COVID-19 Update: June 11, 2020
Dear UC Community,
We write to share our plans to welcome back our students to campus on August 24 for the start of the fall semester. We believe a thoughtful blend of in-person and virtual offerings, in addition to enhanced health and safety measures, will provide our students with the best collegiate experience possible in this new era of living and learning.
On May 20, we outlined a multi-phase approach to returning faculty and staff to campus over the summer in preparation for the fall semester. We are pleased to report Phase One has been launched successfully. Preparations for the start of Phase Two and Phase Three remain on track. Before sharing details on Phase Four, which includes the safe return of students to campus, let us reiterate the health and safety measures that underpin our endeavor.
Until we know enhanced health and safety measures are no longer needed, we will continue to err on the side of caution in protecting our campus community. Safeguards include facial coverings, proper handwashing, physical distancing, frequent cleaning, reduced density in certain spaces and required reporting of symptoms, among others. Our testing and tracing protocols will be shared in the coming weeks. Additional information on our health and safety policies as well as mental health resources can be found here.
Bringing our students back to campus will necessitate several adjustments to academic life and the student experience. For instance, we will adjust the academic calendar to finish in-person activities by Thanksgiving Break. To provide enhanced flexibility and properly manage the density of campus, we will offer a blend of in-person, online and hybrid courses. Our housing and dining options will be adjusted to incorporate enhanced health and safety measures. And we will provide additional direction on campus events and activities.
To learn more about planning for the fall semester, including more details on academic life, housing, dining, transportation and athletics, please click here.
We want to underscore our admiration and appreciation for your understanding and support as we navigate these uncharted waters. If this pandemic has taught us anything, it is the need for us to have contingency plans for our contingency plans. Given the tremendous amount of work that still must be done, we realize plenty of unanswered questions remain. We ask for your continued patience as we allow our various representative working groups across campus to finalize their planning efforts. We will share the full version of our Return to Campus plan by early July.
Thank you for everything you do to make UC an amazing place to live, learn and grow.
With gratitude,
Neville G. Pinto
President
Kristi A. Nelson
Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost
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