Executive Communications to Faculty and Staff

Subject: Last mile: IT support in the first week of online delivery
From: Anil Makhija
Date: March 21, 2020

Dear Colleagues:

Coming into this next week with many tech-savvy colleagues, training, prerecordings, and trial runs, I am hoping for a smooth online delivery of courses starting Monday.  We are now focused on support during this critical first week. With so many courses coming online and stretched IT resources (though we are grateful to our dedicated IT staff and tech-savvy colleagues who are volunteering), I recommend the following actions:

• Unless you are confident of your live delivery at the scheduled time, please still consider prerecording content.
• Please plan to log-in and set up thirty minutes ahead of scheduled class time.  Call-in support is available from ITS Helpdesk at (614) 292-8976.  Please keep this number in a handy place. Please also be prepared to share the link to your Zoom meeting or the Zoom Meeting ID.
• If you have non-urgent IT issues, please email ITS Helpdesk at helpdesk@fisher.osu.edu.  If urgent, call ITS Helpdesk at (614) 292-8976.  We will monitor the Helpdesk to assign help from an IT staff  member or a volunteer colleague, according to the issue. 
• If you are doing live delivery, please write to your students with a contingency plan before the scheduled class time.  For example, if there is a breakdown and no immediate recovery, then plan to upload a recorded lecture by some preset time.  Additionally, please prepare ahead the email to be sent if the contingency plan is to be executed. Further, please be certain to record your live class if you choose not to prerecord. This will ensure that all students have access to your lecture regardless of their circumstances. 
• If you are among the very few that are not delivering from home, you have been provided on-campus room and access details.  If not, please contact the ITS Helpdesk.

With so many courses coming online at Fisher and the rest of the university next week, we are bound to face some challenges.  I am counting on the time-tested professionalism and dedication of our faculty and staff, and the hard work done in preparation by our IT staff, which is why I am hopeful that the upcoming week will go smoothly.  Nevertheless, your patience and indulgence are appreciated in advance!

Good luck to us all, and stay well!

Sincerely,

Anil

Subject: Support for Online Teaching
From: Anil Makhija
Date: March 19, 2020

Dear Colleagues:

After an extended spring break, classes resume next week, starting on Monday, March 23.  To reduce spread risk of the coronavirus (COVID-19), all classes will be delivered online.  Furthermore, at very short notice, we are making every effort to deliver all courses from off-campus (home), except for very few unavoidable exceptions (about a handful from nearly the hundred plus immediately teaching faculty).  This is a testament to the professionalism and commitment of our faculty and staff in the service of our students.  In particular, I want to highlight the role of our IT staff that has already provided training, equipment, and preparation of technology-enabled rooms. 

Now, as we move to the final stages, I want to address the important issue of support.  Challenges are bound to emerge when so many classes begin contemporaneously, though we have tried to mitigate that risk by recommending that instructors prerecord content.  You should record your class even if you do a live delivery at the scheduled time, since some students may run into difficulties in joining at that time. Here are the additional support steps:

1.      Trial Run

If an instructor would like to check their preparedness for online class delivery, we have scheduled the following time windows with the IT group to be online with you while you test run your course delivery.   Given the limited availability of IT resources, each test run is set for 15 minutes (preferably less) and it will be most beneficial if you are specific on the items that you would like the IT personnel to check while you are online with them.  Please email ITS Helpdesk at helpdesk@fisher.osu.edu or call at 614 292-8976 to schedule a test run.

Timings for the test run:  Friday (3/20) from 10am - 12 noon and 2pm - 4pm.

2.      Class

Please activate the Zoom setup for your class half-an-hour ahead of its scheduled time.  Call-in support is available, in case of issues.  Along with IT staff, several of our other tech-savvy colleagues in Fisher have volunteered to join a call-in bank on Monday and Tuesday.   Please keep the ITS Helpdesk number handy, (614) 292-8976.

For the very few instructors that cannot deliver from home, they have been contacted and arrangements have been made for them to either use their office or a room prepared and assigned to them for this purpose.  To avoid face-to-face interactions, IT support is being provided online.  Such instructors are being informed of the exact location from where they will teach.  If you belong to this group, you will be contacted by ITS for confirmation by 10 am tomorrow, Friday.

