Newsletter from the President of Aix-Marseille University to the entire university community.
Wednesday, March 25, 2020,
Dear colleagues,
Dear students,
It has been more than a week since the home containment order was given to all French people to combat the global spread of VIDOC-19. We are in a state of health emergency. New measures were specified on Monday by the Government, which also strengthened sanctions against those who, unfortunately, do not respect the health and distancing rules designed to protect us from this invisible and deadly virus.
I ask you once again to respect them as scrupulously as possible to protect you and your loved ones. The organization within our university is now operational through the Business Continuity Plan; it guarantees the pursuit of our essential public service missions without endangering our community.
The pedagogical continuity plan is widely adapted in each of the 19 components, the attendance of the online students is remarkable and their enthusiastic messages addressed to the teachers is a great satisfaction for all of us.
I warmly thank all the colleagues who spare no effort to feed the AMETICE platform every day and allow our students to continue their learning. It's all there: https://www.univ-amu.fr/node/3136
New "Frequently Asked Questions" have been put online, the fruit of your legitimate questions and arising from national regulations or specific AMU, dedicated to different audiences. I invite you to read them regularly, they will be updated as soon as necessary.
Now that the organizational emergency has been apprehended, it is essential to continue to identify isolated and needy people, with a digital or social divide. Aid from local authorities is being finalised to supplement a solidarity fund that we are setting up at the university; I will soon present these special measures to you. An agreement has already been reached with the South PACA Region to finance the repatriation of students still abroad.
Thank you for remaining attentive to your students, colleagues, relatives and acquaintances and for making known to those around you the support actions that are being deployed.
Take great care of yourself.
1. Repatriation of students abroad
Five hundred students from the region are still abroad for studies or internships and unfortunately cannot return home. We have reached an agreement with the President of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region and the other three presidents to finance the emergency repatriation of these students who wish to do so. A financial aid of 500 euros will be paid to each student wishing to be repatriated.
2. Identification of isolated and needy students
- A health questionnaire has been developed to identify the needs of students with undetected difficulties. It is a short survey sent by email to all students as well as a message posted on social networks and websites. A few targeted questions will enable us to identify the level of difficulties they may be facing in this period of confinement: what is their situation of confinement, the nature of the difficulties encountered (health, disability, diet, isolation, loss of morale.) with, if they wish, the possibility of being contacted again by the teams of the BVE, SIUMPPS or CROUS to help them.
This survey was broadcast on the personal and academic emails of AMU students yesterday, Tuesday 24th March, between midnight and 7am. This afternoon, we are already registering 30% responses. A reminder will be made during the night of Thursday to Friday. - For the attention of the staff, the University Service of Personal Preventive Medicine (SUMPP) also remains mobilized.
For any question relating to your health, your work situation, and/or confinement, you can contact the doctors, occupational psychologists and secretaries by email according to your campus of assignment. A teleconsultation may be offered to you;
3. Holding of institutional meetings
- Yesterday afternoon, I gathered the members of the CHSCT to present to the elected officials the continuity plan of the activities.
One question in particular had been asked regarding the accumulation of telework and childcare. The principle of the university is simple: within the framework of the instructions of our business continuity plan, it is the direct superiors who define with each agent the tasks and conditions of telework which, when they are not met, place the agent in a position of "special authorization of absence".
This means that if the staff member cannot telework due to lack of personal equipment and connection, or if he or she is in a full-time childcare situation, he or she must report this to his or her hierarchy in order to be granted a special leave of absence.
I have asked each department, directorate and component to be attentive and receptive to individual situations. Thus, it is possible that some officers may be in a more nuanced situation combining childcare and teleworking. In this case, we have asked all line managers to set up a telework organisation which takes into account this reality which, in fact, results in less daily availability of these agents to carry out their mission.
However, even if the totality of activities cannot be maintained and the need for childcare can be an obstacle to a complete activity, it is important that everyone can work part of the daily time and that at least a link is maintained with the professional environment. Yesterday, the HRD sent a message to all the university's structures, which included these regulations.
If you have any questions or difficulties on this subject, the HRD can be contacted by e-mail on the address of your campus HRD. - Yesterday morning, as agreed, videoconference meetings were held with members of the governance, directors and deans. The exchanges were numerous and rich, sharing the measures put in place in each school, institute and faculty and testifying, in the vast majority of cases, to the positive experiences that colleagues are carrying out for the benefit of both students and staff for the continuity of activities. Once again, my warmest thanks to you, dear colleagues, for your strong commitment and the quality of the work carried out.
- It should be noted that the accounting agency ensures a continuity of service plan for certain financial operations. Due to the containment measures, only agents equipped with dedicated business tools can work remotely and only handle urgent operations.
- For all questions regarding the payment of invoices please send your requests to: ac-service-facturier-direction@univ-amu.fr
- For any questions related to pay, please send your requests to ac-pole-paye@univ-amu.fr.
4. Let's stay connected, stay fit, stay positive.
- We remind you of the need to be physically active during periods of confinement. Many sport possibilities accessible to all are presented to you here, do not hesitate! https://www.univ-amu.fr/fr/public/sport-la-maison
- Following the example of AMU's artistic ensembles who present their arts in "confinement" mode here, please do not hesitate to keep a good mood and positive thoughts: https://amupod.univ-amu.fr/video/4069-les-ensembles-amu-a-la-maison/
- Many services and cultural discoveries are also proposed on the site of the Ministry of Culture: https://www.culture.gouv.fr/Culturecheznous
5. Frequently Asked Questions
- All the FAQs consolidated to date for students and staff can be consulted via this link: https://www.univ-amu.fr/fr/public/covid19-faq-informations
- More generally, the information space dedicated to the AMU systems in the context of the COVID-19 crisis is now presented on the home page of the internal and external websites.
Once again, I would like to express my sincere thanks to each and every one of you for the energy you are deploying in this period of crisis. Thanks to you, our activity is being maintained for the benefit of the greatest number of people.
Take great care of yourself and of everyone,
Eric Berton
President of Aix-Marseille University