(COVID-19): Campus Health Updates

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4/24/2020 - Daily COVID-19 Graduate Division Update 

Hello Grad Students and Post-Docs,

I hope this Tuesday is treating you well and life is slightly less chaotic than it was a day ago. I have a shorter list of updates for you, but as promised I am committed to giving each of you all the information I can each day. Please see the below messages pertaining to international travel insurance, the availability of laptops for loan, and the closure of Aldrich Hall. 

Important Information Regarding Travel Insurance 

If you or someone you know is traveling on University of California business and is stuck in a different country and not able to leave due to COVID-19, you are covered by UC insurance, even if you did not register your trip before you left. 

Please reference UC’s UHCG ID number:

• Faculty/Staff Business Travel Accident - ADD N04223810 - UHCG ID Number 363381
• Student Off-Campus Travel Accident – ADD N04223822 – UHCG ID Number 363391

If you have a policy number, provide that. If you did not register, tell them you are not registered but covered because you were traveling on UC business.

Note that there may be limitations due to US government restrictions, citizenship, etc. UHCG will work with travelers on their individual cases. Please notify covid19@uci.edu with updates about your situation and whether or not it has been resolved.

Free Access to Laptops for Graduate Students Available 

These are very difficult times and not having the right equipment to access your coursework can make them even more difficult. To help alleviate the challenge of securing appropriate computer equipment for remote learning, UCI has secured a number of laptops for free short term loan to students who don’t have access to key remote learning tools.

In particular, students who don’t have access to the following computer equipment, which is required to run Zoom (for web conferencing) and Respondus Monitor + LockDown Browser (for online test proctoring), might benefit from borrowing a laptop. Please be on the lookout for an email from Mchael Dennin with more details about the program. 

For students working as instructional assistants, TAs, Readers, or Research Assistants who need additional equipment for that work, you should request this equipment through your hiring department rather than through this loan program. 

Aldrich Hall Closed Until Further Notice

As you may have seen from the Campus Building Closure message that was sent out over the weekend, because campus operations have transitioned to remote instruction and telecommuting for many business functions, several UCI buildings have been closed until further notice.

Aldrich Hall has been added to the list of closed buildings and will only be accessible to authorized personnel.

Dean’s Virtual Office Hours

As a reminder, I or someone from my senior staff will be available for virtual office hours for 30 minutes every day, Monday - Friday for as long as needed to answer any questions or concerns. All graduate students and postdocs are welcome! We had a great office hour today with some good questions, plus fun chit chat while we all drank tea and soothed ourselves.

All you need to do is click this link and you’ll be in: https://uci.zoom.us/j/7277477057. Below are my office hours for the next two weeks. All times are Pacific Daylight Time.

• Wednesday, March 25:  9:00 am – 9:30am
• Thursday, March 26:    1pm – 1:30pm
• Monday, March 30:      9:00am – 9:30am
• Tuesday, March 31:     1pm – 1:30pm
• Wednesday, April 1:      10am – 10:30am
• Thursday, April 2:          12:30pm – 1:00pm
• Friday, April 3:              10am – 10:30am

In Closing
This continues to be an unprecedented time for ALL of us. Let’s remember to take this one day at a time and please know, I, along with my team here at Graduate Division, are here for YOU. I remember my own time in graduate school being a constant gut check. Am I smart enough? What happens if I fail? Will this ever satisfy my committee? Will I get a job, and will it be in a place my husband wants to uproot his life for? These are tough tough questions no matter what is going on, but the context of a global pandemic makes things even harder. “Promise me you’ll always remember: You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think” – A. A. Milne

Hoping to see you all soon in better times!

Gillian

Gillian Hayes
Kleist Professor of Informatics
Vice Provost for Graduate Education
Dean of the Graduate Division