President’s Update: Thomas Fire

UPDATE: 2:30 pm Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2017

The Thomas Fire is now 270,000 acres and at 50% containment.  Today some evacuation zones have been lifted, including the voluntary zone nearest Fielding.

While we intend to remain open until the close of business, Thursday, December 21^st, things may change.  Please print this email so you have the information about alternative ways to connect to Fielding.  Do check our phone for any late breaking news (information below).

Academic continuity

Moodle can be directly accessed using the following address:  moodle2.fielding.edu.  This address works even if MyFielding is down.

Senior Leadership

I will be onsite Wednesday and Thursday along with Provost and Senior Vice President Porter and CFO Lisa Lewis. VP Snowden will be out of the office on Thursday for a planned vacation day.

Air quality

Please see:  https://www.ourair.org/todays-air-quality.   Air quality has improved in Goleta and Santa Barbara although wearing masks is still encouraged for those with health concerns.

Fire

Please stay alert for additional communications as the situation may change rapidly.  Additional details, including mandatory evacuation updates, can be found at: https://www.countyofsb.org/thomasfire.sbc#update .

Always follow the instructions of emergency personnel and do not hesitate to evacuate if you feel that you are in danger.

Also, you can access our phone for updates:

• Call (805) 687-1099. Press “10.”
• Store this number for the future.

This phone message will be updated to say that Fielding is open and will be updated if things change.

UPDATE: 10:30 am Sunday, Dec. 17, 2017

I am writing to provide an update on the fire situation as it pertains to Fielding operations.  At this point, Fielding itself is NOT under an evacuation warning although we are close to a voluntary evacuation zone.  The Thomas Fire is now 269,000 acres this morning and at 40% containment. The fire is continuing to move west. As of this morning at 6:15 AM, there have been no changes to mandatory or voluntary evacuation zones, which were expanded on Saturday.

Staff members who can come to work and it is safe to do so, should continue to be on site.  If you have evacuated (whether in mandatory or voluntary zones), please work with your supervisor to continue work remotely if at all possible.  It is important to maintain close communications between staff members and supervisors.  Stay in touch with each other!

Information Technology

IT staff will be on site this week to continue to help  our employees maintain remote and flexible schedules. VP Snowden and her team are prepared to switch over hosting of our network files, email, myFIELDING, and Colleague systems (e.g., WebAdvisor and Informer) to remote sites should the need arise. It is important to note that a number of Fielding systems are hosted remotely (e.g., university website, Moodle, EnrollmentRx/Salesforce), thereby enabling us to execute a strong business continuity plan.

Academic continuity

Moodle can be directly accessed using the following address:  moodle2.fielding.edu. This address works even if MyFielding is down.

Senior Leadership

Acting President Porter and CFO Lisa Lewis will be onsite Monday thru Thursday. VP Snowden will be onsite Monday thru Wednesday, and out of the office on Thursday for a planned vacation day. I will be working at Fielding’s DC office on Monday and Tuesday; onsite in Santa Barbara on Wednesday and Thursday.

Air quality

Please see:  https://www.ourair.org/todays-air-quality.   Air quality has improved in Goleta and Santa Barbara this morning.

Fire

Please stay alert and prepare for power outages and possible evacuation.  Additional details, including mandatory evacuation updates, can be found at: https://www.countyofsb.org/thomasfire.sbc#update .

Please stay alert for additional communications as the situation may change rapidly. Always follow the instructions of emergency personnel and do not hesitate to evacuate if you feel that you are in danger.

Saturday was a particularly difficult day for many of our employees—please be kind to the chaotic situations that may be in play for many of us.

Wear your masks; stay safe above all. I appreciate your willingness to stick to the work at hand to keep our operations going so that students and faculty can engage in the important work that they do every day.

UPDATE: 10:30 am Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2017

I am writing to provide an update on the fire situation as it pertains to Fielding operations.  At this point, Fielding itself is NOT under an evacuation warning.  The fire grew a little bit westward last night to 237,500 acres and 25% contained.

Fielding continues to remain open for normal business operations.

Thank you to Fred Eckert and Jim Griffin, our facilities team, for keeping Fielding as free from ash as possible to provide a clean environment for our employees!

Information Technology

I also want to thank our IT personnel for their extra diligence and support to help  our employees maintain remote and flexible schedules.  VP Snowden and her team are prepared to switch over hosting of our network files, email, myFIELDING, and Colleague systems (e.g., WebAdvisor and Informer) to remote sites should Fielding be evacuated.

