Coronavirus Information

April 15, 2020

RE: IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR FACULTY PERFORMANCE EVALUATIONS, SPRING 2020

Dear University Faculty,

At the state level, it has been agreed that faculty performance evaluations will be on an
extended schedule for this spring. At the local level, APSCUF and the Administration concur
that performance evaluations for all temporary-part time faculty are suspended for spring
2020. Full-time temporary faculty and tenured faculty will be evaluated on the extended
schedules shown below:

For temporary full-time faculty, due dates have been extended as follows

• Committee evaluation – CBA date 4/1, extension date 4/22
• Chairperson evaluation – CBA date 4/8, extension date 4/29
• Dean evaluation – CBA date 5/15, extension date 6/5

For post-tenure and interim evaluations, due dates have been extended further:

• Committee evaluation – CBA date 4/1, extension date 6/5
• Chairperson evaluation – CBA date 4/8, extension date 6/12
• Dean evaluation – CBA date 5/15, extension date 7/31

Your deans' offices will work with you to implement the following method for securely sharing
documents related to performance evaluation:

Each dean’s office will set up a Team in Microsoft Teams for each individual faculty member
being reviewed to share their documents. Access will initially be granted to the faculty being
evaluated, who will need to upload their documents for review to the Team. Once the faculty
member's materials are uploaded, the dean's office will remove the faculty member's access
and add the departmental committee members.

The dean's office will grant chairpersons access to the Team on 4/22 (for TFTF) or 6/5 (for
tenured faculty) and remove the departmental committee members' access; add access for the
dean on 4/29 or 6/12, respectively, and remove the chair's access; and add access for the
provost on 6/5 or 7/31, respectively, and remove the dean's access.

At each review stage, prior to the committee's, chair's and dean's evaluation reports being
completed, they will be shared with the faculty being evaluated for feedback and discussion (as
necessary and desired). Department committees and chairpersons will be asked to document
the faculty member's opportunity to review the evaluation.

The committee, chair and dean will upload only their final evaluations to the faculty's Team on
or before the applicable due dates. Draft evaluation documents should not be archived to the
Team Folder.

If you have questions about this process, please contact your dean's office.

Thank you for your attention to this process change.

Sincerely,

Vilas A. Prabhu, Ph.D., M.B.A.
Provost and Vice President
for Academic Affairs

 

April 10, 2020

Dear Marauder Family,

Walking across campus this week, I was filled with mixed emotions.  Spring has arrived in all of its glory and splendor.  Pacing around the pond and visiting with our resident swans, Miller and S’Ville, I experienced the bursting buds, radiant colors, and sweet and odoriferous aroma that mark the beginning of the new season. Yet, it was quiet, too quiet. Missing was the energy and enthusiasm of our students that would normally engulf the landscape and ignite my smile.

As the spring season and warmer weather begins to settle in, the COVID-19 situation in the region and across the state remains fluid and extremely serious. On April 3, we received notification that a Millersville student who resides off-campus tested positive for coronavirus. The student is doing well, and is under medical supervision. Our health services staff is in contact with the student and we send our best wishes for a full and speedy recovery.

We must remain determined in implementing the recommended protective measures as cases have increased across our region and the Commonwealth. The President’s Cabinet and MU’s Incident Response Team continue to enact necessary procedures to protect our students, faculty, staff as well as our community. Let’s continue to act in ways that safeguard the physical and mental wellbeing of ourselves and our loved ones.  

With the shift to our “new normal” of teaching, learning and working remotely, we are confronting a new threat and I am asking all Marauders to be watchful. Our IT team has seen a dramatic increase in cyberattacks through new phishing scams and ransomware campaigns. These perpetrators are using the "COVID-19" crisis to gain access to computers, networks and your personal information.  Similarly, the U.S. Department of Justice has issued new warnings against increased financial scams and fraud.

Let me highlight several new developments since my last message to campus. 