I want to thank each of you for all the work in getting us to this point.  There will certainly be challenges, but not because you were wanting in trying! 

Stay well!

Anil

Subject: Response to COVID-19
From: Anil Makhija
Date: March 18, 2020

Dear Colleagues, 

I write in response to President Drake’s message to the university community this morning regarding the confirmed cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) at Ohio State.  We wish them speedy recovery. Meanwhile, Fisher continues to follow the protocols and recommendations set forth by the university, the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization in response to the current pandemic.

We have taken steps to provide online education for our students throughout the remainder of the semester: It is now expected that everyone -- faculty and staff -- will work from off-campus (home) until further notice, with only unavoidable exceptions.  Moreover, we have cancelled or postponed all college-related events.

We remain committed to supporting and complying with all university-issued guidelines during this unprecedented circumstance. The health, safety and well-being of our entire college community is -- and will continue to be -- our top priority.

For updates regarding Ohio State’s response to the coronavirus and for important guidance for employees and all members of our community, please visit the university’s coronavirus website. For Fisher-specific information, please visit fisher.osu.edu/coronavirus. 

I will continue to provide updates as necessary. Thank you for your continued patience, understanding and flexibility during this unique situation. Stay well! 

Anil 

Subject: Important: Online Teaching Shifts to Home
From: Anil Makhija
Date: March 17, 2020

Dear Colleagues:

There have been further significant developments regarding our response to the coronavirus (COVID-19), as spelled out in the very recent messages from President Drake this week.  In particular, it is now expected that to reduce spread risk everyone will work from off-campus (home) until further notice, with only unavoidable exceptions.  Fisher will follow this policy, and that changes the delivery of our courses.

As set by the university, we will still resume classes on March 23.  With safety and health considerations as primary, and a continuing undiminished commitment to the education of our students, we will adopt the following delivery mode: all instructors are required to conduct their courses online. Furthermore, every effort should be made to deliver these courses from home.

(a) You have the option to deliver online at the scheduled class time.  However, this can be a risky proposition.  If there are breakdowns, real time IT support is not practically possible.  Only those that have confidence in their ability to deliver in this mode should do so.

(b) Alternatively, you can prerecord your Monday/Tuesday lectures starting now.  We can count on your expertise to record what is best for your course.  It may be a full or partial lecture.  You must reach out to your students and alert them of the prerecorded content and any accompanying instructions.  At the scheduled class time, you should be online or on the phone for student support. 

For either option, please note that we will continue to offer CarmenZoom training sessions online. The weekly training schedules and instructions are posted on the Fisher website here: https://fisher.osu.edu/technology/keep-teaching.  Here are CarmenCanvas and CarmenZoom resources for those who cannot participate in a training session: https://fisher.osu.edu/technology/keep-teaching/teaching-resources. The university also maintains updated online teaching support at keepteaching.osu.edu.

We want to avoid your coming to campus.  In the case where your home technology or its use prevents prerecording or live streaming, we are offering an on-campus technology-equipped recording room, but with no face-to-face assistance from IT staff (or others).  We will have limited IT phone support in these cases.  If this is your only option, please contact Andrea Prud’homme (undergraduate courses) or Ben Tepper (graduate courses) by Friday at 10 am.  We will get back to you with assigned times and rooms.

I sincerely thank you for your support in these trying times.  I have full confidence in you!

Stay well. 

Anil

From: Anil Arya
Date: March 17, 2020

Dear Fisher Staff and IT colleagues:

I write for two reasons. First, on behalf of the faculty, please accept deepest thanks.  I realize this is inadequate, but there will hopefully soon be time for us to show our appreciation in better and more meaningful ways.  Second, the singular priority is your family and your health; under no circumstance should you feel compelled to come on campus to assist.  The faculty understand entirely — I assure you.  Given the unforeseen and unexpected situation, we are profusely grateful for the support you provide students and faculty alike via zoom, email, and phone.  Thank you.

Dear Faculty colleagues:

Many of you have noted the extraordinary contributions of staff in recent days.  You are indeed correct.  

Despite best efforts to prepare, those of us teaching – and teaching online for the first time – may well encounter some issues.  That is ok.  To junior tenure-track and junior non tenure-track colleagues in particular, please do not fret about SEI scores, etc.; please continue to focus on what you always do so very well and enjoy (on the research and teaching fronts).  Everything else will fall into place, I assure you.

