. 10. And we’ve begun setting up the 600-plus classrooms that will need to be ready for our students and faculty. This is just a small sampling of the milestones we’re hitting.
One unit I wanted to highlight specifically this month is our Operations Control Center. The OCC staff have gone above and beyond in many ways supporting the campus during the pandemic. Their contributions have been, and will continue to be, vital as they play a key role in facilitating the initial intake of orders for new operational signage and additional cleaning supplies for campus buildings, as well as serving as the initial point of contact when we need to coordinate the disinfection of spaces in the event of a confirmed case of COVID-19. None of this is part of their usual role, and I want to commend them -- and the many among you who are taking on additional or unique duties during this time -- for doing so with enthusiasm and a sense of purpose.
I also want to highlight a series of videos we’ve begun producing to bring awareness to the fall preparation work of the Facilities Task Force; we use these to help communicate the great work you’re all doing on campus. We’ve posted the first four, and the fifth will be ready soon on our infrastructure mitigation efforts webpage.
Finally, as I mentioned earlier this summer, I want to prioritize the availability of educational opportunities for our staff around the discussions of race and diversity that are so vital and prominent nationally. I’m excited to announce that associate professor Donna Mejia will be leading three sessions for our organization. We will be providing more details in a follow-up communication soon. However, I wanted to make sure you have the dates and times of these virtual sessions so you can get them on your calendars and work with your supervisors on making arrangements to attend. The session dates include:
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Sept. 24, 1:30 to 3 p.m.: Understanding our Inherited Legacy of Colonialism, Genocide, Racism and Exploitation
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Oct. 8, 2020, 1:30 to 3 p.m.: Combating Racism at Personal and Interpersonal Levels
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Oct. 22, 2020, 1:30 to 3 p.m.: Combating Racism at Communal, Structural and Systemic Levels
Thank you for all of the great work you do. I know the last five months have been trying in so many ways, and your dedication to our university and supporting the students, staff and faculty who will return to campus to carry out our educational mission this fall has been nothing short of inspiring.
With gratitude,
David Kang, vice chancellor for infrastructure and sustainability
