Student Announcements

University operations (15 March – 14 April 2020) in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic

14 March 2020

Memo to         :           The University Community

Subject            :           University operations (15 March – 14 April 2020) in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic

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The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic on 11 March. The Philippine government issued a directive on 12 March to put Metro Manila on community quarantine from 15 March to 14 April.

Since the health, welfare, and safety of the community is the University’s top priority, especially at this time, the University shall implement the following measures:

1. Offices will be closed and online classes will be suspended on Monday and Tuesday, 16 and 17 March, to give employees and students time to adjust to the arrangements being made by the LGUs in connection with the government directive to put cities or towns on community quarantine.

2. A campus-wide shutdown will be put in place from Wednesday, 18 March to Tuesday, 14 April unless the government issues new directives before this time period ends. Campus shutdown applies to all four campuses in Loyola, Rockwell, Pasig, and Salcedo. This is to observe strictly the social distancing that the government prescribes.

3. During this campus-wide shutdown, mission-critical work and essential support services will continue.a. ‘Mission-critical work’ refers to activities that are crucial to advancing the purpose of the University despite the campus shutdown, e.g. teaching, research, formation, and social development. Thus, online learning will continue with the support of IT services. Even formation and social development work that can be done online will be explored. The different units of the University are in charge of issuing guidelines related to online learning.b. ‘Essential support services’ refers to activities on campus that assist ‘mission-critical work’ and the operations of the university despite the campus shutdown.
   

   i.Key administrators shall be on call but are advised to work from home, using online modes of communication, following regular office hours.

   ii. Some administrators and employees may be called to report to work as part of the skeleton work force; they (employees) shall be remunerated with an over-time pay.

    iii. Leaves will not be charged during this period of shutdown and employees will continue to receive their salaries.

4. The University mandates strict implementation of social distancing measures (i.e. maintaining distance from other people; ban on all kinds of gatherings on and off campus; restriction of unnecessary and unauthorized entry to the campus by all members of the community as well as visitors).

5. The University will continue the implementation of guidelines on home quarantine for members of the community who have traveled to areas with recorded cases of COVID-19 or have signs/symptoms of the disease. For more information, please refer to this link http://www.ateneo.edu/covid-19-updatesfor the Bulletins issued by the University Physician, Dr Norman Dennis Marquez. He can be reached at email address: univphysician@ateneo.edu.

6. Onsite classes and regular office operations are expected to resume on Easter Wednesday, 15 April 2020.

This memo is subject to government and university protocols that may be subsequently issued in response to the COVID-19 situation as it develops.

We call on the community to stay calm, listen to experts and official announcements, and help prevent the spread of misinformation.

We are crossing the desert during these days of Lent. We can lose heart or we can turn to one another and to our God during this trying time of passage. God be our strength and solace always.

amdg,

 

Jose Ramon T Villarin SJ
President