• The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania remains under a state-wide “stay at home” order through at least April 30. 
• On April 10, Governor Wolf issued a new directive to extend the closure of K-12 schools for the remainder of the academic year.  He further directed that colleges and universities refrain from in-person instruction or opening physical locations. 
• Department of Education Secretary Pedro Rivera issued a new directive waiving student teaching requirements.
• Cabinet has approved moving all summer session courses online. Our instructional design team will host training the week of April 20 to help prepare faculty to teach remotely for summer sessions.
• To support our students who have critical needs during this crisis, the EPPIIC Student Compassion Fund has raised over $20,000 from employees, alumni and friends. Information is forthcoming regarding the application process.

To the members of the Marauder family who are celebrating religious holidays this week, I offer my warm wishes for peace and good health among you and your loved ones.  Against the backdrop of the historic challenges we face, I am reminded of the importance of community and the hope for better times ahead.  Now, more than ever, we must find new ways to express our support and care for one another.      

Be kind, be safe and stay healthy. 

With warm regards,

Daniel A. Wubah

University President

 April 8, 2020 - From IT

Dear Campus Community,

Since the onset of the coronavirus there has been a noticeable increase in cyberattacks worldwide. Both the volume and sophistication of the attacks are being reported by agencies tracking this activity. The Millersville IT Network team has noticed a similar pattern of activity attempting to intrude the MU network.

What the MU Network team is reporting:

• A dramatic increase in phishing scams and ransomware campaigns. These 'bad actors' are fraudulently using "COVID-19" to solicit activity that provides access to computers and networks aimed at stealing personal information such as passwords, ID details, bank account details, credit card numbers, etc. 
• A 20% increase from foreign countries attempting to intrude the MU network. 

Millersville has a robust Intrusion Prevention System in place to isolate such attempts.

What can you do to maintain security for the Millersville infrastructure and your personal devices:

• Report suspicious activity

·         Attackers and scammers have been known to exploit heightened emotions and panic.

·         Avoid the “last minute” requests that are appearing. STOP, THINK!!!

·         Please, if you feel as though something is "out of the norm" with the email or notification, either report the email as spam, or forward the correspondence to the helpdesk at help.desk@millersville.edu.

·         REMEMBER:  You can always reach out to verify if a request is correct/real. That one extra step can alleviate any misgivings.

• Refrain from using non-Millersville email systems (google, hotmail, etc.) for University business.
• Avoid using public Wi-Fi wherever possible
• If Using a personal device to conduct University business:

• Ensure anti-virus software is up-to-dat
• Ensure operating systems are up-to-date

As always, the IT department staff remains available to support your technical needs. Please check https://wiki.millersville.edu/display/ittac/welcome for help desk contact information and additional technical topics.

Thank you,

Stephen J. diFilipo, Jr.
Chief Technology Officer

 

 

The Refund FAQ emailed to students on April 7, 2020 is available here:

https://blogs.millersville.edu/villedaily/files/2020/04/COVID-19-Refund-FAQs.pdf

April 6, 2020 From HR

Dear employees,

On Friday, April 3, 2020, we announced that we were following the Governor’s extension of paid Administrative Leave through April 10, 2020 for employees for whom work is unavailable.  We know this is a stressful time and want to provide you with additional information regarding what will happen after April 10, 2020.

For those employees performing essential services on campus or telecommuting they will continue to do so.  For employees who are currently not working or who are unable to telecommute, and for on-campus essential employees working reduced hours, the System will follow the Governor’s direction for the leave extension.

Beginning April 11, 2020, those employees for whom no work is available, who are unable to telecommute, or who are working reduced hours will be required to use their own leave or unpaid leave while maintaining health benefits. This program allows employees to keep their health benefits and choose from a range of leave options based on what works best for each person.

If you have any questions about the information below please do not hesitate to contact the Human Resources office at human.resources@millersville.edu.  FAQs can be found here – https://www.millersville.edu/coronavirus/faculty-staff-faq.php.

