Dear UConn students,

I hope that the break between semesters provided you the opportunity to rest and recharge. We have challenges ahead of us as we continue to face significant public health impacts of the pandemic and as we process the insurrection that occurred at our nation’s Capitol last week with the potential for future violence leading into the inauguration next week.

Our University community can play an important role in our understanding of both, as we saw in the fall semester with COVID-related projects such as the Pandemic Journaling Project and our research-based wastewater and pooled sampling approaches. We are just beginning to unpack the attack in the Capitol and I encourage you to engage in activities that our community is creating. Just as we have recently undertaken direct efforts to develop more robust educational efforts in the areas of anti-racism and climate change, so too do we seek to intervene in meaningful, constructive ways in these additional challenges.

With the spring semester starting in just a few more days, I wanted to reach out with some additional reminders. We have also recently updated our FAQs with more information on the spring semester. Please click here to view our FAQs.

Course modality – first two weeks

• All courses must be delivered remotely during the first two weeks of the spring semester (Jan. 19-31). This is to allow the residential student quarantine to occur simultaneously with the start of classes, as well as to complete baseline testing for off-campus students who will have in-person components to their schedules.

Student move-in

• Residence halls are again limited to about 50% capacity, as they were in the fall. Students in residential assignments must test for COVID-19 before arrival, and will be tested again upon arrival to campus. Move-in will take place on Jan. 16 and 17. More information is available at https://reopen.uconn.edu/living-on-campus/.

UConn Promise

• All students, faculty, and staff are expected to continue to uphold the UConn Promise, which includes wearing a mask in public, maintaining a distance of at least six feet from others wherever possible, and regular hand washing. More details are available at https://reopen.uconn.edu/uconn-promise/.

Space reservation

• Students may reserve campus spaces at Storrs and the regional campuses for studying purposes. More information on accessing campus facilities and services is at https://reopen.uconn.edu/campus-services/.

Final assessments and final exam opt-out

• Modality: With the last two weeks of the semester occurring fully remotely, all final assessments must be delivered remotely, regardless of the modality assigned to a course. Finals are scheduled for May 3 to 8. Instructors have the option to opt-out of a final exam and structure their final assessment in the form of final papers, final individual/group projects or presentations, portfolio reviews, or other forms of cumulative assessment.
  
• Reading Days: These are scheduled for April 29 through May 2 in the spring semester. On Reading Days, instructors may not hold regularly scheduled or make-up classes, nor have assignments due or exams scheduled for these days. Fully optional activities including office hours, study sessions, and/or other accommodations may be scheduled during these days.

Quarantine accommodations

• If a student has been placed in medical quarantine, their instructors will receive an email from the Dean of Students office seeking assistance for the student to continue their studies for in-person courses remotely.

COVID testing, reporting and vaccination

• Testing
• Undergraduate and graduate students (including graduate student employees): Student Health and Wellness (SHaW) provides testing and medical information for students. Please visit https://studenthealth.uconn.edu/updates-events/coronavirus/.
• Reporting
• Undergraduate and graduate students: Please refer to SHaW’s FAQs:  https://studenthealth.uconn.edu/updates-events/coronavirus/. Students who test through SHaW will have their results automatically updated with the University. Students who test outside of the University can upload their results to the SHaW Patient Portal.
• Vaccination
• HR is coordinating vaccine administration for UConn employees. Guidance is not yet available for student vaccination, although graduate assistants with on-campus duties will be included in upcoming phases.

Technology support

• Students: Please visit the Keep Learning website for resources, https://onlinestudent.uconn.edu/keeplearning/.

Sincerely,

Carl

Carl Lejuez

Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs