AIT Campus Bulletin

In this issue:

A. Announcements 

B. Events 

C. Classifieds (jobs)

A. Announcements 

1) Revised Quarantine Periods and Other Updates from the AIT COVID-19 Task Force

Email from the Director, Office of Academic Administration on 2 April 2021.

Dear Members of the AIT Family,

1.     REVISED QUARANTINE PERIODS:  The Government of Thailand has approved the Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA)’s plan to gradually reopen the country with revised quarantine periods, with effect from 1 April 2021.  

(a)   Travelers with a valid COVID-19 vaccine certificate and traveling from countries with no COVID-19 variant strains will be eligible to 7 days of quarantine.  This condition will only apply to those who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 with a vaccine approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) or Ministry of Public Health of Thailand, no more than 3 months and no less than 14 days before the traveling date.  Travelers must present the vaccine certificate (an original paper or a print out of an online vaccine certificate) to the International Port Health Control at the port of arrival.  While at a quarantine facility, travelers must take one RT-PCR test between day 5-6.

(b)  Travelers without a valid COVID-19 vaccine certificate and traveling from countries with no COVID-19 variant strains, shall have their quarantine period reduced to 10 days.  While at a quarantine facility, travelers must take two RT-PCR tests: between day 3-5 and between day 9-10.

(c)   Travelers from countries with COVID-19 variants will still be required to undergo a quarantine period of 14 days.  The list of countries with COVID-19 variants will be published and updated by the Ministry of Public Health of Thailand every 15 days.  While at a quarantine facility, travelers must take three RT-PCR tests: on day 1, between day 6-7, and between day 12-13.

In light of the Thai Government’s new ruling on the quarantine periods, AIT’s policy on the three Phases (1, 2 and 3), for its students and other community members, arriving in Thailand from overseas, will be revised as follows, with effect from 1 April 2021:

Phase 1 — 7- or 10- or 14-day quarantine in either an Alternative State Quarantine (ASQ) hotel or at our AIT Organizational Quarantine (OQ).  During this quarantine period, students are confined in their single rooms, MUST not venture out of their rooms, and CANNOT have any personal contact with anyone except during their COVID-19 tests.

Phase 2 — 7-day self-isolation (SI) in designated accommodation buildings on campus. Students can go outside, mainly for take-away food, groceries and self-exercise, not more than twice a day, and not over 90 minutes (total) per day. They are not allowed to attend classes, cannot have any in-person meetings with anyone, and cannot leave the campus.

Phase 3 — A further 3-week stay in the same SI room.  During this period, students no longer have movement restrictions and can already attend classes and other meetings/events in person.

(Note 1:  Anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 while in the AIT OQ, will immediately be taken to the Thammasat University Hospital (TUH) for treatment.  After their recovery, they will need to undergo an additional 7 days of quarantine back at the OQ and must take one more RT-PCR test.

Note 2: The cost of quarantine at the AIT campus, which includes the room and board/meals, the required COVID-19 tests, and Internet access will be THB 7,000, THB 9,000, and THB 13,000 for the 7, 10, and 14 days, respectively.  Other costs for the operation of the AIT OQ are subsidized by AIT.)  

After the above three phases, all students—both new and continuing—subject to being COVID-19 free, will be required to leave their SI room, for another available unit; continuing students with existing rooms may be able to return to their original shared rooms (which have been saved for them), and new students could pair up to occupy a shared unit somewhere else on campus, if available.  

2.     REMINDER ON COMPLIANCE WITH STRICT AIT OQ RULES: It is with much disappointment that we report to you of incidents of violation in the AIT Organizational Quarantine (OQ).  These risky incidents entail OQ residents venturing outside of their own units, sharing food, etc., which are in clear violation of the AIT OQ and the Thai Government’s protocols.  Reprimand letters have been issued to those who were in violation, and further measures will entail more serious disciplinary action, including possible eviction from on-campus accommodation or expulsion from AIT.  It is vitally important that the AIT OQ and also Self-Isolation guidelines, be adhered to very seriously.  We need everyone’s cooperation and must all do our part to keep our campus safe. 