Thank you for everything you do for our university and our communities.

Diane L. Copenhaver

Executive Director, Human Resources

Employee Information

• On-site work locations will continue to operate but only to provide life-sustaining operations until at least April 30, 2020, in order to slow the spread of COVID-19.  Employees who are able to will continue to telecommute.   Millersville University remains open, and our operating hours continue to be 8am to 4:30pm with appropriate break periods as would be observed while on campus.

Employees Who Are Not Working or Not Telecommuting

• Millersville University is committed to supporting employees who are impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic while continuing to support the operational needs of the university.  Therefore, employees in the categories above may request to use any of the paid or unpaid leave types listed below, for which they are eligible, via ESS:
• Accrued and anticipated annual leave
• Compensatory leave
• Accrued and anticipated sick leave (without the usual requirements around the use of sick leave)
• Accrued and anticipated personal leave
• Approved leave without pay, with benefits
• Holiday leave earned from working on a holiday

 

• Due to the COVID-19 emergency, State System leave policies prohibiting employees from using paid leave during their first thirty (30) calendar days of employment and prohibiting employees with less than one (1) year of service from using anticipated leave are BOTH SUSPENDED temporarily for those employees who are not working or who are unable to telecommute. 
• For those employees who have carryover leave that was set to expire on April 10, 2020, that leave would ordinarily either convert to sick leave or be forfeited.  The State System has waived the deadline to use excess carryover leave during this state of emergency. Employees will not lose this excess leave and will not have it converted to sick leave at this time. Once the state of emergency is over, the State System will reinstate the policy with at least 60 days’ notice.
• If you choose not to use, or are not eligible for, any paid leave benefits, you may be eligible for unemployment compensation benefits.  Please contact uchelp@pa.gov.  For additional information, please click here.

Employees Who Are Working or Telecommuting

• Employees who are reporting to work on campus or are telecommuting should continue to do so. 
• For employees who are currently working or telecommuting, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) provides up to 10 days of paid sick leave and up to 10 work weeks of paid and 2 work weeks of unpaid expanded family and medical leave for eligible employees based on the type of qualifying event.  This additional leave may be at a reduced rate of pay.  These provisions will apply from April 1, 2020 through December 31, 2020. 

More information about the FFCRA is available here

Employee FAQs with respect to the FFCRA are available here

• Employees who are not working or who are unable to telecommute are not eligible for the FFCRA leave described above.
• If you have questions, or wish to request paid leave under the FFCRA, please submit your request via email to COVID19LeaveRequest@passhe.edu.

 

 

April 3, 2020

Dear Millersville University Community,

Millersville University received notification today, April 3, informing us that a Millersville student tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19).

The student is doing well and is under medical supervision. The University is in contact with the student and sends its best wishes for a full recovery.

Upon consultation with the Pennsylvania Department of Health (PA-DOH), the student who tested positive for COVID-19 will continue to self-quarantine.

The student, who lives in Millersville Borough, did not live in campus housing or affiliate housing. The student’s housemates are also self-quarantining. University Health Services is in contact with the student and the housemates with advice and instructions for quarantine.

University Health Services recommends, consistent with advice from the PA-DOH, that the campus community avoid social contact where they would be less than six feet apart. Many individuals may have the virus, but not show symptoms for several days to two weeks.

PA-DOH is aware of this positive COVID-19 case and has advised the University that given the timeframe of when the student was last on campus, there is low risk of exposure to students and employees.

Students in need of support during this time are encouraged to contact the Millersville Counseling Center (717) 871-7821, chaplains within Campus Ministries, and Health Services (717) 871-5250. Employees should contact the State Employee Assistance Program at 1-800-692-7459.

This development reminds us of the need for everyone to follow social distancing guidelines in order to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus. During these challenging times, we ask that everyone continue to engage in practices that prioritize your physical and mental health.

