It's been a working week since I announced the closure of the university to the entire community, even before the home confinement measures imposed on Tuesday 17 March on all French citizens, and on many people around the world. The fight against COVID-19 is global and vital. The messages of support I have received from you after reading AMU Info reinforce my belief that we need to keep the link strong and constructive. We must remain united, coherent and cohesive. And everyone has a role to play.
It's been an intense week:
- We organised ourselves as a group as a matter of urgency to identify and contact staff and students who were abroad and who might have to return.
- We have organised ourselves as a matter of urgency to build and deploy the educational continuity plan for the benefit of our 78,000 students. I would like to thank all the teachers who are working hard every day with energy, courage and a real desire to help their students succeed in their course, despite this exceptional situation.https://www.univ-amu.fr/fr/intramu/plan-de-continuite-pedagogique-amu
- We have organised ourselves as a matter of urgency to implement the business continuity plan for the 7,850 staff and to offer teleworking solutions adapted to as many of you as possible.
https://teletravail-pandemie.univ-amu.fr/
Over and above the organisational issues involved in maintaining our priority public service missions, we now need to manage this remote activity as effectively as possible and watch out for the harmful effects that confinement can have on isolated people. Already, a number of measures are in place and people are expressing their generosity.
From next week, many of you will be returning to more traditional learning and work activities.
Of course, we'll have to adapt our organisation, e-learning and teleworking, which will require both personal rigour and kindness in our exchanges. I'm counting on you all. Please continue to take care of yourselves and scrupulously respect the health and physical social distance instructions, without distancing yourselves from each other. We're continuing our action!
1. Health: our priority
While face-to-face teaching had already been banned for students, two days before the announcement of the general lockdown by the President of the Republic, I asked all the university's staff, all categories and qualities, not to go to the university's premises from Monday 16 March, and to stay at home; this measure concerned all the structures, components, central and shared services and research laboratories. The only exceptions were a very small number of staff working in animal houses and those involved in Covid-19 research. My only motivation was the one that remains the same today: the health of the members of the entire community. All regulatory measures have been, are being and will be strictly applied during this crisis. In this context, the right to withdraw cannot be legally justified, except in a truly exceptional case.
SIUMPPS psychologists offer students teleconsultation support appointments via an initial email contact:
https://www.univ-amu.fr/fr/public/actualites/covid19-continuite-siumpps-…
The SUMPP doctors, occupational psychologist and secretaries are also available to help staff. You can contact them by e-mail according to your campus of assignment:
- sumpp-campus-marseille-centre@univ-amu.fr
- sumpp-campus-aix@univ-amu.fr
- sumpp-campus-luminy@univ-amu.fr
- sumpp-campus-etoile@univ-amu.fr
- sumpp-campus-timone@univ-amu.fr
2. Ensuring well-being and solidarity
At all ages and in all physical conditions, maintaining a regular level of physical activity remains an important objective for everyone's health. The SUAPS team stresses the importance of keeping physically active while remaining at home. Check the "News" section of the AGON website regularly, which will centralise all the proposed sessions that can be carried out at home and are accessible to everyone: https://agon.univ-amu.fr
I would like to express my most sincere thanks to all the colleagues around me, from near and far, to all of you who are undoubtedly taking action that is equal to the seriousness of the situation. A big thank you to the students and staff who, every day, share with us their generosity in making their skills and ideas available to help anyone in need. We are currently consolidating these generous and supportive services while identifying the needs of the most vulnerable and isolated people.
Finally, a thousand thanks for the messages of support we receive every day. We share this ordeal, we are facing it collectively and together we will overcome it successfully.
3. Keeping everyone connected
Today, a Skype meeting of the central directorates and shared services enabled the administrative team to get together and share the teleworking arrangements that have already been put in place among staff, with exchanges that are proving to be of a high quality.
I have proposed a meeting of the CHSCT by videoconference. It will be held on the afternoon of Tuesday 24 March to present the university's business continuity plan to the elected members and to work on it together.
On the morning of Tuesday 24th, I will be holding a virtual meeting with the members of the governance committee, the deans and directors of the various departments. As I have said on numerous occasions, it is essential to maintain a dialogue and a sense of direction.
It is also essential to maintain links at regional and national level. We regularly exchange best practice, helping and inspiring each other, both between universities and with the Rectorat, the Region and the Ministry of ESRI.
Let's not make the mistake of trying to maintain a pace similar to that of "normal" life. We are in the midst of a vital crisis. But I'm convinced that intelligent and united action will benefit us all, individually and collectively.
Take good care of yourself and everyone else.
Éric Berton
Chairman of Aix-Marseille University