This is a difficult time for all on campus, most of all for our students and their families. We will keep that in mind, and plan accordingly with your help.  To those with elderly family members/friends, please take added care.  

Best wishes to all.   

Gratefully,

Arya

PS Please forgive mistakes on my part that are sure to occur at an even faster clip than routine in current times.  If I can be of any help, you can reach me at 614-292-2221 (office) or 614-824-5704 (home) or email.

Subject: Response to COVID-19
From: Anil Makhija
Date: March 16, 2020

Dear Colleagues:

We are committed to the health and safety of our students, staff and faculty in this challenging time of threat from the coronavirus (COVID-19).  Here is an update on how we are responding, and other developments:

Website

Given the fast evolving circumstances surrounding the coronavirus, we have developed a dedicated Fisher webpage, which includes related links to the university’s website as well:

https://fisher.osu.edu/coronavirus

The page will be further populated with additional information in the coming days.  It will be conveniently accessible from the Fisher homepage and will appear at the top of every fisher.osu.edu page.

Remote Delivery

Though there will be no face-to-face classes to avoid the risk of spreading the coronavirus, remote delivery of classes will resume on March 23, following President Drake’s announcement.  I have confidence in our faculty and staff for stepping up to this challenge.  Already, at very short notice, our faculty and staff have delivered classes for our EMBA and WPMBA programs.  While there is always room for improvement, I believe that remote delivery for these programs went quite smoothly, a testament to the professionalism and commitment to our students of our faculty and staff.  Our IT staff deserves special recognition.  There were no technological breakdowns that prevented any faculty member or student from participation.

Training

I believe that an important part of the success of the experiment should be attributed to the training offered by our IT staff.  This will continue, as we prepare for classes to resume next week.  Here I repeat the training sessions scheduled for that.  I encourage faculty to utilize the training:

Concurrent training sessions will be held for both Carmen and CarmenZoom according to the following schedule:

CaremenZoom

o    Tuesday (3/17), Wednesday (3/18)

o    10 a.m., 11 a.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m.

o    Mason 132 and Mason 133

o    You may join zoom meeting online to attend CarmenZoom sessions.

o    For help with CarmenCanvas questions, please schedule a consultation. 

o    Future training sessions may go online.

Remote Delivery from Office, Reserved Room, or Home

Just a reminder, instructors have the option to deliver their lectures live at their normally scheduled times or to prerecord them and make them available to students. Instructors also have the option to deliver from their offices, or they can elect to reserve a breakout room equipped for online delivery and lecture capturing.  To reserve a room, please call Fisher IT at (614) 292-8976.

If a faculty member wants to deliver from their home, this option exists with some caveats.  We have limited IT staff with which we are managing to support on-campus delivery.  Faculty delivering from home do so relying entirely on their own resources.  We will reassess this.  But, it applies till further notice.

We await pronouncement of university decision on the last date of the semester, plans for graduation, and any flexibility in the grading policy for this semester.  I will inform you immediately when this information is available.

Telework

We have asked Fisher staff members to telework if at all possible.  As a result, you should expect disruptions in support (particularly in-person support) as everyone adjusts to these new circumstances.  A critical piece of supporting our Fisher community is protecting the health of our staff members and their families. Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding.

Change in Withdrawal Deadline

From the Dean of Undergraduate Education, Beth Hume, here is information about deadline for withdrawals from courses:

“The deadline for withdrawals and grade forgiveness for Spring 2020 has been changed from March 20, 2020 to April 3, 2020.  The original date, which falls within the extended Spring Break, comes before students will have had a chance to experience the modified instructional format mandated by the University’s Covid-19 mitigation plan.  The new deadline allows students two weeks of instruction in the new format before requiring them to make a decision. 

This change will be communicated to advisors by advising leadership in the colleges and the Office of Student Academic Success.  Associate Deans for curriculum in each college are asked to communicate the change to faculty in their college.  Students will be informed of this change in deadline as part of more comprehensive communications about academic changes, with follow-up from their advisors as appropriate.”

Generosity

The coronavirus is putting many of our students in financial distress on top of the academic challenges.   Please consider contributions to a student emergency fund managed by The Ohio State University:

https://www.giveto.osu.edu/makeagift/?fund=316632

Questions?