Daniel A. Wubah
University President

Dear Millersville Students,

Given the uncertainty surrounding the length of time it will take the coronavirus epidemic to recede, and following guidance from the Chancellor's Office, the University has determined that all 2020 Summer Session instruction, including co-curricular activities in Summer Sessions 1, 2, and 3, will be offered only through distance and/or remote learning (no in-person instruction) modalities. All in person educational experiences that cannot be moved to a remote modality, including coops, professional placements, and internships for credit, are suspended until further notice.

Please contact your advisor and/or the instructor of the course(s) you are planning to enroll for further guidance.

Thank you for your patience as the faculty, staff and administration is making every effort to meet your needs during this difficult time for all of us.  Your health and safety is our primary concern. I wish you every success in your academic and career goals.

Best wishes,

Vilas A. Prabhu, Ph.D., M.B.A.
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

RE: Update: Pass/Fail Grading Option for Undergraduate Students

Dear Millersville University Students,

After receiving feedback on our plan to provide students with the option to receive P/F grades for
Spring 2020, the university has decided to change the deadline for students to make that decision.
Students will now have the opportunity to view the final calculated letter grade assigned by their
instructors before choosing between the calculated grade and the P/F option.

To ensure that all students have the opportunity to successfully complete the semester,
the university will allow all undergraduate students the opportunity to receive Pass/Fail grades in
any or all of their Spring 2020 classes, whether the course was moved to remote learning or was
initially planned to be taught online. This opportunity will only apply to Spring 2020 courses.
If you wish to select the Pass/Fail option for any of your courses, you will need to submit your
request through an electronic form that will be available on Friday, May 15. The form will allow you
to change the assigned letter grade you received in a course to a “P.” The deadline to submit your
requests is 5:00 PM on Friday, May 22. Those who do not submit requests for Pass/Fail grades by
this deadline will receive the letter grade earned in the course.

If you choose the Pass/Fail option, you will receive a P in any course in which your earned grade
is D- or better. However, you must satisfy any specific course requirements that usually require a
C- or better. If you choose the Pass/Fail option for a course that requires a C-, you may not use
your P grade to fulfill the program requirement or prerequisites for other courses, and you may
need to repeat the course. The P would not impact your GPA, however.

Students who are currently on probation, or have a GPA below 2.0, may have their financial aid impacted by choosing the Pass/Fail option. Please contact the Financial Aid Office before
submitting your choices. We also strongly recommend that you speak with your advisor before making your final decision.

The Pass/Fail option will apply to any course, regardless of course level, Gen Ed requirement,
your current GPA, or the number of credits you have earned to date. Courses taken P/F in Spring
2020 will not count toward the two-course maximum Millersville usually allows. You may apply
your P grade toward your major, minor, professional studies, or general education requirements.
We are providing special accommodations to our graduating Seniors. If you have completed all of
your graduation requirements by the end of Summer Session 3, the minimum grade rule will not
apply. You may use your P grades from Spring 2020 for any program or course requirements,
including any courses that require a specific minimum letter grade.

We wish you all the best for a successful Spring semester. Your health and safety is our primary
focus as we work together to mitigate the impact of the corona virus pandemic on your academic
progress.

Stay healthy and safe.
Vilas A. Prabhu, Ph.D., M.B.A.
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

Dear Millersville University Faculty,

After receiving feedback on our plan to provide students with the option to receive P/F grades for Spring 2020, the University has decided to change the deadline for students to make that decision. Students will now have the opportunity to view the final calculated letter grade assigned by their instructors before choosing between the calculated grade and the P/F option. 

All undergraduate students will be allowed to convert grades for courses in which they are currently enrolled to a Pass/Fail grading scale.  This option will be extended to students regardless of the modality of the course (whether they are enrolled in a fully online or F2F course). This option will not be extended to graduate students, including those enrolled in post-baccalaureate certificate programs. 

