Please plan to pivot, just in case
Please plan to pivot, just in case

Provost's Office

How you can prepare for a potential LIRR strike

We strongly encourage you to consider how your final exams may be impacted and begin to adjust accordingly.
Dear Faculty,
With the potential for a Long Island Rail Road strike this weekend that could continue into next week, we strongly encourage you to consider how your final exams early next week may be impacted and make plans to adjust accordingly.

Based on data from the Division of Enterprise Risk Management, we know that at least 1,000 members of the Stony Brook community rely on the LIRR and will be unable to get to campus if there is a strike.

Building flexibility into your exams now is particularly important if you have dozens, or hundreds, of students taking your exam. While there is the possibility the strike will be averted over the weekend, there is also the possibility it will continue next week. The university is watching the situation closely, and will communicate as soon as possible if the situation changes.

What you can do now:

  • Reach out to your students as soon as possible to ask them to tell you if the strike will impact them. 
  • Plan for flexibility in modality, including moving an in-person exam entirely online and offering make-up opportunities.
  • If you rely on the trains to get to campus, please contact your students as soon as possible to let them know your final exam plan may change.

Resources available to help you:

  • The testing center, in Frey Hall 109 and managed by the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching, can provide support for proctoring in-person make-up exams given via Brightspace or paper. The testing center has limited capacity, and faculty and students must reserve a time online to request it.
  • Set up online live proctoring using the Respondus lockdown browser in Zoom.
  • Support from the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching; email celt@stonybrook.edu. 

What you cannot do:

  • Reschedule your exam. 
  • Reconfigure your exam to be completely different from what is stated in your syllabus. For example, if the syllabus indicated the exam would be multiple choice, you cannot shift to an essay-style exam. However, you can provide an alternative assessment format as an option for students as long as the original format is also offered.

We know many of you are concerned about students moving out of campus housing. Student Affairs, ERM, and Academic Affairs are working together to ensure that students who need alternate arrangements will be given the flexibility they need. 


This is an evolving situation, and we want to be sure that you have as much time as possible to adjust your plans. 


If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to provost@stonybrook.edu or reply to this email.


Sincerely,
Carl

Carl W. Lejuez
Provost and Executive Vice President
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