Dean's Community Message

Feb. 2, 2021

Dear College of Engineering Community,

Recent hate-filled attacks by white supremacists directed at members of the University Black Caucus are intolerable and unacceptable. Along with President Barron and other leaders across Penn State, I strongly condemn incidents of hate and prejudice that exhibit white supremacy, racism, anti-Semitism, and other hateful language and continue to threaten and divide us. I encourage you to read the Open Letter from the Penn State Black Caucus. The College of Engineering stands as an ally in support of all those who encounter intolerance. We are committed to being an inclusive and diverse community, and we will continue to uphold a welcoming environment for our students, staff, and faculty. The proper treatment of others is a minimum expectation for everyone in the college. We must exceed these expectations and serve as a role model to the community.

These recent attacks remind us that we still have work to do. In my June 1 message following the tragic murder of George Floyd, I wrote, “We can treat our neighbors and colleagues — regardless of background or the color of their skin — with dignity and respect. We can listen. We can interrupt unjust acts, offering comfort to those who are hurting, and advocating for changes to unjust policies and practices. We can serve as role models to others, showing empathy, support and understanding.” Today I write to you to say, “We must.” We must hold each other accountable, and we must stand up for one another.

“You’re tired of hearing about it? (racism) Imagine how freaking tiring it must be living through it.”
—Jon Stewart

The University has provided guidance on how to protect Zoom meetings from Zoom bombing. Some additional resources include:

Here are today’s updates:

Reminder: Required Student COVID-19 Testing

As a reminder, all students at all campus locations must have a negative COVID-19 test result from a University-provided test on file prior to, and within 72 hours of, their return to campus. Please log in to the Know Your Status portal to make sure your testing requirement is complete, and to get started with ordering a test from Vault Health if you have not done so already. Vault Health self-test kits will be provided to students at no cost. Currently, 12,714 out of 76,176 students across the University have completed the testing requirement. In the College of Engineering, 23.8% of students have been tested. Let’s be the first college to get to 100%!

Webinar and Open Forum on Academic Integrity in On-line Environments

The Leonhard Center will host Tricia Bertram Gallant, an internationally recognized scholar and practitioner of integrity and ethics in education and the director of the UCSD Academic Integrity Office, for a webinar and open forum on academic integrity on Feb. 11. In her webinar, Bertram Gallant will discuss an alternative frame through which to view student violations of academic integrity, one that is healthier, uses positive rather than negative energy, and has greater results for all. She will also discuss methods to encourage students to act with integrity in online environments. In addition to the webinar, Bertram Gallant will be available for discussion during an open forum.

  • Webinar on Academic Integrity in Online Environments
    Feb. 11, 9:00 to 10:30 a.m.
  • Open Forum on Academic Integrity
    Feb. 11, 10:45 to 11:30 a.m.

Register here. Zoom links will be provided to those who register.

Teaching Tip #72 – Turning on live Zoom captioning

Turning on live captioning in Zoom can help students who have difficulty hearing the audio, while also assisting second-language learners, and any students who are reviewing your lectures later. See this knowledge base article for instructions.

Take care!

Justin Schwartz
Harold and Inge Marcus Dean, College of Engineering