Faculty will submit grades for students through MAX as usual. The deadline to submit final grades will be extended to 12:00 noon on Friday, May 15. Students will be able to view their earned grades and will have one week to decide whether to keep their earned grade or to elect the Pass/Fail option. Students who wish to elect the Pass/Fail option will have the opportunity to submit a request for any or all of their courses to be converted through an electronic request form that will be available on May 15.  Students must use this form to elect the Pass/Fail option by 5:00 PM on Friday, May 22. Those who do not submit a request will receive the letter grade they earn in their course(s). 

All grades that calculate to a D- or better must be submitted as a P for all students graded on the P/F option, including for any and all courses that usually use a C- or other grade higher than a D- as a passing grade. All undergraduate students may elect to receive P/F grades in any course, regardless of course level, Gen Ed requirement, student GPA, or number of credits earned to date. Courses taken P/F in Spring 2020 will not count toward the two-course maximum allowed by policy. Students may apply P/F courses taken in Spring 2020 toward their major, minor, professional studies, or general education requirements.

Minimum grades required for courses will remain in force. If a student elects the P/F option for a course that requires a C- to successfully complete the course, the student may not use the P grade to fulfill the program requirement, and may need to repeat the course. The P would not impact their GPA; however, automatic exceptions to this rule will be granted to graduating seniors (those graduating in Spring or Summer 2020). These students may elect the P/F scale for any or all of their course grades from Spring 2020 and may use a P grade to satisfy the grading and program requirements for any course or program in which they are enrolled in Spring 2020, including any courses that require a specific minimum letter grade. 

Thank you for your dedication and commitment to our students’ success.

Warm regards,

Vilas A. Prabhu, Ph.D., M.B.A.
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

March 25, 2020 (from Registrar's Office)

To: University Faculty and Advisors

Re: Student TAPs for Fall 2020 Registration

Undergraduate registration for the Fall 2020 term is approaching, and we would like to remind you of a few important points:

1. Fall early registration for most undergraduates will be held April 9-17.  All currently enrolled undergraduate students in a degree-seeking program and non-degree students on probation must have a TAP to register.  Advisers will distribute TAPs to their advisees during advisement prior to registration.  Please check your advisee list on Banner Web for Faculty to be sure you are giving students a valid TAP for Fall 2020.  A different TAP number is generated for students each semester to ensure that they will contact you for advisement before registering.

1. 1. Special Needs & Veteran students register on April 6^th starting at 8AM (TAP number starting with 499)
   2. Athletes (TAP numbers will start with 433) & Honors College students (TAP number starting with 466) register on April 8^th starting at 6AM

1. TAPs for Fall 2020 registration are available to all faculty and advisers via Banner Web for Faculty.  If you need instructions on how to view a list of your advisees with their Fall 2020 TAP numbers, please review TAPS for Your Advisees on the Registrar’s Office web site.
2. Department chairs and deans will receive a master list of TAPs for all students in their department or college.

Please be sure to give your advisee the correct TAP number.  Here are some tips to help avoid common errors:

• A TAP is a 6-digit PIN, so please be sure to include leading zeros, if any, when you give a TAP number to an advisee. 
• Double-check the number sequence; if any numbers in the 6-digit sequence are transposed, the TAP won’t work.
• Be sure the TAP you give an advisee is the correct one for him/her, and not the TAP for another student just above or below that person on your advisee list.

NOTE:  If you do not see a TAP for a student, they may either have a different adviser assigned or a TAP is not required for registration.  After a student has registered for at least one class, the TAP is no longer necessary and will be removed.

If you have any questions concerning TAPs, please call: John Sicotte, Assistant Registrar for Registration, at x5572 or email john.sicotte@millersville.edu

REMINDER: The last day for students to withdraw from most SPRING 2020 classes is Friday, April 10^th (extended from April 3^rd).