3.     DISCOURAGE INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL: The Task Force continues to receive requests for international travel, primarily to return home, which it has been approving on a case-by-case basis on humanitarian grounds.  While the Task Force is understanding and sympathetic of such cases, we urge members of the AIT Community to try and defer such travel as much as possible.  Even with the travel and quarantine restrictions being eased, international travel remains risky with the likelihood of contracting the disease during the journey.  In addition, commercial flights have yet to resume and are costly, and the processing of a Thailand Certificate of Entry (CoE) is still cumbersome.  Faculty Advisors should make sure that these risks are fully understood by their students, and remind them that travel must be approved by the AIT COVID-19 Task Force beforehand.

4.     REMINDER TO MONITOR PASSPORT AND VISA EXPIRY DATES: We would like to request all members of the AIT community, especially our students, to pay close attention to expiration dates of your passports and visas.  During this COVID-19 pandemic, it is not a convenient process to extend passports and renew visas which would involve your home Embassy here and the Thailand Immigration Office, whose hours may be irregular.  So we must all take personal responsibility and remain vigilant in keeping all our documents updated.  Please work closely with our Government Relations Unit (GRU) well ahead of time so that any processing that is needed can be done in a proper and timely manner.

5.     OTHER POLICIES – All the other earlier announced policies still stand, but please check with the Task Force if you have any queries and also visit the Intranet page where all COVID-19 related information and updates from the Task Force are available.  Please stay updated on news from the Government of Thailand and other updates from the AIT COVID-19 Task Force.  

Thailand is still reporting cases of COVID-19 per day.  We urge you to continue to maintain a high level of safety and hygiene measures, like regularly washing your hands, wearing masks in public places and when in the company of people, maintaining social distancing, avoiding large crowds, and please visit the AIT Medical Center if you feel unwell.  We must all continue to remain vigilant even as restrictions are being relaxed. 

AIT COVID-19 Task Force

2) New and Revised P&Ps

Email from the Director, Office of Academic Administration on 5 April 2021

On the endorsement of the AIT Governing and Management Teams, the President approved the following new and revised Institute Policy and Procedure (P&P) Statement with effect as of 1 April 2021:

NEW P&P:

1.  FB-5-1-1 Guidelines on Donations (Appendix 1 Due Diligence Checklist on Donors)

       * This new P&P will be under the responsibility of the Director of the Office of Advancement and Alumni Affairs (OAAA).

REVISED P&Ps:

1.  AA-1-2-3 Authority, Delegation and Accountability

       * The Responsible Officers for this P&P was changed from the Institute Secretary to the President and VP-Administration.  Proposed revisions include the exclusion of the section on Institute-level Advisory Board, which has been discontinued, and some editorial changes.  The sections on School and RC Advisory Boards, as well as on Responsibility Center Directors were revised to include all Responsibility Centers rather AIT Extension only.  The Chair and Vice-Chair of School and RC Advisory Boards to be appointed from among the members (not only from the external members); the Deans and RC (Executive) Directors maybe (not mandatory) invited ex-officio to participate in meetings of the other Schools and RCs Advisory Boards, or to nominate their representatives to do the same; limit the term of office of members to not exceed four years; appointment of Associate Deans are on the recommendation of the Dean; the RC (Executive) Directors are accountable to the President, or the designated Vice President; and that Service Centers maybe supervised by a (Deputy) Director.

2.  AA-1-2-5 Delegation of Authority (with 2 Annexes) 

       * The Responsible Officers for this P&P was changed from the Institute Secretary to the President and VP-Administration.  The proposed revisions are minor editorial changes to reflect current administrative structure.

a.  DA0001 Authority to Act for the President – Made minor editorial changes, specified that this delegation of authority takes effect in the absence of the President for an extended period, and does not allow the absence of the President and all VPs at the same time.

b.  DA0002 Authority to Approve Financial and Human Resources Transactions and Authorization Limits – Proposed revisions include a minor editorial change; reflected current administrative structure; adjusted value of procurement under the authority of Deans, Directors and President; and added the involvement of VPs in HR transactions.

