Campus family,
In March, Union College met the unprecedented challenge of a global pandemic by transitioning classes online and sending the majority of our students home to finish the semester. At the time, this was the right thing to do based on what we knew about COVID-19 and its threat to overwhelm our healthcare system. And we all pulled together—even when we were apart—to complete classwork under less than ideal circumstances.
But we also understand that the strength of Union College is in our community, in the relationships that strengthen each other and in the personal mentorship that helps each of you grow into the person God designed you to be.
Many of you have told us that you want to be back on campus this fall—and that’s what we want, too. We are implementing plans that will allow you to enjoy the on-campus Union experience you’ve come to love while still protecting each other and the larger community from the coronavirus.
Below I have outlined plans for the fall semester that will help make that possible. Some of these are significant changes, so please take careful note and begin planning now.
The fall semester will shift two weeks earlier
We believe one of the key components to a successful semester lies in adjusting the schedule.
- The Fall 2020 semester will begin on August 10, 2020. This is two weeks earlier than the originally planned start date. This means that registration will take place on August 9 and uConnect will start on August 6. If you are required to be on campus early for a job or class, please connect with your professor or work supervisor for details.
- The semester will end on November 24, 2020. Final tests will be taken on Friday, Monday and Tuesday, November 20, 23 and 24. You will then have an extended holiday break until classes resume for the spring semester on January 11.
- There will not be any long-weekend breaks during the semester. This is to help us fit in all the learning days in the shortened semester schedule. We plan to have two mid-week days off—likely one in September and one in October—to give students and teachers a break.
We’re still working out some of the other schedule details, and we’ll release a new calendar as soon as possible.
Why change the semester schedule?
Our goal is to make sure we can complete the semester on campus without transitioning to remote learning. Here’s how the new fall schedule will help us do that:
- Limited travel—The more everyone travels, the more chance they have of bringing COVID-19 back to our campus and spreading it. By not having everyone go home for Thanksgiving break and then come back for three weeks, we limit that possibility. We also removed long-weekend breaks to encourage students to stay on campus for the entire semester.
- Off campus during flu season peak—By ending the semester in November, we ensure that students will be off campus during the typical peak of flu season—a time when health experts believe there is likely to be a spike in COVID-19 cases around the country.
- No remote or weekend classes—Some other colleges decided to start one week earlier and finish at Thanksgiving. However, in order to do that, they chose to hold classes on the weekends or hold an additional week plus finals remotely after Thanksgiving break. We don’t believe either of those options is best for our students or faculty.
How Union will stay safe this fall
Union continues to stay committed to keeping our campus community safe and healthy, and we continue to put plans into place to make sure that happens. Here is a preview of what the fall will look like:
- Cleaning—We will implement systematic cleaning processes to ensure that everything—especially high traffic areas, door handles, bathrooms and other shared surface areas—is properly sanitized. We are also working on plans for cleaning stations in each area so students and employees can sanitize high touch areas often. This includes the residence halls and other living spaces.
- Distancing—We have reduced the capacity of all classrooms and other public areas so that everyone can be properly socially distant.
- Dining hall—The capacity of the dining hall will be reduced so residents can maintain social distancing and Union Market has adjusted their serving practices to minimize the potential spread of illness.
- Foot traffic flow—We will be designating many doors and hallways as “one way” in order to allow better distancing while moving between rooms and avoid traffic choke points.
- Quarantine spaces—We are working to set up a designated quarantine space in case students get sick so they can be isolated from the general population. While they are in quarantine, we plan to support students through daily virtual visits with the campus nurse, meal delivery, laundry service, and transportation to medical appointments as needed.
- Facemasks—We recommend that students bring multiple face coverings to campus to use when social distancing is not possible.
The schedule change may significantly impact your summer plans and I apologize for this inconvenience. However, we believe this plan is preferable to completing part of the semester online.
We encourage any student with a compromised immune system to discuss their health risks during the COVID-19 pandemic with their medical provider before returning to campus. Please contact our Campus Health office at campushealthnurse@ucollege.edu to discuss any accommodations you may need.
If you have questions about how this might impact your academic program, please contact your academic advisor. If you have questions about the residence hall, please contact Dean Stocks at stacy.stocks@ucollege.edu
I’m excited to see plans coming together that will allow all of us to be together this fall and I look forward to seeing all of you soon. We will continue to research and make sure we have implemented the best practices to keep you safe and make sure you have a great educational experience. Please watch for more updates as we finalize details or check ucollege.edu/covid-19
Please join us for a special Q&A session about these changes on Facebook Live on Monday, June 8, at 7:00 p.m. (Central).
Blessings to you,
Vinita Sauder
President, Union College
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