Campus notifications

Jan. 12, 2022

Dear CMU-Q community,

As we continue to watch the number of new COVID-19 cases in Qatar go up, I would like to update you on how the university will operate after this week. These guidelines will be in effect January 16 through January 27, and we will reassess to determine how the rest of the semester will unfold.

Building access
The building will remain open every day between 7 am and 10 pm and all previous entry requirements still apply. You will be required to show your green Ehteraz status, plus proof of vaccination or a negative antigen test from within the previous seven days.

Instruction
Courses which are designated as In-Person Only will meet in the building as scheduled and students will be expected to attend unless they have approval from Student Affairs.

For all other courses, faculty have the flexibility to decide whether to offer each class session in-person or remotely. If a session is held in person, students may still choose to attend remotely, requiring a hybrid or blended approach to the class.

Faculty members, please take a minute to fill out this form so the IT team can better plan and support your hybrid teaching needs. Faculty members will be communicating with their classes the preferred modality.

Work
Staff members should continue to work with their supervisors to determine their work modality. We recognize that the current situation has placed added pressure on many, and we encourage supervisors to be flexible.

Events
If you are planning an event for the next few weeks, please consider moving your event online. Please continue to use the event request process, and we will share more information about the feasibility of in-person events shortly.

Please note that the January graduations planned for the classes of 2020 and 2021 have been postponed.

Steps to keep the community safe
This omicron variant is much more infectious than previous COVID-19 strains. It is more important than ever to wear your mask properly when in the building, and we recommend wearing a KN95, N95 or surgical mask. Always stay at least 1 meter apart from other people. If you are feeling ill, please stay home.

If you test positive
If you have been in the building, and within a week you test positive for COVID-19, please tell us so we can do contact tracing. Students with a positive COVID-19 test should contact Student Affairs. Faculty and staff should contact either Taher or Dina in HR. Even if you have not been in the building, please let Student Affairs or HR know so that we can better track the incidence of COVID in our community. We ask all community members who test positive to follow the Ministry of Public Health guidelines and refrain from entering the building. Visit the return to campus page for further guidance on a positive diagnosis or exposure.

Please, I encourage everyone to be extra vigilant in the next two weeks. We want each member of our community to be safe and healthy, especially during this new pandemic wave.

Kind regards,

Michael Trick
Dean, Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar

Jan. 3, 2022

Dear CMU-Q community,

As you know, the COVID-19 infection rate has gone up in many parts of the world over the winter break and Qatar is no exception.

We are in a much better position at CMU-Q than we were during the last COVID-19 wave, due in large part to the high vaccination rates of our community members. That said, we will be taking a cautious approach as we start the new semester.

The semester begins on January 9, and all classes will be remote for the first week. We will be sending out more details about remote instruction in the next few days, including specific information for students and faculty members.

The building will remain open with some reduced services. Staff members, we encourage you to work from home, if possible. Please work with your supervisor to coordinate your schedule.

For those who are traveling, I strongly encourage you to check Qatar’s requirements, including the list of exceptional red, red, and green countries. We would like everyone to return to Qatar as planned for the beginning of classes.

As always, to enter the building you will require a green Ehteraz status or negative test results within the last week. When you are in the building, please maintain at least a meter distance from other people and wear your mask at all times. It is important for us all to follow the government guidelines and safety measures as we work together to keep our community safe.

For now, our plans for remote instruction only extend to the first week of the semester. We will watch how the situation unfolds, and we will send more updates as we learn more.

Kind regards,

Michael Trick

Dean
Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar

Dear CMU-Q community,

The 2021-2022 academic year begins on Sunday, and I am very excited to see the faculty, staff, and especially our students come back to the building.

If this is your first time working or studying in our building, welcome! As the first few weeks of the semester unfold, I ask everyone to reach out to new community members. We are so pleased that each of you has chosen to be part of CMU-Q.

I know that you are all wondering what the fall semester will look like. In Qatar the vaccination rates are up and COVID-19 cases are down, and this is very good news for CMU-Q. Please keep in mind that circumstances may shift and we may need to adapt our plans accordingly.

For the first few weeks of the fall semester, students will be in the building on select days, depending on their year and major. Instruction will either be in-person, remote, or hybrid, depending on the class makeup. Note that students, with few exceptions, are expected to be in the building according to their major and year. Please refer to the email sent out by Dean Dudley on Wednesday, August 18, for more details.

