<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class="">I just sent my students the following email - feel free to copy if you want, or if you have any additions you think are good let us know!</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">—</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><div class="">I just wanted to send an additional email to urge your to practice self-care in the coming weeks. This is a stressful time for all of us, and self-care not only means take the standard sensible precautions to prevent getting and spreading COVID-19, but just as importantly, looking after your mental health as we’re recommended to practice “social distancing” and we’ll inevitably spend more time away from our usual cohorts and friends - our usual support groups. </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">If you want any advice or need to talk about anything, I’m always here. Don’t forget the counseling services on campus are continuing business as usual. And here’s some good advice:</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-to-prevent-loneliness-in-a-time-of-social-distancing/" class="">https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-to-prevent-loneliness-in-a-time-of-social-distancing/</a></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><br class=""></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;">Let me know if I can do anything to help!</div></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Will</div><br class=""><div class="">
<div class="">---<br class="">Dr. William Newton<br class="">Associate Professor<br class="">Department of Physics and Astronomy<br class="">Texas A&M University-Commerce<br class="">Commerce, TX, 75429-3011, USA<br class="">Phone: +1 903-366-9331<br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline">
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<br class=""><div><blockquote type="cite" class=""><div class="">On Mar 13, 2020, at 10:00 AM, William Newton <<a href="mailto:William.Newton@tamuc.edu" class="">William.Newton@tamuc.edu</a>> wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><div class=""><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=utf-8" class=""><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class="">A couple of good articles we should consider. TLDR:</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">1) We have to accept we’re generally not going to do a good job putting our stuff online - this is crisis learning with little notice - and one could argue we have an obligation <i class="">not</i> to try and do a good job. For less than half a semester, it is not going to matter, and most of our students are now going to have a ton of other things to worry about other than classes - learning just dropped right down their list of priorities.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">2) Non-tenured faculty should probably all get a blanket 6 month extension and have this semester struck from all performance evaluations due to the extraordinary circumstances and cancellation of most activities that count towards tenure, etc. (conferences, service activities etc).</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><a href="https://www.chronicle.com/article/Academe-s-Coronavirus-Shock/248238?key=4hnbV5pI8DX5eMPXF6nV_YqJsRMbo0ItFsZ1aXo32R2-5YfxpN4efHVkJv8AI4RAYjJ3aC01b1lBX3BkT0t2M2dqQkRVaTF2VTh6eFR3RlMwSXgyN3o2c09OQQ&fbclid=IwAR07AHymC7e3ByzHLPEPLqd_Bgk3XSeYMfiNQ54GA2LXCc6N304Yun9Yo7w" class="">https://www.chronicle.com/article/Academe-s-Coronavirus-Shock/248238?key=4hnbV5pI8DX5eMPXF6nV_YqJsRMbo0ItFsZ1aXo32R2-5YfxpN4efHVkJv8AI4RAYjJ3aC01b1lBX3BkT0t2M2dqQkRVaTF2VTh6eFR3RlMwSXgyN3o2c09OQQ&fbclid=IwAR07AHymC7e3ByzHLPEPLqd_Bgk3XSeYMfiNQ54GA2LXCc6N304Yun9Yo7w</a></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><a href="https://anygoodthing.com/2020/03/12/please-do-a-bad-job-of-putting-your-courses-online/?fbclid=IwAR1k0Z81F6EfuhiOQWciNMppSBn1k7Gqz-y3cF7U844uRd_jL6rMut0Z0sY" class="">https://anygoodthing.com/2020/03/12/please-do-a-bad-job-of-putting-your-courses-online/?fbclid=IwAR1k0Z81F6EfuhiOQWciNMppSBn1k7Gqz-y3cF7U844uRd_jL6rMut0Z0sY</a></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Will</div><br class=""><div class="">
<div class="">---<br class="">Dr. William Newton<br class="">Associate Professor<br class="">Department of Physics and Astronomy<br class="">Texas A&M University-Commerce<br class="">Commerce, TX, 75429-3011, USA<br class="">Phone: +1 903-366-9331<br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline">
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<br class=""><div class=""><blockquote type="cite" class=""><div class="">On Mar 13, 2020, at 9:24 AM, Kurtis Williams <<a href="mailto:Kurtis.Williams@tamuc.edu" class="">Kurtis.Williams@tamuc.edu</a>> wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><div class=""><div class="">Hi folks,<br class=""><br class="">I’ll be available starting Monday to help in any way I can in taking classes online. I’d be in sooner but I was sick the week before spring break, so I should self quarantine through the weekend yet. I’ll use that time to get my classes mostly moved online so that I am freer to help y'all next week. <br class=""><br class="">See you in health,<br class="">Kurtis<br class=""><br class="">Sent from my iPad<br class="">_______________________________________________<br class="">phas-faculty_staff_others mailing list<br class=""><a href="mailto:phas-faculty_staff_others@tamuc.edu" class="">phas-faculty_staff_others@tamuc.edu</a><br class=""><a href="http://mailman.tamuc.edu/mailman/listinfo/phas-faculty_staff_others" class="">http://mailman.tamuc.edu/mailman/listinfo/phas-faculty_staff_others</a><br class=""></div></div></blockquote></div><br class=""></div></div></blockquote></div><br class=""></body></html>