The 2022 International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) and convening of the International Mathematics Union (IMU) General Assembly was scheduled to be held in St. Petersburg, Russia in July 2022. We support the actions of the IMU on 26 February 2022 in condemning the actions of Russia and shifting the main ICM convening to a fully virtual event. This action prioritizes the safety and security of attendees while still providing an important opportunity for ICM members to share their scholarly work. We further recognize the IMU’s actions in making the virtual event free of charge and arranging for an in-person meeting of the General Assembly to take place outside of Russia.

CBMS acknowledges the actions of national mathematical societies around the world for issuing strong statements that urged the IMU not to hold the convening in Russia and advocating for an alternative ICM plan. We note that those societies’ actions embody the commitment expressed in the CBMS Statement on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Mathematical Sciences to “utilize the tools of our fields to investigate, document, and communicate injustice and create pathways to many opportunities.”

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There will be a kick-off virtual conference this month, Nov 20-23, hosted by IMSI (Institute for Mathematical and Statistical Innovation). There will also be ongoing activities—small working groups and a workshops series—for graduate program leaders that are described on our AMS webpage.

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We live in uncertain times. Public health is at the forefront of our minds, and our schools have been disrupted in ways we have never seen. Although no one can predict how education might look in the coming months, it is in the best interests of our students to strategize how we might best meet their needs in the upcoming months. Moving Forward is the result of a joint effort of NCSM: Leadership in Mathematics Education (NCSM) and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) that presents considerations, questions, and potential solution processes to educators and school leaders to address the challenges induced by the COVID-19 pandemic of spring 2020. In this document, we show how effective practices for mathematics teaching and learning can provide helpful direction to address the challenges that teachers, school leaders, and policymakers face now and will continue to face in the months ahead.

Document available at https://www.mathedleadership.org/docs/resources/NCTM_NCSM_Moving_Forward.pdf

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AMATYC Response

AMS Response

AMTE Response

ASA Response

ASSM Response

AWM Response

MAA Response

MoMath statement on diversity and inclusion

NAM Response

NCSM Response

NCTM Response

SIAM Response

TODOS Response

From other organizations:

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU)

Carnegie Corporation of New York

Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR)

Institute for Advanced Study (IAS)

The National Alliance for Doctoral Studies in the Mathematical Sciences (Math Alliance)

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ROCKVILLE, MD –Nearly one month ago, the National Institutes of Health took the unusual step of revoking a peer-reviewed research grant awarded in June 2019. The grant, which focused on how coronaviruses can be transferred from their natural hosts to humans, became the target of criticism from President Donald Trump because of the investigator’s collaboration with experts in China.

Today, 31 scientific societies representing hundreds of thousands of scientists –led by the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology –sent a letter to NIH Director Francis S. Collins calling for transparency about the decision-making process and for the NIH to reconsider its decision. In the letter, the groups argue that revocation of the grant is “counterintuitive, given the urgent need to better understand the virus that causes COVID-19 and identify drugs that will save lives.” It also says “it politicizes science at a time when, if we are to stamp out this scourge, we need the public to trust experts and to take collective action.”

This effort is being led by Benjamin Corb, public affairs director for the ASBMB, who says, “Our aim with this effort is to stand up for a scientific enterprise that should be free of political influence on sound scientific research.This grant was peer reviewed, led to research that has numerous publications in scholarly journals, and was competitively renewed just last year.”

Corb continues, “The continued politicization of science during this pandemic crisis is an alarming trend that is risking not only the integrity of science, but also the lives of citizens.Scientific research must remain clear of the partisanship that divides the nation and must be the foundation for sound policymaking during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.”

A copy of the letter can be found here: https://www.asbmb.org/getmedia/dbb22a26-ee0f-45e5-a1ed-13af91275f07/Support-Science-Sign-on-Letter_1.pdf

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Links:

• The JPBM letter to Director Droegemeier
• The Presidential Proclamation

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The Mathematical Association of America (MAA) recognizes the unusual circumstances faced by the mathematical sciences community during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many students, staff, and faculty are facing demanding challenges due to increased caregiving responsibilities, economic hardships, and a lack of resources for teaching and learning, including access to professional space and technology. We recognize the disproportionate impact on primary caregivers (many of whom are women), people of color, VITAL faculty, and students.

