A Message from Emerson LA Academics

Dear ELA Students,

As our community transitions to online classes this week, please remember the most important thing in these unprecedented times is to prioritize your health and safety and be mindful of your physical, emotional, and mental wellbeing. Things may feel out of control right now as you face uncertainty and disruption in all aspects of your lives. Take care of your wellbeing first. Try to be patient with yourself, your classmates, and your instructors during this time. Things may be chaotic and messy as we transition online, and that’s ok.

With that, please note the following:

1. Classes will resume as scheduled this coming week, beginning Monday, March 23. Since many of you are now back home with your families and no longer in the Pacific time zone (GMT-7), I realize that you may encounter issues with time differences. Your Los Angeles-based faculty are sensitive to the challenges that come with holding class across multiple time zones and are working on strategies to minimize difficulties.

2. Please be sure to communicate with your faculty about your specific needs and challenges as they come up during this transition and throughout the remainder of the semester. This includes anything regarding time zone issues, assignment deadlines, and other concerns. Your faculty will make reasonable accommodations in this unprecedented time, so please don’t hesitate to reach out to them with any questions you have. If you have any issues communicating with your faculty, please contact me.

3. Expect ongoing changes. As you acclimate to online formats, organizing your schedule and adapting your study habits may help you feel more in control. Be open to adjusting your approach to preparing for your classes and remember that your faculty are doing the same.

4. All remaining professional development events have been postponed and will be rescheduled to take place online. Please expect an email in the coming days with a revised schedule of online professional development activities. Internship instructors will announce any changes to how they administer the professional development requirement.

5. You will receive credit for your internship by completing the internship class, regardless of the status of your internship. If your internship is cancelled or temporarily suspended, faculty will ask you to complete a supplemental assignment. Liam is in touch with internship faculty about the status of their students’ internships; if you have not yet reported your internship status to Liam, please do so right away.

Thank you for your patience during this extraordinary time and please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions as they come up. I wish you all the best for a successful remainder of the term.

Be well,
Mikhail Gershovich
Academic Director, ELA