These first few weeks are a chance for us to smooth out health and safety processes with more people in the building. We ask that you are patient and helpful when you are asked for documentation, or reminded to wear your mask properly and maintain a 1.5-meter distance. If each of us is mindful of our own responsibility to maintain a healthy campus, I am hopeful we can transition to full in-person classes within the first few weeks of the academic year.

Again, this plan is contingent on us all doing our part. Here are some of the guidelines:

• To enter the building, you must show your Ehteraz status to the guards showing that you are fully vaccinated or have had a negative PCR or rapid antigen within the previous 7 days.
• Wear a mask within the building that properly covers your mouth and nose.
• Keep a 1.5 meter distance between you and others.
• Wash or sanitize your hands after touching high touch surfaces.
• If you are sick, stay home.

Please familiarize yourself with the building guidelines before the first day of classes. It is your responsibility to have proper documentation and to follow health and safety rules while in the building.

Kind regards,

Michael Trick
Dean
Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar

Dear CMU-Q community,

As we head into the final stretch of the semester, I would like to say once again that I am so proud of how you are adapting to new ways of learning and coming together as a community to support one another.

I want to thank each of you who has shared your thoughts, concerns and ideas with us during this semester. In particular, the feedback we have received from Student Majlis, the Students’ Academic Council, and those who attended the townhall with Dean Selma has been exceptionally helpful.

There were a few themes that emerged from our discussions that we would like to address.

• You have expressed to us that the additional rest day we introduced in the fall semester was very useful. We have added one more in the spring semester in April.
• We have extended the winter break by one week, with classes now starting January 17. You expressed that you would like to keep spring break, and we have done that.
• You told us that you are missing in-person instruction and time in the building with your friends, professors, and classmates. In the spring semester, many courses will have a regular in-person element. As well, we intend to incrementally—and safely—increase the number of community members that are in the building as the pandemic restrictions allow.
• Some students are not able to attend in-person classes for a variety of reasons. We will be keeping the option for you to study remotely during the spring semester.

Students, I urge you to take part in the in-building experiences your professors are preparing for the spring term. Teams of staff and faculty have done a remarkable and thorough job preparing the building to resume in-person classes. These safety measures mean that we can begin to return to normal, to mediate the risk of infection, and to provide a better learning experience for you.

Learning in the building in this environment is different, and we all need to work at adapting. To create a meaningful educational experience in the building, we need you to participate and contribute. You will be enriching your experience, and also the experience of your classmates. We are one community, and we are stronger when we work together.

I wish you the very best as you finish this semester. Over the winter break, please take time to rest and recover. Spend (safe and healthy) time with friends and family, and laugh, relax and enjoy your time off.

Kind regards,

Michael Trick
Dean

Dear CMU-Q community,

We have settled into the new academic year, and I would like to commend everyone for your patience and cooperation.

On September 10, Provost Jim Garrett announced a revision to Pittsburgh’s academic calendar for the spring 2021 semester. Spring classes on the main campus will now begin on February 1, 2021. Although we set our own calendar at CMU-Q, we do try to align ourselves with both CMU in Pittsburgh and our Education City partner universities. Therefore, we have decided to revise our spring semester academic calendar so we are more closely synchronized with both CMU and Education City.

CMU-Q will soon be issuing a revised calendar for the spring semester. We are still finalizing the details of the semester, but I can share with you now that classes will begin on January 17, 2021.

We hope that announcing this new start date now will help you to plan for your winter break, especially if you plan to travel and will need extra time for the return-to-Qatar process.

In the coming weeks, we will also share with you the dates of spring break, exam week, and the end of term, as well as the mode of instruction for spring classes, and the start of summer term.

I hope each of you and your families are doing well and staying healthy.

Kind regards,

Michael Trick
Dean

Dear CMU-Q community,

I hope you are doing well and staying safe.

As August approaches, I would like to update you on how we anticipate our fall semester will unfold.

We will start the semester on time on August 23, with nearly all classes in remote only mode. There are a few courses that will begin the year in hybrid mode, meaning students will have the option to attend in person or remotely. These courses are mainly biology and introductory computer science courses. If you are registered in one of these courses, we will contact you with the details.

