Dean's Community Message

Feb. 16, 2021

Dear College of Engineering Community,

Welcome back! As we start the first week of in-person classes, I want to remind everyone to continue to follow a few critical health guidelines to keep our community safe: wear a mask, practice physical distancing, avoid large gatherings, and comply with all testing requirements and contact tracing requests. Remember, we are all in this together and we must take the proper measures to protect ourselves and one another.

“Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.”
—Helen Keller

As we look forward to celebrating THON this weekend, I would like to remind the community that all THON spectators and participants must follow all COVID-19 health and safety guidelines, regardless of their location. This includes maintaining social and physical distancing, and not hosting or attending large gatherings. This year’s event is completely virtual, and I encourage everyone to tune in for the live stream that will be available all weekend, starting on Friday, Feb. 19, at 6:00 p.m.

Here are today’s updates:

Zoom-Bombing Incidents

It is distressing to me that racist and misogynistic zoom-bombing incidents continue to occur in various meetings across Penn State. Any incidents of Zoom-bombing should be reported to University Police immediately. Two incidents from yesterday are under investigation. Penn State Counseling and Psychological Services is available to help support students who may be impacted by Zoom-bombing at virtual events and the 24/7 Employee Assistance Program (EAP) at 866-799-2728 offers support for faculty and staff. The University has also provided tips and settings to help prevent unwanted actions by Zoom participants. These tips include:

  • Controlling how participants can enter the meeting
  • Allowing only authenticated users to join
  • Limiting screen sharing
  • Recording the meeting
  • Being prepared if an incident occurs

More information can be found here.

Reminder: Gathering Restrictions

As students return to campus for the spring semester, we must continue to comply with the COVID-19 restrictions in place to keep the community safe and healthy. The University’s Coronavirus Compact remains in effect, as does the State College ordinance prohibiting gatherings of more than 10 people and no guests in residences that house 10 or more people. Students and student organizations have been suspended for violating these expectations, and the University continues to expect compliance by all in our community.

Reminder: Post Arrival Testing for Students

In addition to the required COVID-19 testing that took place in preparation for the spring semester, the University is conducting a second round of testing during the first two weeks of in-person learning. Please note that this second round of universal testing is in addition to the initial required testing of all students and does not fulfill the initial testing requirement. These requirements apply to all students, including those taking a fully remote/online course load if they live within 20 miles of a Penn State campus. All students should have received an email regarding this testing on Feb. 9 and should have scheduled a testing appointment on their campus. If you have not received an email, please contact healthystate@psu.edu. More information can be found here.

Teaching Tip #75 – Teaching students in a classroom and online using a whiteboard

Now that students are back on campus, if you are teaching both to a classroom and to online students, there are some choices to make regarding how you will use a whiteboard. Watch this four-minute video to see the different options, and contact the Office for Digital Learning if you need assistance.

Take care!

Justin Schwartz
Harold and Inge Marcus Dean, College of Engineering