COVID-19-Advice-List

• GSBS Faculty

  Courses may be held using in-person and/or online teaching methods, as determined by the course director. Face-to-face classes should continue to adhere to room capacity requirements to allow for social distancing. For individuals with concerns attending class face-to-face, accommodations should be made with course directors to allow for attendance virtually. For questions or concerns, please contact any of the GSBS deans.

  Below are several different possibilities for virtual instruction, from easiest to more complex/”true” online:

  1. If you have classes of a small size, you can email PowerPoints to your students or share them in Dropbox or some equivalent and talk through them via teleconference.
  2. Similar to number 1, share your PowerPoints via Skype, Zoom, or Go to Meeting. If you need help figuring this out, please contact your coordinator first, and if you need additional help, contact Dr. Kristen Peek directly.
  3. Even with larger courses, option 2 is possible. It becomes more complicated to have student discussion, but still feasible.
  4. Start to move your courses online - you can use Panopto (i.e., Tegrity replacement, reference attached) to record your lectures with a PowerPoint on blackboard. With this option, students can move through the online material, and then you can use Skype or other virtual platform for student discussions. It may be most convenient for you to plan to use a desktop with microphone to record lectures. If you need to use equipment in a classroom (i.e. Levin 3.320/3.324), call Classroom Services at (409) 772-8980.
  5. Move content fully online – using Blackboard more fully with exams, quizzes, uploading papers, exercises, discussion board OR using SoftChalk (an online tool for virtual teaching – link below) to put materials online for students to view. If you use SoftChalk, you can post the link on Blackboard for your class. SoftChalk: https://www.utmb.edu/ar/academic-computing/learning-apps/softchalk

  If you are interested in using SoftChalk to develop online learning materials, click the link above to get the activation key. The GSBS can provide training and examples. Please decide how you will handle your courses virtually and contact Dr. Kristen Peek at mkpeek@utmb.edu or (409) 772-9143 as issues arise.

• GSBS Trainees

  Courses may be held using in-person and/or online teaching methods, as determined by the course director. Face-to-face classes should continue to adhere to room capacity requirements to allow for social distancing. For individuals with concerns attending class face-to-face, accommodations should be made with course directors to allow for attendance virtually. For questions or concerns, please contact any of the GSBS deans.

  For students who have scheduled research meetings or defenses, we are utilizing social distancing strategies. Off campus committee members will need to join the meeting using Skype or can be emailed copies of slides/data before the meeting and then join the meeting by phone. On campus members can attend meetings in person, by Skype or by phone. Thesis or dissertation defenses will utilize the same methods mentioned above. Required documentation related to defense meetings can be mailed to GSBS. In regards to public defenses, please contact Dr. Janice Endsley, Associate Dean for Student Affairs ad interim, to discuss options.

  There have been questions as to the status of graduate students as part of UTMB’s response to COVID-19. Graduate students are critical to research operations and those with graduate assistantships will be classified as essential employees and available to work in research laboratories. Our primary concern will be to keep our students safe. We will recommend that students be on campus only to complete their work and then return home to continue their work. Some students may be able to pursue their research remotely and this would be ideal.

  Please consult with your mentors for plans for experiments, ordering sufficient supplies, work that can be done from home, communications, etc. Members of the GSBS are in a unique position during this pandemic as many of our faculty and trainees are directly involved in research for COVID-19 response. Your course directors should be in communication with you regarding course plans and instruction.

• Message to Students from Provost (July 29, 2021)

  Click here to read the Delta Variant Message from the Executive Vice President, Provost and Dean, School of Medicine.
  

• All GSBS Colleagues

  Above all, the health and safety of our campus is our priority. Please follow recommended guidelines to help prevent the spread of illness. You may view the CDC’s recommended precautions at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention.html. Sanitize frequently touched items (e.g. laptops, desktops, car keys, etc.). Social distancing (avoiding large crowds, maintaining 6 feet of distance, etc.) may also help limit the spread of the virus.

  As a reminder, if you are sick, please stay home. Faculty, if your students are sick (with any illness), please tell them to stay home. If you are experiencing flu-like symptoms, listed below are UTMB sites designated for evaluation. Please call in advance of your arrival at the clinic. Phone numbers and addresses are available via the following link: https://www.utmb.edu/covid-19/patients.

  • UTMB Island West;
  • UTMB Urgent Care in Galveston;
  • UTMB Texas City Urgent Care Clinic;
  • UTMB Hwy 3 Pediatric and Adult Primary Care;
  • UTMB Angleton Danbury Clinic; and
  • UTMB Angleton Danbury Pediatric and Adult Primary Care

  For telecommuting, information about logging into VPN and the required two-factor authentication is available at https://www.utmb.edu/is/divisions/operations/vpn-setup. The UTMB Help Desk may be contacted 24/7 at the below phone numbers to troubleshoot technical issues:

  • From On-campus: (409) 772-5200
  • From Galveston Area: (409) 772-5200
  • From 281 Area Code: (281) 554-1577
  • From All Other Areas: (888) 898-2401

  Information about using Skype for videoconferencing is available at https://www.utmb.edu/sfb/. Those using UTMB equipment for telecommuting should ensure that you coordinate with your department administration and complete any necessary loan agreement forms.

• GSBS Recruitment

  The application and admissions process for GSBS students entering in the fall term will continue, complying with University policies for maintaining safety of faculty and staff. Applications to the GSBS will continue to be evaluated, and request for admission packets will be handled as they have been. However, GSBS staff will be working remotely, so application packets will need to be sent to Laura Teed (lcteed@utmb.edu) electronically.

  Following University policy, please do NOT invite any recruits on to campus, either for interviews or for visits after they have accepted an offer for admission. We will work with HR and Enrollment Services to determine if and how matriculation procedures need to be modified.

  For additional information for prospective students, please visit https://www.utmb.edu/gsbs/prospective-students/ps-home.

• GSBS Office Support

  The Graduate School has transitioned to hybrid in-person/virtual support services for our faculty and trainees. Please be assured that our staff remain ready to assist you during standard business hours: Monday through Friday, 8 AM am-5 PM. Provided below is a listing of phone and email contacts where staff members may be reached.

  Graduate School Staff
  Name	Email
  Claiborne Fant	cmfant@utmb.edu
  Rose Garcia	rosgarci@utmb.edu
  Jessica Linton	jelinton@utmb.edu
  Denise Reed	djreed@utmb.edu
  Chris Rhodes	chmrhode@utmb.edu
  Laura Teed	lcteed@utmb.edu
  GSBS Main Line: (409) 772-2665

  
  

  Contact information for GSBS leadership is provided below:

  Graduate School Leadership
  Name	Email
  Dr. Giulio Taglialatela	gtaglial@utmb.edu
  Dr. Janice Endsley	jjendsle@utmb.edu
  Dr. Kristen Peek	mkpeek@utmb.edu
  Dr. Daniel Jupiter	dajupite@utmb.edu
  Dr. Tracy Toliver	ttoliver@utmb.edu

  
  

  The Graduate School is committed to our faculty and trainees and if you have any questions or concerns during this time, please do not hesitate to contact any of our leadership or staff. We will work together so that educational activities and research continue as best as possible while ensuring that our students, staff, and faculty are safe. Take care of yourselves and should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us.