For most courses, you will begin in remote only mode. Our faculty members have been working all summer to design their courses for this way of teaching. We have been working closely with the Eberly Center of Teaching Excellence and Educational Innovation at our main campus to learn how to harness the digital tools we have to give you the best learning experience. I am confident that you will be able to learn, connect with your fellow students and professors, and access learning resources. Please reach out to your professors, course assistants, the Academic Resource Center, or Student Affairs if you have any questions.

Please understand that the pandemic response is developing and may change. That said, our plan now is to teach remotely until the fall semester break, which begins October 11.  When the fall break is over on October 18, we plan to move to a hybrid teaching mode which means that there will be an option to attend class in person. We are following the guidelines set by the Qatar government and Qatar Foundation to ensure our building is safe and we have the proper protocols in place for students, staff and faculty members to wear masks, have access to hand sanitizer and maintain social distance.

We encourage you to attend your courses in person if it is possible; however, students who are unable to attend in person will be allowed to continue taking their courses remotely after the fall break. We will communicate with you by August 23 which courses will offer the opportunity for in-person attendance. Please be assured that your professors are designing their courses so you will have an engaging experience, regardless if you are learning remotely or in person. Our IT department is equipping the classrooms with the technology for remote students to fully participate and engage with the class. Please watch your inbox for more details, including specifics on how your courses will be delivered.

We are planning for final examinations to take place in person in our building. If you have elected not to travel or have circumstances that prevent you from being in our building, we will accommodate you with virtual or alternative modes of examinations.

As we re-open the building, we hope to find ways for students to have increased, more flexible access. That said, we anticipate there will be only measured access to the building for the entire semester. We will provide updates on any additional access for non-academic activities as the semester unfolds.

As always, I encourage you to reach out with any questions or concerns you may have. We are preparing a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page on the student resource site, Scotty, where you will find many of the details about the fall semester. This will be posted next week.

Although we face many uncertainties right now, both as individuals and as a community, together we will move through these challenging times. We are excited to welcome you to the new academic year ahead and I wish you a safe, healthy and restful last few weeks of summer break.

Kind regards and Eid Mubarak,

Michael Trick
Dean
Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar

Dear CMU-Q community,

I hope you are all well and getting some rest this summer.

Due to the pandemic, this fall semester will look different from other years. We have spent the last few weeks weighing several factors about how to resume classes in August. Ultimately, we have two priorities: to ensure the health and safety of our community, and to provide an exceptional education for our students.

CMU-Q will begin its fall semester as planned on August 23. After much consideration, we have decided to begin the Fall 2020 semester in online mode. While some pandemic restrictions are beginning to lift in Qatar, it is necessary that we take a cautious approach to resuming classes and work in the building.

When it is safe to do so, we will shift into a hybrid mode, with classes held partially in-person. We will continue to update you on a possible timeline for the start of hybrid mode. Please note that even though the in-person option will be available for many classes at that time, for most classes you can still study remotely if you choose.

We understand that remote learning can be challenging. Over the next two months, the faculty and teaching support staff will adapt the fall courses to ensure you can understand the material, grow as a student, and have a positive learning experience.

If you a student currently out of the country, please check for an email from associate dean of student affairs and international education, Renee Camerlengo, regarding Qatar’s entry pre-approval requirements.

Please know that we are committed to supporting you in every way possible during this unprecedented time.  You will be hearing more from Renee Camerlengo who will be in touch with you soon with more details about the 2020-21 academic year. In the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or concern.

Kind regards,

Michael Trick
Dean

Dear CMU-Q community,

It was my pleasure to welcome you all to the new academic year last week and I hope you are doing well.

As you know, most classes are online to start, with some select groups who have access to the building. We are taking a very cautious approach to re-opening in-person classes. Our hope is that if we go back thoughtfully and slowly, we can protect the health and safety of our community, including those who must be in the building.

We are posting guidelines for your return to campus on Scotty: Return to Campus Guidelines for Students. The guidelines include proposed dates for different groups to return, but please understand that these are tentative dates that will likely shift. This situation is fluid, and we will be adjusting our re-opening timeline as the semester unfolds.

When you are designated to return, we have certain protocols in place to ensure that our building remains as safe as possible. These protocols are outlined in the guidelines as well and reminders will be posted in the building.

I want to thank everyone in advance for following these protocols and being patient with the process. This is a new experience for all of us, but I know with the support of our faculty, students, and staff, we will get through it together.

Kind regards,

Michael Trick

Dean

Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar