UCLA Resumes In-Person Classes After Emergency Status Lifted
Following a period of remote instruction and heightened alert due to wildfires across Los Angeles County, UCLA is set to resume in-person classes and operations. This decision comes after improvements in weather conditions and progress in combating the fires.
Lifting of Emergency Status
The red flag warning that was previously in effect for the area has been lifted, signaling a shift in weather conditions. Emergency responders have made significant progress in controlling the fires, wind speeds have diminished, and projections indicate continued safer air quality on campus. Based on this positive trend, UCLA is ending its emergency status on Friday, January **.
Remote Instruction and Transition to In-Person Classes
This week, classes will continue to be offered remotely. The Academic Senate’s declaration of remote instruction expires with the end of emergency operating status. In-person classes will meet as regularly scheduled beginning on Tuesday, January 21 after the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday.
Undergraduate instruction was cancelled Jan. 9 and Jan. 10 - and moved online for week two of winter quarter - following the onset of fires across Los Angeles County.
Resumption of In-Person Work
In-person work will also resume starting this weekend for those who have been working remotely. Supervisors are asked to remain flexible during this challenging period. Faculty, staff and students will all receive separate messages from the vice chancellors of administration, student affairs and research that will include specific details from their areas.
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Vigilance and Preparedness
While UCLA welcomes this positive turn of events, the university is not letting its guard down. Should conditions shift, plans will be revisited.
UCLA Connects Town Hall
This morning UCLA had its fourth UCLA Connects Town Hall, which was attended by senior leaders. This week, nearly 16,000 Bruins joined the series of town halls where questions were answered. Recordings of the town halls can be viewed on L.A.
Community Impact and Support
The wildfires have been a painful tragedy for our communities, and every Bruin has been affected by this disaster. Many have suffered a personal loss or have been displaced from their home. Angelenos have assisted those impacted by the fires by volunteering, donating meals and raising money.
Despite the challenges, there has been a great upswell of generosity and support for one another. Bruins have tapped into their reservoirs of kindness.
Erroneous Evacuation Warning
Although students on the UCLA campus reported receiving an erroneous evacuation warning from Ready LA County on Jan. Nonetheless, many students chose to leave Westwood, staying elsewhere Southern California or travelling back to their hometowns for remote instruction. “We do encourage people to come back in a staggered format because of the number of individuals that did leave,” Beck said.
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UCLA's Assistance
UCLA has assisted with government responses to the fires, including by donating space at the UCLA Research Park - formerly Westside Pavilion - to create a Federal Emergency Management Agency Disaster Recovery Center. Around 1,200 students and 2,400 staff members have been under an evacuation order since the start of the fires, Beck said at a campuswide town hall Thursday.
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