Chancellor Frenk shared this message with the UCLA campus community.
Dear Bruin Community:
I am grateful to be able to write to you with some positive news.
Yesterday evening, the red flag warning that was in effect for our area was lifted, which means the current weather conditions have shifted in our favor. We are optimistic about how things are trending: emergency responders are making progress in combating the fires, wind speed is diminishing and projections show continued safer air quality on campus. Based on all the latest available information, we are ending emergency status on Friday, Jan. 17 at 5 p.m.
This week, classes will continue to be offered remotely. The Academic Senate’s declaration of remote instruction expires with the end of emergency operating status. In-person classes will meet as regularly scheduled beginning on Tuesday, Jan. 21 after the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday. We are sharing this information as quickly as possible, so that you and your families can make plans and travel arrangements if needed.
In-person work will also resume starting this weekend for those who have been working remotely, though we continue to ask supervisors to be flexible during this challenging period. You can find more information on Bruins Safe Online.
Faculty, staff and students will all receive separate messages from the vice chancellors of administration, student affairs and research that will include specific details from their areas. We want to make sure you have all the information you need as we make this transition.
Should conditions shift, we will revisit our plans. We are not letting our guard down. We will remain vigilant and communicate promptly with you with any important changes.
This morning we had our fourth UCLA Connects Town Hall, and I was there, along with other senior leaders. This week, nearly 16,000 Bruins joined the series of town halls where we were able to answer questions that were top of mind for our community. I want to thank everyone who took the time to attend and connect with us. Recordings of the town halls can be viewed on our L.A. fires: UCLA campus updates and resources web page.
I want to offer my deepest thanks to so many across UCLA for helping keep our campus and community safe during this immensely challenging period. I also want to share my gratitude to all of you — from students and parents who have displayed such flexibility and understanding, to faculty members who navigated a quick pivot to remote instruction, to staff members who continued their dedicated work during a harrowing time.
We welcome this positive turn of events, but I also want to acknowledge that there is still a tremendous amount of grief and loss in our community. Every Bruin has been affected by this disaster — if not directly, then we all know someone who suffered a personal loss or has been displaced from their home. For those in our community who have been impacted, in addition to the resources available through UCLA, we have created a UCLA Evacuee Resources Inventory that provides information about housing resources, food distribution sites, clothing donations and more.
The wildfires have been a painful tragedy for our communities, but we also have seen a great upswell of generosity and support for one another. Bruins have tapped into their reservoirs of kindness. This compassion is what will enable us to recover and rebuild — together.
We are One UCLA.
Sincerely,
Julio Frenk
Chancellor