Addendum 1.4: Fall 2020, Financial aid and Class Flexibility
By Raven Yamamoto, Jonathan Grace
On this week's episode of The Addendum, co-hosts Raven Yamamoto and Jonathan Grace discuss LMU's plans surrounding the Fall 2020 semester and a return to campus. We also discuss how the CARES Act applies to LMU, and how classes are still eligible to be taken on a "credit/no credit" basis this semester.
BEGIN TRANSCRIPT:
This. is the Addendum. The postscript to LMU’s week. Every Thursday, we bring the news to you. Wherever you are, you can stay informed about what’s happening on the Bluff. And we’ll do it in 10 minutes or less.
Today, we talk about all things Fall 2020 and COVID-19. Reporting for The Agency — I’m Raven Yamamoto. And I’m Jonathan Grace.
The Addendum starts now.
Fall 2020 Semester:
In a statement last Tuesday, LMU’s Provost Dr. Thomas Poon announced that the university looks forward to welcoming back its students next semester in accordance with the guidelines put forth by public health officials. The university also mentioned that students unable to travel back to campus due to travel restrictions will be accommodated to minimize disruptions to their education.
LMU’s statement mentioned that it is currently modeling different scenarios for a return to on-campus learning, including accommodations for social distancing and sanitation, potential adjustments to the academic calendar, the utilization of “unconventional spaces,” as well as supplementing classroom learning with “hybrid methodologies.”
Provost Poon’s statement also provided tentative plans for students to return to on-campus housing for the upcoming fall semester. This plan included measures to ensure “social distancing and other protocols.”
While specifics to all the plans mentioned in the university’s statement have yet to be released, Provost Poon notes that an update can be expected by May 27.
CARES Act:
In the same statement released by LMU early last week, Provost Poon confirmed that LMU has received relief funding from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act. Better known as the CARES ACT, this federal program includes emergency financial aid grant money given to all higher education institutions in the United States. Provost Poon mentioned that LMU is set to receive some of this grant money and that more information about these funds will be coming in the future.
Credit/No Credit Extension:
The deadline for LMU students to mark their classes as Credit/No Credit and for class withdrawals has been extended to May 11. The impetus for these changes was the rapid move to online classes by LMU in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. According to the university, the later-than-usual option to change a class to credit/no-credit or to withdraw from a class entirely aims to “provide students with flexibility as they manage this semester's extenuating circumstances.” The form to request these changes can be found on LMU’s website.
Well, there you have it Lions, your week in 10 minutes or less. Reporting for Agency, I’m Raven Yamamoto and I’m Jonathan Grace. Tune in next Thursday for this semester's final edition before we pick things up in the fall. As always, you can find this episode and all other episodes on our Soundcloud. On behalf of the Agency, good luck finishing with finals. Until next time, this has been The Addendum.
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