3.  AA-1-2-6 Partnership Agreement Definitions, Processing and Finalization (with 3 Annexes)

       * Very minor editorial changes to reflect administrative restructuring and actual process and practices.

a.  Appendix 1 MoU Template – Very minor editorial changes, and also removed a stipulation should an amicable solution cannot be reached to resolve disputes or misunderstandings that arise in the administration of the MoU/MoA.

b.  Appendix 2 MoA Template – Very minor editorial changes, and also removed a stipulation should an amicable solution cannot be reached to resolve disputes or misunderstandings that arise in the administration of the MoU/MoA.

c.  Appendix 3 Complementary Information for the MoU/MoA – Added a couple of necessary entries.

4.  AA-1-2-8 Risk Management

       * The Responsible Officer for this P&P was changed from the Compliance Officer to the President, VP-Administration, and Institute Secretary; Consultants can be used in lieu of an internal Risk Management Committee, and submission of Risk Register every three years or as indicated by the Board.

5.  AA-1-3-1 Supplementary Allowances

       * The proposed revisions include adjustments in the supplementary allowances for administrative positions, as well as for higher-graded role and acting assignments; added a stipulation that salary increments will continue during the term of the administrative appointment; added a stipulation on the eligibility of Vice-Presidents for free on-campus employee accommodation rental, as applicable.

6.  AA-5-2-1 Externally Sponsored and Contracted Projects: Annex 1 Scheme for R&D Projects

       * It is proposed that PI can request for the transfer of 100% of their R&D project residual to support student scholarships after confirming the completion of all project commitments in compliance with donor regulations.  

7.  AA-7-1-2 Appointment of Student Assistants

       * The proposed revisions were to only use the term Student Assistants for both masters and doctoral students, and to facilitate the implementation of student assistantships to be offered to new students from the Fall 2021 semester onwards.

8.  AA-8-5-2 Guidelines for Transfer of Credits to AIT

       * To incorporate the revised stipulation approved by the President (in November 2020) and recommended by Senate (and ADRC) (in September 2020) that only up to a maximum of six (6) credits (from 9 credits) of courses taken under the doctoral program at another graduate school or institution may be transferred as partial completion of the credit requirement of the AIT doctoral program.  In addition, proposed revisions include the exclusion of references to diploma and undergraduate programs, and reflect the changes in the School administrative structure.

9.  FB-2-2-1 Responsibility Center Management (with 4 Annexes)

       * Very minor editorial changes: proposed revisions on the main P&P include the change of responsibility from OFIN Director to the VPAA and VPKT, and excluded reference to Academic Quality Issues.  This P&P has the following 4 Annexes:

a.  Annex 1 Handling of Surpluses and Deficits in RCs – Added a stipulation that provides RC Directors the prerogative to share their share of their overall Net Surplus between their Capital and Development Funds.

b.  Annex 2 Financial Model for Non-Academic Responsibility Centers under Tier-1 Category – Reflected the new stipulation in Annex 1, and added reference to related P&Ps.

c.  Annex 3 Cost Drivers – No changes were proposed on the cost drivers, but only reflected changes in Offices and functions.

d.  Annex 4 List of Responsibility Centers and Service Centers – Reflected updates in Offices, units and functions.

10.  FB-2-2-2 Fixed Assets

       * In addition to editorial changes, proposed revisions include the change of responsibility from OFIN Director to OPIA Director, added a stipulation on donated fixed assets, and revised the stipulation on the disposal of fixed assets.

11.  FB-6-1-2 Provision of Doubtful Accounts

       * Very minor editorial changes.  This is under the responsibility of the OFIN Director.

 

3) The talk on Structural Engineering Software (SAFE, ETABS)

Join the talk on Structural Engineering Software (SAFE, ETABS) on 8th April 2021 @ 2:00PM (Bangkok Time).

The talk hosted by Professional Master in Structural Design of Tall Buildings (PMTB) will focus on the use of ETABS and SAFE by professional engineers.

The talk will be delivered by:

Mr. Thaung Htut Aung, Director, AIT Solutions, Asian Institute of Technology: An expert in conducting structural performance-based evaluation of tall building projects, and in the use of structural engineering softwares such as: ETABS, SAFE, SAP2000, and PERFORM 3D.

