<div><div dir="auto">Colleagues,</div></div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">While the Asia Council is not sponsoring programs to China or Vietnam this summer, I want to share a recent communique from the USSG (USG Goes Global) office on its response to the COVID-19 situation. </div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">Thanks,</div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">Eric</div><div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">---------- Forwarded message ---------<br>From: <strong class="gmail_sendername" dir="auto">Margaret Mullins</strong> <span dir="auto"><<a href="mailto:margaret.mullins@usg.edu">margaret.mullins@usg.edu</a>></span><br>Date: Fri, Mar 6, 2020 at 2:06 PM<br>Subject: USG Goes Global Information for COVID-19 Concerns<br>To: <<a href="mailto:USGGOESGLOBAL@listserv.uga.edu">USGGOESGLOBAL@listserv.uga.edu</a>><br></div><br><br>
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Dear USGG Reps,</p>
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USG Goes Global (USGG) is fully aware of growing concern regarding <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/summary.html" target="_blank">
COVID-19</a> and has been closely monitoring information from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Department of State regarding guidance for study abroad programs. At this time all USGG programs are scheduled to run as planned. Please be aware, however,
that if the CDC assigns a <a href="https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices#travel-notice-definitions" target="_blank">
level 3</a> warning to any program it will be cancelled. <b>Currently, no USGG destination has been assigned
<i>any</i> CDC warning level regarding COVID-19 which means they have determined there is no additional COVID-19 specific risk of traveling to any USGG program location at this time</b>. We do understand that students and faculty may have their own concerns
regarding travel this summer, so we have taken the following steps in communicating options to students and faculty:</p>
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<li><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Offered students the option to switch to another program at no penalty or cancel their participation with a full refund of payments to USGG thus far. Students choosing either of these options must make the decision by Wednesday,
March 18<sup>th</sup>, 2020. The full communication that was sent to students is attached to this email.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Offered faculty the option to either teach their course fully online or completely drop out from teaching with USGG this summer. Note that USGG student:faculty ratios and course cancellation policies are still in effect. The
full communication that was sent to faculty is attached to this email.<span>
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You may wish to actively forward these messages to your 2020 USGG students & faculty participants, or simply have the information on hand to help answer questions, advise them on their study abroad options, or connect them with an academic advisor to make alternative
course plans on campus. Our goal is for students who are concerned about traveling to their program location to maintain access to the courses they planned to take this summer, whether that is finding a different study abroad option or finding a comparable
plan for completing course requirements on-campus. </p>
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Best,</p>
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Margaret</p>
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<span style="margin:0px;font-size:12pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;color:rgb(10,10,10)"><img alt="University System of Georgia" src="cid:170b15cb30ff72f19e51" style="width:120px;max-width:100%"></span></p>
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<font color="#0a0a0a" face="Georgia, serif"><span style="font-size:14px"><b>Margaret Mullins</b></span></font><br>
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<font color="#0a0a0a" face="Georgia, serif"><span style="font-size:12px">USG Goes Global Program Manager</span></font></p><a href="https://www.google.com/maps/search/270+Washington+Street+SW+%0D%0A+%0D%0A+Atlanta,+GA+30334?entry=gmail&source=g">
</a><p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;margin:0px;line-height:12pt"><a href="https://www.google.com/maps/search/270+Washington+Street+SW+%0D%0A+%0D%0A+Atlanta,+GA+30334?entry=gmail&source=g">
</a><span style="margin:0px;font-size:9pt;font-family:Georgia,serif;color:rgb(10,10,10)">International Education</span></p>
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<span style="margin:0px;font-size:9pt;font-family:Georgia,serif;color:rgb(10,10,10)"><a href="https://www.google.com/maps/search/270+Washington+Street+SW+%0D%0A+%0D%0A+Atlanta,+GA+30334?entry=gmail&source=g">270 Washington Street SW</a></span></p>
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<span style="margin:0px;font-size:9pt;font-family:Georgia,serif;color:rgb(10,10,10)"><a href="https://www.google.com/maps/search/270+Washington+Street+SW+%0D%0A+%0D%0A+Atlanta,+GA+30334?entry=gmail&source=g">Atlanta, GA 30334</a></span></p>
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<font face="Georgia, serif"><span style="font-size:12px">404-962-3192</span></font></p>
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<font face="Georgia, serif"><span style="font-size:12px"><a href="https://www.usg.edu/international_education/usg_goes_global/usgg_study_abroad_programs" title="https://www.usg.edu/international_education/usg_goes_global/usgg_study_abroad_programs" target="_blank">www.usg.edu/usggoesglobal</a></span></font></p>
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</div></div>-- <br><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature">Eric Spears, PhD<br><a href="https://ericspears.us">https://ericspears.us</a><br>Sent from Gmail Mobile</div>