[Faculty] Instructional Continuity During Immigration Enforcement

[Senate Senate]

February 13, 2026


Dear Faculty Colleagues,

We recognize the fears and anxieties many in our community have about
meeting, teaching, and learning in-person during this period of increased,
alarming, and dangerous ICE activity in our surrounding community and
beyond campus. We encourage faculty, department chairs, and deans to
leverage flexibility and creativity to continue delivering instruction to
meet the needs of students and the goals of their courses.

We want to affirm, as has been done in the past when our community faced
difficulty, that faculty know best how their courses are to be taught or
modified. Instructors should, to the best of their ability and in alignment
with what makes sense in a specific course, attempt to provide reasonable
adjustments for students who need them.

We encourage faculty, department chairs, and deans to create equitable and
reasonable plans that endeavor to prevent adverse academic and professional
consequences for those who may need to avoid commuting to campus to get to
a course or lab during this time as a result of the ICE threat.

No single approach will work for every course, and multiple methods can
enable students who cannot attend in person to remain current with their
coursework. The staff in XCITE are readily available to help instructors
identify effective methods to support instruction and assessment, which may
include forms of hybrid or online instruction to respond to an emergency.
Please consider these important points:


   - Provide transparent, timely communication to students so they know
   what to expect in advance
   - Ensure consistency and predictability for course instruction
   - Communicate the instructor’s policies regarding student absences and
   how students can remain current in their coursework, while acknowledging
   extenuating circumstances/causes for student absences
   - Protect faculty autonomy and acknowledge that there is an increased
   workload in accommodating absent students


Sincerely,

S. Jack Hu, Chancellor

Elizabeth Watkins, Provost & Executive Vice Chancellor

Kenneth Barish, Academic Senate Chair
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