To All Studentsof the College of Arts and Sciences and the Graduate School of Arts andSciences
March 19, 2020
As you know, a new form of pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus
COVID-19 has spread throughout the world and was declared a pandemic by theWorld Health Organization on March 11. On March 19, when I am writing thismessage, the number of people infected with the virus remains small in Japan andno serious disasters, such as a collapse of the health care system, have occurred yet.
We cannot predict, however, when a sudden outbreak may occur in near future. We
need to prepare for various possible cases, including those in which students, faculty
members, staff members, and their families get infected, or come in close contact
with those infected, or are required to stay at home, as well as the case in which thegovernment declares a national emergency and orders the closure of schools anduniversities
In light of these circumstances, the University of Tokyo and the College ofArts and Sciences as well as the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences have been
considering various options and possibilities, such as postponement of the start of S
Semester. What we would like to assert first and foremost is that, regardless of thesituation, we believe in continuing to provide education to our students the furthest
extent possible. Your health and welfare come first, of course, but as university
teachers, we also have to think about what should be done to keep the impacts on
education to a minimum and how to ensure that no one is left behind educationallyeven when strict measures are taken to control infection.
After much consideration, we have concluded that delaying the start of thespring semester would not be effective enough if we continue teaching in aconventional classroom setting. For the first time since the establishment of theUniversity of Tokyo, therefore, we have decided to adopt a mass introduction ofonline classes in the College of Arts and Sciences and the Graduate School of Artsand Sciences. (Note that, at the present time, these new measures are likely to beintroduced from the beginning of April. See below for details.)

We believe that traditional classes are still the best in terms of educational
effectiveness. Depending on the situation, however, it may not be possible to holdregular classes for months (for example, the UK government’s chief scientific advisor
estimates that schools must be closed for a minimum of 13 to 16 weeks to produce
the proper effect.). On the other hand, if things have improved by April, a
postponement of classes would be wasted. By preparing and establishing a systemthat allows online classes at any time from now on, we will be able to keep an eye on
the development of virus infections until the last minute and decide whether or not
we should go online or conduct face-to-face classes. And if things get worse after westart with face-to-face classes, we can immediately switch to online classes and thus
minimize confusion.
Honestly speaking, the College of Arts and Sciences and the Graduate
School of Arts and Sciences have not had enough time to prepare for the introductionof online classes. We will have to go through a process of trial and error at first. Someteachers are unfamiliar with online classes and ICT education. The College of Artsand Sciences and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences have already been doinga risk analysis, but we are likely to come across many unexpected problems andaccidents after the implementation of online education. We hope, therefore, thatstudents and teachers unite and work together to get through this challenging
situation.
The first thing we would like to ask you to do before the semester starts isto prepare a computer (preferably one with a camera and microphone; if that isdifficult, a tablet will do) and a broadband Internet connection at your home. For
those who have just moved into a boarding house or apartment and are not yet
ready, we are considering taking measures such as giving access to terminals oncampus. Please bear in mind, however, that in the worst case, the campus will beentirely closed. In principle, therefore, we would like to ask you to arrange anenvironment with network access at home or in your room as well as you can. If you
are planning to set up an Internet connection now, keep in mind that it may takeseveral weeks from application to the start of service. So please make arrangements
as soon as possible. If you have a disability or cannot obtain a computer (or tablet)or Internet connection, please consult with the Student Support Division (Gakuseishien-ka). They will give you appropriate advice and suggest measures to take.

Next, please read carefully how to use ITC-LMS, the Information
Technology Center-Learning Management System (a learning-support IT systemdeveloped by the University of Tokyo) about which you will be informed soon andtry accessing it in advance. Instructions, links, and teaching materials for online
classes will all be uploaded to this system.
As to when we actually start online classes, we will follow the guidelines
announced in an appropriate manner according to the different stages defined inresponse to the spread of virus infection as shown below. The current stage and its
expected duration will be posted on the website of the College of Arts and Sciences
and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and also in front of the main gate.
Preliminary research suggests that healthy young people need not be
worried too much about the COVID-19 virus themselves. Nevertheless, you should
try to keep yourself free from infection, and always be very careful not to transfer
viruses that you may be infected with, especially when you come into contact withthe weak. The intellectual power to think about what you do from the standpoint ofthe weak is actually an important part of a liberal education. Please consider thecurrent crisis as also being an invaluable learning opportunity at the University ofTokyo. Let’s strive to overcome the current situation together.

Guidelines for deciding whether to switch between in-person and online
teaching
Under the guidelines shown below, the situation as of today (March 19) is Stage
Yellow. A sudden change to Stage Orange or Red is very possible, however, so pleasebegin preparations for online learning immediately.
Stage Red
Based on a declaration of a state of emergency, the governor of Tokyo orders
people to stay at home and prohibits the use of school facilities. All classes are
therefore conducted online. Nearly all students are forbidden to come tocampus. Club and other extracurricular activities are prohibited.
Stage Orange
More than one student, faculty member, or staff member in the Junior Division,Senior Division, or Graduate School at Komaba has been diagnosed as infected
and cannot come to campus. In-person classes are avoided whenever possible.
In principle, all classes, including practicums and physical education, areconducted online. (Exceptions may be allowed with some Senior Division andGraduate School practicum and experiment classes.) In principle, all club andextracurricular activities on campus are banned; when the use of on-campus
facilities is unavoidable, however, students can apply for and receive
permission for the use of campus facilities.
Stage Yellow
The number of new infections in Japan continues at about the current level.
(Specifically, the number of new infections per day stays between a few dozenand 200.) The first two class meetings will be held in person, with appropriate
measures taken to prevent infections, or equivalent assignments will be given
to students. After that, the classes will be conducted online in almost all cases,
including practicums and physical education. (Exceptions may be allowed withsome Senior Division and Graduate School practicum and experiment classes.)Students will be asked to refrain from conducting club and extracurricular
activities that require large numbers of people to gather on campus.

Stage GreenThe spread of new infections has stopped completely or nearly completely.
Classes will be conducted in person as usual. (In this case, in-person teaching
may be combined with online teaching.) Extracurricular activities may takeplace as usual.
Please note that the above guidelines have been devised by the College of Arts
and Sciences and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences based on the facilities
and population density of UTokyo’s Komaba Campus. They may not directly reflect
the broader infection situation or decisions at other UTokyo campuses or otheruniversities.

Before I conclude my first message regarding the current situation, I would liketo ask you to keep yourself in good condition till the new semester in April and toprepare for studies thereafter. I look forward very much to seeing you in April.
Kunihiro Ohta
Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences
Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences