COVID-19 UPDATE 20 MAY 2020

Kia ora students

I hope you are enjoying your trimester break and staying safe and well during these challenging times.

As you’ll be aware, our Trimester 2 commences next Monday 25 May. The good news is that this trimester is commencing under Alert Level 2, which enables us to facilitate your gradual return to campus. From next week onwards, we will be extending access to our SAE Auckland campus, including:

re-opening all three buildings;
extending our studio hours to an 8am-10pm Monday-Saturday schedule; and
allowing equipment to be taken off-site.

The attached Alert Level 2 Protocols provide such detail, but there are a few points I’d like to highlight:

Trimester 2 timetable

In general, we will be maintaining some online teaching under Alert Level 2. This is in part to reduce the amount of foot traffic on campus to help facilitate physical distancing. However, some classes will return to campus, particularly for studio or computer lab work that’s difficult to do at home. An updated timetable that shows this mix of online and on-campus classes is now available via Axis – you may want to check where and when your first class will be for next week. I also encourage you to keep an eye on your course Slack channel where updated information will be regularly posted.

SAE Auckland Alert Level 2 Protocols

While we are able to return students gradually to campus, we still need to maintain strict protocols to protect the health and wellbeing of our teaching and learning community. These Alert Level 2 protocols for SAE Auckland are attached. Please read these thoroughly.

Stay home if you are unwell

It’s critical that you stay home if you are feeling unwell or experiencing any COVID19 symptoms, and contact us to let us know. If you are unwell, we recommend seeking medical advice. The dedicated Healthline for COVID-19 is 0800 358 5453.

Contact Tracing

We are required to maintain a Contact Tracing Register at SAE Auckland. There will be a Contact Tracing station set up at the entrance to all three buildings and you’ll be signed into campus each day you arrive.

You may also be aware of the new NZ COVID Tracer app that was released today. We encourage you to download and use that app to sign into SAE as part of your own digital diary. However, this does not replace our manual Contact Tracing Register which will be in place for the foreseeable future.

Vulnerable Students

In keeping with our commitment to protect the health and wellbeing of our community, we ask that any student who is at greater risk of contracting COVID-19, or living with someone at risk, refrains from coming to campus for the time being. If you are regarded as having greater risk to COVID-19, please contact me immediately. Please note, a medical or counselling certificate may be required as evidence. In these cases, an individual study plan will be put in place to ensure you can maintain your study with us from the safety of your home. For further information about at-risk people, visit: https://covid19.govt.nz/individuals-and-households/health-and-wellbeing/at-risk-people/#alert-level-2-advice-for-at-risk-people

Thank you

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for continuing to engage with your studies and our SAE community during what has been a challenging time for us all. I very much look forward to seeing more of you on campus over the coming weeks and months.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me directly on s.major@sae.edu

Arohanui,

Suzette

Dr Suzette Major
Campus Director, SAE AUCKLAND