Here is the composition of the Fisher COVID-19 Taskforce.  These are the individuals you can begin with for questions in a number of areas:

• Convener: Anil Makhija
• IT: Melanie Dheel, Krish Krishnasamy, and Brian Wilson
• Facilities: Steve Moore and Andy Penfield
• HR: Keith Calloway, Brian Mittendorf, and Cynthia Turner
• Communications/Outreach: Melanie DiFeo and Jeff Rice
• Grad Programs: Paul North, Joyce Steffan, and Ben Tepper
• Undergrad Programs: Melinda McDonald, Andrea Prud’homme, and Joyce Steffan
• Exec Ed and Centers: Aravind Chandrasekaran and Doug Farren

Separately, department chairs and the leadership team, with Anil Arya as convener, are working to ensure continuing faculty support.

I will keep you updated.

Stay well!

Anil

Subject: More training sessions next week
From: Anil Makhija
Date: March 13, 2020

Colleagues,

We are offering additional training sessions next week for those who were not able to attend this week. Concurrent training sessions will be held for both Carmen and CarmenZoom according to the following schedule:

• Monday (3/16), Tuesday (3/17), Wednesday (3/18)
  • 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m. 

Carmen training will take place in Mason 131. CarmenZoom training will take place in Mason 132 and Mason 133. You may join zoom meeting online to attend CarmenZoom sessions. 

Supplemental documentation is posted at fisher.osu.edu/keepteaching for your reference.

Anil

Subject: Classes: Coronavirus
From: Anil Makhija
Date: March 12, 2020

Dear Colleagues,

Hopefully, you have seen President Drake’s message today regarding an update on coronavirus (COVID-19). 

Across the university, instruction will resume on March 23 and will take place in a virtual format through the end of the academic year. Fisher will follow the updated schedule.

Please follow the recommended practices as outlined by the Wexner Medical Center and CDC to protect yourselves and others from acquiring and/or transmitting the virus. For this and additional information, please access the university’s COVID-19 resource page. 

Sincerely,

Anil

Subject: Fisher COVID-19 Taskforce: Update
From: Anil Makhija
Date: March 12, 2020

Colleagues,

As we prepare for revised teaching and work arrangements next week due to COVID-19, I wanted to provide some information about who can be contacted as questions arise.

Over the last weekend, we formed a COVID-19 Taskforce to address the changes that could possibly come to fruition (that ultimately did).  The group consists of the following sub-teams:

• Convener: Anil Makhija
• IT: Melanie Dheel, Krish Krishnasamy, and Brian Wilson
• Facilities: Steve Moore and Andy Penfield
• HR: Keith Calloway, Brian Mittendorf, and Cynthia Turner
• Communications/Outreach: Melanie DiFeo and Jeff Rice
• Grad Programs: Paul North, Joyce Steffan, and Ben Tepper
• Undergrad Programs: Melinda McDonald, Andrea Prud’homme, and Joyce Steffan
• Exec Ed and Centers: Aravind Chandrasekaran and Doug Farren

Separately, I have met department chairs and our the leadership team, with Anil Arya as convener, to ensure continuing faculty support.

I mention these teams for two reasons:

(1) I want you to be aware of people you can contact when questions arise about plans and impacts of COVID-19. With so much happening at once, it will help to know who to contact depending on the circumstance you’re facing; and

(2) I want you to be aware of the many members of the Fisher community that have been working behind the scenes to make the sudden changes we’re facing as smooth as possible. There are more than appear on the taskforce. They all deserve our gratitude, as they’ve worked with intention and selflessly.

Finally, while we are on the subject of people who deserve our gratitude, it is worth stressing particularly the work of our IT, facilities, and classroom technology staff.  Their work in preparing ahead for this contingency is truly incredible and inspiring. 

Thank you all for your efforts and understanding during this time.

Sincerely,

Anil

Subject: A Note on the COVID-19 Response
From: Brian Mittendorf
Date: March 10, 2020

Hi everyone,

Sorry to continue the string of emails about the COVID-19 response, but I wanted to send a quick personal note.

