First, I hope you are all safe and healthy. During this time of profound change, there is much information to share and many questions to be answered. We know you have received a lot of information lately from a number of campus sources, and I wanted to consolidate much of it here. Each decision made by the institution thus far has been arrived at only after careful deliberation about the needs and welfare of ALL the members of the NYFA community. That is also the reason the school has extended flexible options to students around continuing or taking a leave from the Spring semester.
We want to thank you and your families for your patience and understanding as we follow state and federal requirements to help slow the spread of COVID-19 by moving to remote instruction, which obligated you to temporarily leave behind your classmates and our campus. Your commitment to continuing your coursework during this period of remote learning is to be commended.
We want you to know that we understand your concerns and needs, and are taking them into consideration as we make decisions. The Summer semester will begin on schedule, with the strong possibility that it will be online, as the spread of COVID-19 continues across the country. Should in-person classes be able to resume at some point during the Summer, as previously stated, we will endeavor to give all students opportunities to complete unfinished project work from the Spring semester. To that end, we are working on scheduling the entire Summer semester as if it will be online and taking several steps to ensure that you receive the education you were promised.
The administration has decided on the following measures:
Per a previous notification you have received, NYFA will be instituting Pass/Fail grading during the Spring semester. We have now also extended pass/fail grading through the Summer semester.
For programs that have equipment fees, these charges will be waived for the Summer semester.
Departments are currently looking at which courses will remain online during the Summer semester.
In some programs, the Summer semester may be a mix of Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS) and core classes in the BFA program and non-production core classes for the other programs.
Some programs may have no changes as their programs are able to transition to remote learning with fewer disruptions.
In coordination with the Academic Affairs office, department chairs are creating plans to ensure that students progress in their programs and graduate on time. NYFA will work to accommodate all students who need to be enrolled in the Summer, but those who wish to opt out of the redesigned Summer semester can choose to start at the next scheduled start date for your semester.
For those students who have intermediate productions or Acting for Film shoots, for example, NYFA will look to move these productions to the Fall and fill the Summer semester with classes that normally occur later in their program. Students will get department-specific information on how this will work for your cohorts shortly.
We recognize the challenges facing our students during this health crisis and are committed to seeing each and every one of you through it. We will continue to share information and answers as soon as we have them. It is our hope that the NYFA community will continue to work together in a spirit of patience and empathy during this uncertain time.