Academic continuity

Moodle can be directly accessed using the following address:  moodle2.fielding.edu.  This address works even if MyFielding is down.

Senior leadership on site are Acting President Porter, VP Monique Snowden, and CFO Lisa Lewis.  I am working remotely on a scheduled business trip.

Air quality

Please see:  https://www.ourair.org/todays-air-quality.

Fire

Please stay alert and prepare for power outages and possible evacuation.  Mandatory evacuation updates can be found at:  http://www.readyventuracounty.org.

Please stay on alert for additional communications as the situation may change rapidly.  Always follow the instructions of emergency personnel and do not hesitate to evacuate if you feel that you are in danger.

Also, you can access our phone for updates:

• Call (805) 687-1099. Press “10.”
• Store this number for the future.

The most important thing for all of us is to remain calm and empathetic to others during these times.  Above all, be safe and take care of yourself, your families and friends.  Keep everything charged up! Thanks, also, for you forbearance in difficult circumstances.

UPDATE: 3 pm Monday, Dec. 11, 2017

I am writing to provide an update on the fire situation as it pertains to Fielding operations.  At this point, Fielding itself is NOT under an evacuation warning.

Going forward, Fielding will remain open for the rest of the week.  Staff members who are affected by the fire are continuing to work with their supervisors about their individual circumstances.  I am very proud about how the staff, many of whom are significantly affected by the fire, are pulling together to help each other and support the work to keep our students, faculty, and learning community up and running.

Information Technology

Our IT personnel is working with Santa Barbara-based staff to ensure their ability to work and access our systems remotely if and when necessary. Staff are being asked to take their laptops home and verify that their VPN connections are operational. VP Snowden and her team are preparing to switch over hosting of our network files, email, myFIELDING, and Colleague systems (e.g., WebAdvisor and Informer) to remote sites should Fielding be evacuated.

Local Air Quality

Please see:  https://www.ourair.org/todays-air-quality.

Fire

Please stay alert and prepare for power outages and possible evacuation.  Mandatory evacuation updates can be found at:  http://www.readyventuracounty.org.

Academic continuity

Moodle can be directly accessed using the following address:  moodle2.fielding.edu.  This address works even if MyFielding is down.

2 pm Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017:

Dear Fielding Staff and Faculty colleagues,

As of Sunday at 2:00 PM Pacific, air quality levels have worsened in Santa Barbara and Goleta. For information that is continually updated, see https://www.ourair.org/todays-air-quality. In addition, the fire is expected to worsen, so please stay alert and prepare for power outages and possible evacuation. Mandatory evacuation updates can be found at:  http://www.readyventuracounty.org.

On Monday, December 11, employees who normally work in Santa Barbara should come in to the office if it is safe to do so. We will be open to maintain operations for our students and faculty residing in other parts of the country. Lunch will be provided for those who can make it in to minimize exposure to the outdoors.

If you are unable to safely get to work, feel sick, or need to manage the situation at home, please contact your supervisor immediately to let them know you need to stay home. For employees who are able to work remotely, and if it’s appropriate to do so, please discuss with your supervisor. All employees will be paid for December 11th. Employees who do work tomorrow, whether it be on site or remotely, will also receive comp time for that day to be figured out between supervisor and the employee at a time appropriate for business operations.  This is an unusual decision based on the fact that we need to continue service to students and faculty who are not affected by the fire.

Senior leadership who reside in Santa Barbara will be at work (President Rogers, VP Snowden, and CFO Lisa Lewis) unless unforeseen circumstances develop. Provost Porter will work from home.

Academic continuity

Our IT personnel are monitoring systems remotely and going on site as necessary to manage our various servers. As we are experiencing intermittent power outages, email is sporadic but continues to come online frequently. We will not switch over to our disaster recovery site unless current conditions worsen.

Moodle can be directly accessed using the following address:  moodle2.fielding.edu. This address works even if MyFielding is down.

Please stay on alert for additional communications as the situation may change rapidly.  Always follow the instructions of emergency personnel and do not hesitate to evacuate if you feel that you are in danger.

Also, you can access our phone for updates:

• Call (805) 687-1099. Press “10.”
• Store this number for the future.

The most important thing for all of us is to remain calm and empathetic to others during these times. Above all, be safe and take care of yourself, your families and friends. Keep everything charged up!

Regards,

Katrina S. Rogers

President

Noozhawk photo