All of the MAA’s core values—community, inclusivity, communication, and teaching and learning—have been affected. Faculty and students need flexibility in order to ensure that educational and personal needs are met. Institutions should be particularly attentive to the needs of people with less pay, job security, or power, as well as the needs of primary caregivers when addressing issues. The MAA urges administrators and policy-makers to implement supportive practices and policies for students, staff, and faculty during this exceptionally stressful time.

1. COURSE EXPECTATIONS 

Be flexible in setting expectations for content, assessment, and placement. Faculty and students are experiencing pressure to conduct business as usual under uniquely difficult circumstances. We encourage institutions to allow faculty to distinguish between essential and discretionary course content, to streamline courses and adjust their pace. We encourage administrators to give faculty permission to rethink assessment to focus less on cheating and more on providing options for students to demonstrate learning in ways that reflect workplace best practices: collaboration, use of tools and resources, and attribution.

2. VIRTUAL TEACHING 

Ensure there are asynchronous options, without penalty. Students may lack the physical and technological resources they had during on-campus learning, including time and space for learning, access to technology, and common time zones. Course materials should be made available in an asynchronous manner (through recorded lectures or notes) even if classes are held live. Since students may not be comfortable sharing video, conversing, or making mistakes if they are being recorded, recording and distributing live classes can be problematic. Live classes should also use available security measures to keep classrooms free of online harassment.

3. GRADES 

Consider temporary adjustments to academic policies, clearly document policies on transcripts and communicate these adjustments. Institutions are encouraged to publish temporary policies on incomplete grades, pass/fail (or similar structures) and course withdrawal. Policies can reduce stress and support equity for both students and instructors. At the same time, institutions must be attentive to accreditation and licensure issues, graduate and professional school admissions, and future employment. For instance, explanations on transcripts and letters of recommendation may be required, so that a grade of “passing” is not interpreted as “barely passing.” Additionally, over the next few years, academic programs and employers must take these challenging times into account when evaluating applicants.

4. COURSE EVALUATIONS 

Use course evaluations only to inform future planning, not as part of Faculty/TA files, evaluation, or tenure and promotion decisions. In normal circumstances, the use of student course evaluations in tenure and other decisions is problematic because of their known biases. In a time impacted by a global pandemic, the use of these evaluations in faculty decisions would be unethical. The move to all virtual teaching and learning was abrupt and done without the consent of students or faculty, who had little time to prepare or adjust. Teaching work attempted at this time cannot be considered representative. If course evaluations from this time are to be used at all, it should be to help faculty reflect on their work during this difficult time. They should not be saved by the institution or made available in any form for future formal evaluation.

5. TENURE/PROMOTION 

Default to an extension of tenure-clock with flexible opt-out later. It is impossible to know the full impact of the global health crisis at this moment in time, yet institutions must begin to consider how this crisis can be accounted for equitably in future tenure/promotion decisions. As a first step, we encourage institutions to deploy or create policies that extend the tenure-clock for all tenure-track faculty in light of the work disruption caused by the pandemic. Since extending the tenure clock is enduring, policies should provide flexibility for faculty to opt-out of the extension at a later time. We recognize that traditional pay gaps are likely to increase due to the pandemic and encourage administrators to consider further actions to support equity.

Co-authors:

Ed Aboufadel, Chair, MAA Committee on Faculty & Departments

Jenna Carpenter, Past Chair, MAA Council on the Profession

Carrie Diaz Eaton, Chair, MAA Committee for Minority Participation in Mathematics

Michael Dorff, MAA President

Rick Gillman, Chair, MAA Council on the Profession

Rachel Levy, MAA Deputy Executive Director

Audrey Malagon, MAA Committee on Faculty & Departments

Michael Pearson, MAA Executive Director

Jennifer Quinn, MAA President-Elect

Resources provided by Amy Atchison, Assoc. Prof. of Political Science, Valparaiso University

• Collection of information about alternative grading policies.

• ASA Statement Regarding Faculty Review and Reappointment Processes During the COVID-19 Crisis

• Faculty Home Work by Colleen Flaherty, Inside Higher Ed

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