Academic Continuity Planning

Academic Continuity During Disruption

Please carefully review the important resources and information below which address many common questions and issues pertaining to continuity in instruction, advising, and research, as well as guidance on timekeeping and reporting. 

Seven of the 21 bargaining units at UC Berkeley are represented by the UAW: Academic Researchers, Academic Student Employees (GSIs, Readers, and Tutors), Graduate Student Researchers, Postdoctoral Scholars, Student Services and Advising Professionals, and Research and Public Service Professionals. Refer to the following for the most up-to-date information about UC’s negotiations with the UAW: UCOP UAW Updates.

The following FAQs and resources were compiled with a focus on academic labor bargaining units, including Graduate Student Researchers, Academic Student Employees (GSIs, Readers, & Tutors), Postdoctoral Scholars, and Lecturers. The impact of action by other bargaining units is also discussed when relevant.

Frequently Asked Questions and Resources

Instructional Continuity

How can departments ensure instructional continuity?

Departments and Instructors of Record are encouraged to prepare a contingency plan to ensure that instructional continuity is maintained in the case of a disruption. The Center for Teaching and Learning offers a general resource on How to Support Students in the Event of Instructional Disruption that may be useful. Instructors are also encouraged to review the Berkeley Division of the Academic Senate’s Guidelines for Response to Disruptions to Instruction

The specific actions you take will depend on different circumstances, but may include the following:

  • Ensure chairs and managers have access to methods for communicating with students, such as email lists, Special Purpose Accounts, or websites. 

  • Notify your students if a disruption occurs. Include how they could be impacted, and the steps you will take in the event of disruption.

  • Maintain clear and frequent communication with your students. Remind them that you will be the main point of contact for the class during the disruption, and ensure they know how to reach you.

  • Focus on maintaining course continuity. Among these priorities should be preserving each student’s access to the course and materials.

  • Identify any aspects of the course that may be postponed, abbreviated, or omitted, and revise your lesson planning and grading rubric accordingly. Consider engaging your students in making these revisions and be transparent and reasonable with your new expectations.

  • Ensure you have access to lesson plans, student grades, graded materials, and submitted work that has not yet been graded.

  • If grading will be delayed, ask students to maintain copies of submitted work and post timely sample solutions for them to review.

  • Be sure the instructor of record has access to all gradebook data and course information.

Can courses be canceled? 

If possible, departments should consider what classes have the potential to be fully disrupted and what classes could continue. In general, Instructors of Record have discretion and autonomy to adapt their courses while honoring Academic Senate regulations, but canceling courses in anticipation of a disruption is not allowed. Keep in mind that the modality of a course is specified as part of the Academic Senate's approval of the course and in-person courses must remain in-person. That is, transforming the modality of a course from in-person instruction to remote instruction without explicit Academic Senate approval is not permissible. If disruption results in the inability to continue with the course, connect with your department for guidance. 

What about courses and academic progress?

  • Undergraduate and graduate classes and the evaluation of undergraduate and graduate student academic progress for grades and credit should continue. Graduate students and undergraduate students are students, regardless of their employment status with the university, and are expected to participate in academic study activities during the strike. 
  • Students enrolled in courses, independent study or otherwise, should continue to do the activities associated with those courses and be graded based on their academic progress, regardless of employment or strike participation. Faculty may still communicate with striking students regarding academic activities.

Who can be asked to help with grading? 

  • Identify workers who can/will provide support for instruction. For instance, within the limits of the ASE appointment letters, consider reassigning work among ASEs if some choose to work during the strike while others do not.
  • You can ask the following employees if they are willing to volunteer their time:
  • Ladder-rank faculty (Professor Series)
  • Emeriti faculty
  • Adjunct faculty (Adjunct Professor Series)
  • Teaching Professors
  • Professors-in-Residence Series

Advising Continuity

How can departments prepare if academic advisors are unavailable? 

  • Faculty who are departmental undergraduate and graduate faculty advisors should ensure familiarity with current departmental and advising policies, student handbooks, and crucial deadlines regarding course enrollment, graduation requirements, and academic benchmarks.
  • Ensure all requirements are clearly listed and available on college and departmental websites.
  • Refer your students to your college or program advising website for the most up-to-date requirements and handbooks.

Where can students find information about financial aid? 

Research Continuity

How do we ensure research continuity?

Think through critical or time-sensitive research activities in advance of periods when there are anticipated disruption. Discuss plans in advance with your research group and colleagues (see guidance above on conversations with UAW-represented employees) and make plans in advance to ensure backup coverage and access to data/results in case of disruptions.

