Newsletter from the President of Aix-Marseille University
to the entire university community
Dear all,
The President of the French Republic announced on Monday evening that the gradual release from confinement is planned for 11 May in France if the health situation continues to develop in a way that is reassuring for everyone's safety. Once again, I would like to thank you for scrupulously complying with the current instructions on social distancing and barrier measures: stay at home, wash your hands frequently with soap, cough and sneeze into your elbow or under protection, and avoid hugging.
BIATSS staff in central services and components, lecturers and researchers in research units are affected by the gradual return to the university. A plan for the resumption of activities (PRA) will specify which of these staff will be given priority for returning to their colleagues and offices on our sites and campuses. Individual and collective health protection equipment (masks, hydroalcoholic gel, plexiglass windows in public areas) are being ordered and will be put in place to guarantee our safety. I'll tell you more about them later. On the other hand, students will not be able to resume their classroom-based learning until September. In addition, our events have been cancelled until the end of July.
The return to our sites will therefore be very gradual and, of course, under safe sanitary conditions for all of us. I look forward to seeing you soon. However, we must remain confined. This is the watchword for another four weeks. And unfortunately there is no guarantee that the virus will not return. During these four special weeks, I will maintain our links and ensure that our AMU community remains united and mobilised. Let's remain cautious, let's remain confident and let's remain united.
Take good care of yourself.
1. Organisation of examinations
The exam guide was discussed at length by members of the CFVU yesterday. A single amended text emerged from these discussions. This text was voted on and adopted today by the CFVU, with no votes against, and is the general framework for the organisation of university examinations within the AMU. Each component will use it tomorrow to adapt the organisation of examinations in each discipline, according to its own specificities.
It is important to note that this text is the fruit of three weeks' work, carried out in full consultation with the heads of the components, with the elected student representatives, with the national network of Education Vice-Presidents and in liaison with the MESRI. It has been co-constructed in a spirit of openness and listening, starting from an unprecedented position in which the student is at the heart of our thinking. The aim of this exam guide is to highlight the work done by students and teaching staff during this period of crisis, while supporting those students who are most in difficulty. For more information, go to the FAQ for students or download the Exam Guide.
In view of this colossal collective effort, which has enabled us to make progress on the key issue of examinations, I would like to express my thanks and gratitude to all those involved. Bravo and thank you to the political team, to all the members of the CFVU, bravo and thank you to the administrative team who have worked tirelessly and wholeheartedly to make these new processes possible.
2. Solidarity actions
- Here is a brief report on the manufacture of AMU protective visors on 3D printers, following the AP-HM's call for reinforcements on social networks. We supplied 2,845 visors to hospitals, most of them to our colleagues at the AP-HM, but also to hospitals in Aix, Allauch, Aubagne and Toulouse, as well as to the European, Clairval and Beauregard hospitals, the Clinique de la Salette and the Autisme centre. A thousand thanks for your commitment and your solidarity with the nursing staff.
- Food distribution continued over the Easter weekend, with more than 900 parcels delivered to university halls of residence in Aix and Marseille. In conjunction with the political team, many staff and students volunteer every week to pack and distribute the parcels: thank you very much. Thanks to you, the distribution logistics chain is being perfected every day and even more parcels will be distributed to students next week. In addition, following our internal surveys and the social interviews carried out by the CROUS, chips enabling broadband connections and 350 computers will be provided to students identified as having a digital divide.
- The duration of confinement can give rise to a variety of problems, including psychological suffering linked in particular to feelings of loneliness, distance from family and friends, deprivation of freedom, inability to take action, anxiety linked to illness or bereavement... all of which are dealt with by our SIUMPPS and SUMPP teams during telephone conversations with students and staff. Last week, text messages were again sent to staff and students reminding them of the telephone numbers for occupational psychologists and psychologists, social workers and doctors. Students can also, if they wish, be put in touch with a relaxation therapist.
You can also find emergency numbers and national numbers for people in danger online, so don't hesitate to share them. This too can save lives.
3. Search information
- Recruitment of teacher-researchers at AMU for September 2020: organisation of selection committees (CDS)
As the deadline for submitting applications was postponed until 9 April 2020, no CDS meeting could be held before then. As some applications (priority transfers and/or secondments - exemption from qualifications or diplomas) had to be validated by the restricted academic council (CACr) and then by the board of directors, holding these meetings by videoconference within AMU solved the problem, in compliance with the rules.
It is therefore now possible to meet remotely to examine applications, which is the first stage of the CDS. However, the second stage, which consists of interviewing candidates, still raises questions that have not been resolved by the decrees. New ministerial texts should soon provide more details so that we can organise these hearings. The timetable we are following at AMU is as follows:
- The deadline for submitting applications in the GALAXIE software was 9 April. An e-mail was sent to each structure manager on 31 March.