Mr. Keerati Tunthasuwatana, Head of Asian Center for Engineering Computations and Software: An expert with areas of expertise in structural analysis and design of buildings and bridges, structural design reviews, structural evaluations and remedial measure, structural damage investigation, and in the use of structural engineering softwares such as: ETABS, SAFE, SAP2000, and PERFORM 3D.

Register Now: https://docs.google.com/.../1FAIpQLSeEkAVzj6W.../viewform...

Or Scan the QR code

4) AIT Cultural Show 2021

Please kindly find detailed information in the following:

Date:  9th April 2021

Venue:  AIT Auditorium and Lobby

Time: 5 PM to 11 PM

Available seats Only 100 seats (Limited, First Come-First serve)

**The events will be conducted in a hybrid way with live streaming for overseas students.

So, let’s follow precautions to help our event happened with success.

All attendees will be required to pre-register before the gathering

Temperature Check-will is done upon entering the venue.

No mask - No entry.

Hand gels will be provided at the entrance of the venue

All chairs will be arranged according to the social distancing guideline

Foods are not allowed inside AIT Auditorium and Lobby; food stalls near the pond outside with servers (No self-service)

The seat will be limited to 100 seats for those who registered and they will be 40 seats for the first-come, first-serve walked-in audience.

During the event, the Auditorium's entry and exit doors will be open for the audiences to walk through, with volunteers counting the number of people in the audience no more than 20 persons at a time.

The projector will be provided to show the live streaming along outside the hall by providing seats and activities according to social distancing guidelines

Register Now!

Link https://forms.gle/thfkGeqm89SziHSH7

For More Info or any clarification, Contact Us: suculgen@ait.asia

We Are Looking Forward To Seeing You In Space Between Us

Training Courses/ Conferences/ Workshops

1) Online training course on "Connect Learning with Monitoring and Evaluation: A Strategy for Project M&E in Current COVID-19 Pandemic"

Date: 10 - 28 May 2021
Time: 14:00 - 16:00 hrs. (Bangkok time)
Learn from practitioners on how to develop M & E pathways that foster measurement of results and respond to current changes of M&E contexts. Broadening perspectives for innovative ways to develop tools and reporting mechanisms that help to make decisions for project implementation. 

Aims of the program

Enhance practical knowledge and scope for M&E approach and practices during COVID-19.
Be acquainted with appropriate research design and data collection tools.

Apply M &E concept to create information sharing and reporting strategies.

For more information and registration pls. visit https://extension.ait.ac.th/course/1127

 

2) 2nd International  Symposium on Disaster Resilience and Sustainable Development (DRSD) 

We are happy to announce the "2nd International Symposium on Disaster Resilience and Sustainable Development” from 24 -25 June 2021 scheduled to be held at Asian Institute of Technology, THAILAND (In-person and Virtual) [www.disaster-sustainability.org]. The “2nd International Symposium on Disaster Resilience and Sustainable Development” organized by the Asian Institute of Technology brings together discussion on various dimensions of higher education systems in the Asia-Pacific region with a focus on Disaster Risk Reduction and Sustainable Development. The International Symposium will focus on various dimensions of existing and future risk scenarios and concerted efforts of the scientific communities to find new adaptation methods. 

The international symposium will be organized from 24 -25 June 2021 in hybrid mode. The program will include keynote speeches, panel discussions, technical sessions, poster presentations, and academic exhibitions. The Symposium is one of the initiatives of ProSPER.Net project “Disaster Education for integrating SFDRR and SDG in Asia” lead by the Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand along with the partner universities in the Asia Pacific Region. 

The symposium will also provide an opportunity to develop a Higher Educational Institution Platform on DRR to address the cross-cutting issues on Disaster Resilience and Sustainable Development and also understanding regional challenges that result from complex problems generated by natural hazards and human-induced threats.

On behalf of Organising Committee DRSD-2021, I would like to invite your valuable participation and interaction with Global Resilience and Sustainability Experts. 

CALL for ABSTRACT is open 

We will encourage you to circulate the announcement to your scientific and professional network.