Dear Faculty,

Please see below the faculty evaluation deadline extensions approved at the State level for this spring:

 Promotion

 Tenure

5^th Year Evaluation for Tenured Faculty

 Probationary Faculty Evaluations

Temporary Faculty Evaluations

March 25, 2020- A MESSAGE FROM THE MILLERSVILLE UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS

At this time the University is not available for students to return to campus for residence hall checkout or to collect their belongings.  While we understand the frustration this causes, we are doing this in cooperation with directives and instructions from the Office of the Governor of Pennsylvania until further notice. 

If medicine is an item that is left in your University residence, you may want to contact your prescribing medical practitioner to inquire about a cover prescription for medications. You may also contact your faculty members to inquire about alternative access to textbooks and academic course materials. All textbooks for Millersville classes will be available for free on the Redshelf or Vitalsource platforms. Students and faculty should go to bookshelf.vitalsource.com or studentresponse.redshelf.com and create an account using your Millersville.edu email address.

We appreciate your understanding, patience and cooperation during the critical social distancing period of the pandemic. Please regularly monitor your MU e-mail and also the University Coronavirus website https://www.millersville.edu/coronavirus/  for the most updated information and communication to the campus community. 

General Information:

• Visit the IT Technical Assistance Center wiki for up to date information and links to documentation and tools:  https://wiki.millersville.edu/display/ittac/ 
• In anticipation of increased call volumes, you can avoid wait/hold times by submitting requests through the ServicePortal: https://millersvilleuniversity.sysaidit.com/servicePortal/ and via email: help.desk@millersville.edu 
• Check the status of IT applications and services if you suspect an issue: https://www.millersville.edu/logins/

Student Information:

• Check your email frequently: https://www.millersville.edu/logins/   or  https://www.office.com/ 
• D2L provides 24x7 support: 877-325-7778,  https://community.brightspace.com/millersville/s/contactsupport
• Make sure your personal information is updated in the MAX portal – your cell phone number is used by the password reset tool and correct information will aid in the event a password rest is required: https://www.millersville.edu/logins/
• For password issues visit myaccount@MU: https://myaccount.millersville.edu
• vLab for access to campus lab applications: https://vlab.millersville.edu/ 
• Office365 information: https://wiki.millersville.edu/display/ittac/Office+365
• Resources for D2L and Instructional Technology: https://wiki.millersville.edu/display/instructdocs
• Zoom video resources: https://wiki.millersville.edu/display/instructdocs/Zoom 
• Direct link to D2L: https://millersville.desire2learn.com/d2l/loginh/

Faculty Information: 

• D2L provides 24x7 support: 877-325-7778,  https://community.brightspace.com/millersville/s/contactsupport
• Sign up for remote instruction training sessions from Instructional and Technology Support: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=lDfskvC4k0-3M3owqKK1G4PYQ6-vto1LhiT6zFFcG3pUME0zRTU3UDEzR0k2NjhVSFFNSEgzRVA3OC4u
• Ensure you are enrolled in the myAccount@MU password portal: https://myaccount.millersville.edu
• Resources for D2L and Instructional Technology: https://wiki.millersville.edu/display/instructdocs 
• Zoom video resources: https://wiki.millersville.edu/display/instructdocs/Zoom 
• Watch the ‘villeDaily for technology webinars.
• Use vLab for access to campus lab applications: https://vlab.millersville.edu/

Staff Information: 

• Remote work resources: https://wiki.millersville.edu/display/ittac/IT+Remote+Resources
• Use myDeskop (VDI) for access to campus admin applications: https://vlab.millersville.edu/
• MS Teams resources: https://support.office.com/en-us/teams 
• Watch the ‘villeDaily for technology webinars: https://millersvilleuniversity-my.sharepoint.com/:w:/g/personal/keston_lyman_millersville_edu/EQvoU25phv5HpIxBzhJt1VwBdjMrSKWSNghb5R__11tOLQ?rtime=2atBBfTG10g 
• MS OneDrive resources: https://support.office.com/en-us/onedrive 

Stay Safe-
Stephen diFilipo