- CACr opinion on priority transfers/secondments, exemption from qualification: 16 April
- CAr opinion on priority transfers and secondments having previously received a favourable opinion from the CACr: 17 April
- CDS access to applications: 20 April
- End of the work of the CDSs dedicated to the selection of candidates admitted to an audition: 7 May
- CDS feedback deadline: 7 June
As part of this recruitment process, it is important to note this year's initiative by the Vice-President for Gender Equality and the Faculty of Science to combat unconscious discriminatory biases. Awareness of implicit gender biases will be raised among the Faculty's CDS selection panels through the performance of a short computer task and the viewing of mini videos explaining the effects of these biases. The aim is not to make the members of the selection committees feel guilty or to evaluate them. Implicit gender biases are powerful automatisms acquired over time and present in most of us, women and men alike. They can influence even the most rigorous juries. The action taken here is based on scientific findings which show that awareness of the existence of these biases and an explanation of their subtle process of influence at a cognitive level can help individuals to spot and counter them when assessing and ranking candidates.
- Defending theses and HDRs
Thesis defences can be held remotely with the candidate and the members of the jury, all by videoconference. This is strictly reserved for the current period of health crisis and can only be envisaged if it is impossible to postpone the defence to a later date. A message setting out the details of such an organisation has been sent to the staff concerned (doctoral students and thesis supervisors). This exceptional procedure will shortly be extended to Habilitations à Diriger des Recherches (HDR).
- Frequently asked questions about research are online and will be updated regularly.
- . Identify all the good ideas: MESRI has asked each university to mobilise all the goodwill, ideas and initiatives of all kinds and from all disciplines that will make it possible, in the short term, to improve the crisis situation and plan a way out. The aim is not to propose medium- or long-term research projects, but rather innovative actions that can rapidly provide a solution to one aspect of the COVID-19 crisis. A COVID-19 Comité d'Analyse Recherche Expertise (CARE) has therefore been set up by the President of the Republic. It is chaired by Françoise Barré-Sanoussi, winner of the Nobel Prize for Medicine.
Its role: to identify all the scientific, therapeutic and technological proposals that could help tackle the situation immediately or in the short term. This committee will help deploy relevant proposals, including on a large scale, by identifying any bottlenecks. The aim is to mobilise research forces on urgent and essential subjects, and to identify useful interactions in order to gain time and efficiency in the application of pragmatic solutions. The CARE will meet every week to examine the proposals submitted. You are free to contribute via this link
. Given the current crisis, the CCIAM and CPPM are facilitating access to the intensive computing resources (HPC, grid, cloud, storage) needed to ensure the smooth running of COVID-19-related research projects: prioritisation of work, support for the various modalities, automation of tasks, etc., in particular the joint HPCBoost programme, which is specifically dedicated to risk and security issues and helps to speed up the processing of these projects. For more information: Centre de Calcul Intensif d'Aix-Marseille and Centre de Physique des Particules de Marseille.
4. Contribute to the European hackathon #EUvsVirus
The European Union is organising a hackathon to develop and support innovative solutions to the COVID-19 pandemic. Whether you are an individual or a group of students, researchers, administrative staff, start-ups or training managers, you are free to put forward your ideas, share your skills, experience or projects in the areas of "Health & Life", "Business Continuity", "Social & Political Cohesion", "Remote Working & Education", "Digital Finance" and "Other". By taking part, you will be working with virtual partners from the 27 countries of the European Union during a 20-hour hackaton.
I warmly invite you to contribute.
Let our solidarity shine on the European stage, showcase your talents and the colours of AMU in association with the members of our CIVIS alliance: #AixMarseilleVsVirus; #CIVISvsVirus
- Challenge hacktathon from 24 to 26 April. Information and registration: https://euvsvirus.or
5. PIA 3: "PANORAMA" project awarded
It may seem like an intrusion in this 'special COVID-19' issue, but I wanted to share this collective success, which adds to our community's record of achievements under the Investments for the Future (PIA) programme. The PANORAMA project, led by AMU with a number of partners, has been approved and has received funding of €7.5 million over 10 years to help secondary school students, particularly those from the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods, find their way to university. A big well done to the teams who worked towards this success, the former political team as well as the new governance team, who made the link perfectly. For more information, click here
6. Keep in touch and think positive thoughts
- As we've been doing for the past few weeks, we'll be posting your contributions to the image and video gallery, which we update with every issue. Don't hesitate to tell us about your daily life in a confined space!
§ To find out more, follow this link: click here
§ To take part and add a contribution (image, video), go here: click here
- A "special containment" competition is being launched this week, with several stages and prizes to be won at each stage.
- As always, get active, even if you're confined! More and more people are tuning in to our Facebook live events, and replays are available on this website.