  • Check in with research faculty, staff, and students to confirm that critical research data are appropriately backed up and accessible, review plans for the care and oversight of sensitive research assets, including animals, plants, and cell lines, and anticipate potential challenges related to time-sensitive or perishable research activities.
  • For time-sensitive activities or experiments normally performed by unavailable employees, consider whether activities should be delayed. 
  • Ensure that datasets and analyses are stored in accessible locations, including data required for upcoming grant submissions or progress reports. Consider getting a head start on writing and analysis before a strike gets called, particularly if results will be needed to meet deadlines (progress reports, grant deliverables, grant proposals, etc).
  • Consider possible impacts if employees are scheduled to travel during a possible disruption period. 
  • Consider if events, meetings, or campus visits might need to be rescheduled.
  • Discuss options and implications for research activities with research group members.
  • Consider how lab and individual safety will be maintained if there are fewer individuals on site.
  • User facilities should consider the potential impact on operations and notify users. Researchers should also check with facilities to understand possible impacts (services offered, hours of operation, etc.).

How can I plan deliveries? 

  • Plan and order supplies ahead of time, in case of delays if UPS/FedEx/delivery drivers are unwilling to cross a picket line to make a campus delivery.

  • Building Managers should stock up on compressed gases if possible. If a strike is called, seek to delay deliveries of critical or perishable items if possible.

  • Urgent items can be picked up directly at UPS/FedEx Oakland distribution centers with prior arrangements. If you have expected deliveries of items on dry ice or research perishable items, coordinate with the supplier to delay the delivery of those items until we can assess any potential disruption.

  • Report all disruptions or if you need assistance to: supplychain@berkeley.edu

How might grant/contract proposal and award activity be impacted?

Depending on the bargaining unit(s) participating in a labor action, BRS Research Administration, Sponsored Projects Office (SPO), Industry Alliances Office, Office of Technology Licensing, Export Control, Conflict of Interest and Human and Animal Subjects offices could be impacted by a strike. BRS Human Resources is not expected to be impacted.

Basic assumptions

  • BRS and SPO will prioritize time sensitive proposal submissions and award negotiations, as well as activity focused on maintaining legal, regulatory and sponsor compliance. Pre-award activities will be prioritized over post-award.

  • BRS/SPO/IAO teams may not be able to accommodate late or incomplete proposals, so please submit on time and ensure that all requested materials have been provided. 

  • Review/approval of research subject protection protocols (human, animal, and SCRO) may be delayed. 

  • Support may be uneven. Management, supervisors and non-represented staff may perform limited critical functions consistent with campus policy and labor guidance.

  • Depending on the length of the strike and the number of staff who participate, there may be some delays in the weeks following a strike as staff work to catch up. 

How can faculty prepare

  • Consider proposals that are due in the weeks during and after a possible strike. Submit proposals to your RA early if at all possible.

  • If you need a No-Cost-Extension, submit the request as early as possible.

  • Complete and return all required forms and supplemental materials to your BRS RA in a timely fashion so that these can be uploaded to the Phoebe system. (PIs do not have system access to upload materials).

  • Submit applications for human and animal subjects early, if possible. 

  • Sign up for SPONews updates by emailing sponews-l+subscribe@lists.berkeley.edu

  • Forward notices of new awards or award modifications to spoawards@berkeley.edu

  • Forward industry notices of new contracts or modifications to iaoawards@berkeley.edu

Communication

  • If and when a strike is called, the campus will notify PIs, Department Managers, Deans, Chairs and Faculty Directors of the work stoppage. BRS and SPO will send out updates, directly or via SPONews; please elevate time sensitive issues to your BRS RA Supervisor.

  • Supporting offices will do their best to prioritize time sensitive work, but some work will have to be postponed depending on the number of staff participating in the action. 

  • As always, please be considerate and patient with the research support staff that are supporting you. 

Timekeeping Responsibilities

What are my (supervisor/approver) responsibilities?

If you supervise employees, you are responsible for reviewing and approving their time cards. Faculty serving as Principal Investigators, Instructors of Record, and other designated approvers, along with managers and supervisors, are expected to:

  • Review direct reports’ timecards before the submission deadline.

  • Approve submitted timecards or return them for correction as needed.

  • Address non-compliance promptly in coordination with Berkeley Regional Services (BRS) and, where appropriate, Employee & Labor Relations (ELR).

Clarifying timecard expectations:

  • Employees must use Leave Without Pay (LWOP) for any hours/shifts that they are on strike.  
  • Regardless of leave usage, both the employee and the manager/approver must approve the timecard each pay cycle.
  • Represented exempt employees do not track daily hours worked. They are required to report only leave taken during the pay cycle or acknowledge that no leave was taken.

Where can I find information about CalTime and Reporting? 

Who can I contact if I have questions? Who can the employees contact? 

  • For questions that have not been previously answered by prior communications or FAQs, should contact Employee and Labor Relations (ELR) by opening an ELR Service Hub ticket

Resources and Contacts