President's Newsletter - AMU INFO n°18

Monday 07 September 2020,

Dear all of you,

At the end of this first week of the new school year, which is taking place in exceptional conditions, I would like to inform you of new health instructions which apply to all of us on all our sites, as well as the continuation of our actions.

Always take great care of yourself and others.

1. Postponement of festive events and new health instructions for the events

The active circulation of the COVID-19 virus on our territory and the health classification in the red zone of the Bouches-du-Rhône unfortunately oblige us to postpone all the festive events we had planned for the coming months. Thus, the solemn return to school that I wanted to organise at the end of September, but also the concert for Festiv'AMU at the beginning of October, the festive reception of international students, the staff party, the convivial meetings of the SCASC... All these federative events will be rescheduled in 2021.

The uncertainty of the sanitary evolution does not allow us, to date, to set new dates.
However, you know my attachment to living well together and I hope that the rescheduling will be as quick as possible. In the meantime, we will be able to find original solutions to maintain and symbolize our bond.

With the same objective of limiting the spread of the disease, integration weekends and student parties are also to be avoided. It is our collective and individual responsibility to preserve our health and the chances of educational success this year.

In addition, events (such as inaugurations, colloquia, workshops, conferences, cultural evenings, provision of premises and other gatherings of the public) are still authorised on our university sites, in strict compliance, of course, with the health regulations in force: masks must be worn by all, physical distance, regular hand washing. In each of these events, buffets, coffee breaks, snack sharing and any situation that encourages people to take off their masks or break the physical distance are forbidden. It is important to break the chains of transmission of the virus.

The theoretical capacity of the room must be halved to ensure a distance of at least one metre between people during the event.

These measures are not being taken lightheartedly, but the precautionary principle must apply. I know I can count on you to respect it until the health situation on our territory improves.

2. Postponement of the start of the new academic year in the ALLSH faculty.

Due to the health context and the large number of students, the ALLSH UFR council voted unanimously on September 3 to postpone the start date to September 14, 2020, in order to welcome students in the best possible conditions.

The start of face-to-face teaching for all the training courses is thus postponed by one week, subject to changes in health conditions.

For all training courses, the premises will be used to a maximum of 50% of their capacity and a hybrid operation (classroom/distant via synchronous audio streaming) will be set up. All the students will benefit from the full volume of time provided for in the teaching models. They will alternate between face-to-face and distance teaching, except in the special cases of people "at risk" on the one hand and "digital divide" situations on the other.

3. Health instructions and process for managing suspected or proven cases of COVID-19

If you have been in contact with a person who is a carrier of VIDOC-19 or if you yourself are experiencing symptoms of the disease (cough, temperature, loss of taste and smell...), you must be tested and follow these necessary instructions for everyone.

• If you are an AMU staff member, click here
• If you are an AMU student, click here

4. Working arrangements for staff: new FAQs

Dear Colleagues, for all the questions you may have about your working conditions, we have updated the Personal Frequently Asked Questions on our public and private web spaces (IntrAMU). available here

The principle is face-to-face work. However, on the basis of a ministerial circular of 1 September 2020, I invite distance working in three cases:

• on a proposal from the line authority, certain teams may carry out part of their work remotely on a rotational basis in order to respect the physical distance between these colleagues and avoid excessive concentration on the premises.
• Vulnerable persons according to the new list of the Decree of 29/08/2020, as of right, as well as those previously considered as vulnerable persons can work partially or totally remotely, upon medical certificate.
• the participants in the telework experiment continue as planned.

I would like to remind you that the working group on the general implementation of telework within AMU is progressing quickly and constructively. A questionnaire was sent to you by e-mail this week, it is important for us to know your opinions and your needs in the perspective of the next telework deployment.

5. Launch of the Climate Council

I announced it to you a few months ago, in line with our political guidelines, I wanted to create a Climate Council. It will be launched on Thursday 10 September, at the Pharo.

The consequences of global warming on all living organisms over the next centuries or decades remain underestimated. The result is a damaging delay in proactive policies in this area. At Aix-Marseille University we recognize global warming as an urgent and global challenge requiring collective mobilization. Therefore, we have included the issues of climate, sustainable development and social responsibility as a transversal axis of our development. To achieve results, we must rely on the individual and collective mobilization of everyone: staff, students, partners. This commitment, worthy of cultural evolution, must be spread throughout the University, in all its missions, all its activities, and on all its sites.

Made up of local, national or European multidisciplinary university scientists (from our CIVIS Alliance) and experts from civil society, all of whom are committed to the fight against global warming, this Council will have to shed light on our policy lines on climate and environmental issues, on the impact of activities on biodiversity and on the depletion of natural resources.

It will provide an enlightened look at the social and societal aspects of the causes and consequences of global warming and will advise on our strategic direction in many fields (research, observation, teaching, dissemination of knowledge) and many activities (heritage policy, human mobility, purchasing, etc.).

The territorial anchoring of this Council will be achieved through exchanges with our local partners and by its inclusion in the regional plan for planning, sustainable development and territorial equality (SRADDET) and its local variations.

Kind regards

Éric Berton

President of Aix-Marseille University