I know that this sudden change will create inconveniences for everyone. I truly hope we can work together to ensure that this burden is shared, and that we each cut each other some slack during this unprecedented time.  More than ever, a team mentality is needed so that this disruption is one that leaves us more cohesive and able to rise up to the challenges that it presents.

While we’re at it, please think of and thank our colleagues in IT, facilities, and classroom technology for their diligent work in planning for this contingency and the stressful hours they are sure to put in over the coming weeks.  We should do all we can to assist them along the way.  As I see how well they have handled this sudden and monumental task, I’m reminded of how fortunate we are to have such a strong and dedicated group.

Thanks in advance to everyone for your help for the college, for our students, and for one another during this time.

Regards,

Brian

Subject: Work arrangements and events: Coronavirus
From: Anil Makhija
Date: March 10, 2020

Dear Colleagues,

In accordance with The Ohio State University’s measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, face-to-face instruction in lectures, discussion sections, seminars and other similar classroom settings at Fisher will be suspended through at least Monday, March 30.

The college community has begun to take steps to accommodate this unique situation. Fisher’s IT team is in the process of transitioning face-to- face teaching to online delivery of courses. A website will be created as a central support tool for students, faculty and staff. The site will contain additional instructions, information and teaching tools specific to online delivery.

Work Arrangements 

The university has placed a priority on telecommuting during this time. Though additional university-wide guidance will be forthcoming, we encourage unit heads to develop a flexible schedule and telecommuting plan for their respective units to be enacted through March 30 (subject to extension based on the university’s planning). These plans should be developed in accordance with the university’s flexible work policy. These plans should prioritize telecommuting and ensure sufficient hours of work for those employees not wanting to use leave time. Not all offices are required to remain open during regular hours, but each unit should communicate to their constituencies what their open hours will be. You should also share these plans with our HR Business Partner (Keith Calloway, calloway.10@osu.edu). 

For those who remain on-site for work, we strongly encourage using available technology options (Skype; Teams; Zoom) and limiting face-to-face meetings.

Due to the sudden increase in demand for IT and instructional technology support, some staff will be temporarily re-assigned to support these efforts. We ask units to help accommodate this temporary shift to support the college’s overall goals given the sudden change in instructional deliver

As additional university guidance on HR matters arises, we will update Fisher plans accordingly.

Phishing E-mails

IT has cautioned us about malicious emails purporting to be from Ohio State concerning the COVID-19 outbreak. Please exercise caution when opening emails, as hackers try to take advantage of all situations.

Events

In accordance with the university’s measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, we have been directed to cease scheduling any new, non-essential events through April 20. 

Any events that have already been scheduled ahead of April 20 should either be rescheduled for a later date or adjusted to be conducted remotely. Fisher will continue to follow the university’s recommendations and guidance as they pertain to event restrictions which may extend beyond that date. Answers to other questions about the university’s ongoing response to COVID-19.

Additionally, below is customizable draft language that can be used to inform event attendees and participants of the university’s recommendation and the cancellation of events.

Draft Event Cancellation:

In accordance with The Ohio State University’s measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, we have made the difficult decision to cancel/postpone EVENT NAME. Any registration fees associated with the event will be refunded as soon as possible.

The safety of our guests and community is our top priority. While we are disappointed, we look forward to future opportunities to engage with you.

Sincerely,

Draft Event Modification:

In accordance with The Ohio State University’s measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, we have made the difficult decision to modify the delivery of the EVENT NAME. [ADD MODIFICATION INFORMATION… I.E., VIRTUAL OPTIONS; TELECONFERENCE, ETC.] Any registration fees associated with the event will be refunded as soon as possible. 

The safety of our guests and community is our top priority. While we are disappointed we had to modify this event, we look forward to futures opportunities to engage with you. 

Sincerely,

Thank you for your flexibility and understanding as we navigate this unusual, but temporary, situation.

Sincerely, 

Anil 

Subject: Classes: Coronavirus
From: Anil Makhija
Date: March 10, 2020

Dear Colleagues,

In accordance with Ohio State’s measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, face-to-face instruction in lectures, discussion sessions, seminars and other similar classroom settings at Fisher will be suspended through at least Monday, March 30. Given the urgency of meeting teaching needs, this e-mail focuses on coverage of classes until March 30. Another e-mail will be forthcoming today to address other operational issues, work arrangements, travel and events.  

All classes will be delivered online until March 30. Together with college leadership and with the input of our IT team, we have been developing a plan to assist instructors for online delivery as well as a framework for how that delivery will be implemented. Instructors have the option to deliver their lectures live at their normally scheduled times or to prerecord them and make them available to students. Instructors also have the option to deliver from their offices, or they can elect to reserve a breakout room equipped for online delivery and lecture capturing.  To reserve a room, please call Fisher IT at (614) 292-8976.

Training

For the purposes of online delivery, Carmen and CarmenZoom have been selected as the only software to be used for now. Beginning tomorrow, concurrent training sessions will be held for both Carmen and CarmenZoom according to the following schedule:

• Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
  • 9 a.m., 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m.
• Wednesday, Thursday
  • 6 p.m., 7 p.m.

Carmen training will take place in Fisher 155. CarmenZoom training will take place in Mason 131, Mason 132 and Mason 133.

Full supplemental documentation will be available during the training sessions and  posted soon at fisher.osu.edu/keepteaching for off-campus access (possibly tomorrow morning).

Equipment and Implementation

If needed, instructors will be provided a webcam along with instructions and guidance on technical support. Again, instructors will have the option to deliver and record their lectures from their offices, or they can elect to reserve a breakout room equipped for online delivery and lecture capturing.

All lectures will be automatically recorded and each instructor will post the recorded material to Carmen.

Support

To maintain continuity with students and to allocate IT resources appropriately, we are asking all instructors to remain available (virtually) to students during the time they would otherwise be in class even if class content has been pre-recorded. Depending on needs, we have equipped additional rooms for online delivery. 

Additional resources for reference

A website dedicated to this transition to online delivery is being created and launched. The site, fisher.osu.edu/keepteaching, will contain instructional policies and will be updated with resources as they become available.

Assess student needs

As we navigate this unique situation, I ask that you remain flexible and communicative. Please reach out proactively to your students and provide them with updates. Keep in mind some students may have limited access to internet or to devices required for distance learning. This could necessitate additional time to access online material or complete assignments. If you are aware of a student who has technology needs please contact Fisher’s IT (614-292-8976).

Below is template language you can include in your message to students:

[As we move forward with online course delivery, we want to ensure every student has the opportunity to access course materials. Please let me know if any barriers exist in terms of technology needed for online learning. If you do not have a computer or tablet, please let me know immediately and I will route that information appropriately.]

Phishing E-mails

Finally, IT has cautioned us about malicious emails purporting to be from Ohio State concerning the COVID-19 outbreak. Please exercise caution when opening emails as hackers try to take advantage of all situations.

Any questions or technical support needs related to the online course delivery can be directed to Fisher’s IT Help Desk (614-292-8976). 

Thank you for your patience and understanding in this unusual, but temporary, situation.

Sincerely,

Anil

Subject: COVID-19
From: Anil Makhija
Date: March 7, 2020

Dear Colleagues, 

I write to bring your attention to the University’s response to the developing Coronavirus situation, as in the email from the Provost yesterday.  As a college, our primary response will be in following the University’s guidance, so we ask you to keep a close eye on the University’s policies and response to this as things develop.  The university’s COVID-19 webpage provides helpful guidance about prevention and other best practices.

We also want you to be aware of steps being taken at Fisher to prepare for contingencies that may arise.  The current university view is that there is no need to change routine campus activities due to COVID-19.  We therefore intend to maintain normal activity.  However, if circumstances warrant changes in the delivery of courses, we have begun plans with our IT group to provide distance-based alternatives for completion of courses.  If circumstances warrant changes to the workplace or commuting practices, we will be working with University HR to help implement the University’s response plan.  Our facilities group has been working to expand the availability of hand sanitizers on the Fisher campus as well as looking at other methods of reducing spread risks.  Finally, for those traveling, the University has up-to-date travel restrictions that need to be followed.  For work travel to non-restricted places, you can continue as normal; however, you should not feel obligated to undertake travel that you would be uncomfortable with.  In the event you choose to cancel non-essential travel, please work with Concur and consult your fiscal officer to ensure plans are canceled appropriately.

Thank you for your understanding of the need for changes during the evolving situation and your help in ensuring the safety of our community.

Sincerely,

Anil