As we approach the start of classes, I want to share important information about how we will communicate COVID-19 cases and clusters during the Spring 2021 semester, as well as some changes we have made to the Carolina Together Dashboard.
We hope you had a good winter break and were able to find opportunities to rest after a challenging year. As we start the new year, we know many of those challenges remain, but we are focused on the best ways we can support the important work ahead of us to continue teaching, learning and conducting ground-breaking research at Carolina while keeping your health and safety a priority.
Dear Carolina students, Our COVID-19 Community Standards define individual actions that, when we all act together, help to protect the Carolina community. For the spring, these standards include: wearing a mask, staying six feet apart, complying with all University, local and state gathering limits, monitoring your health and symptoms every day and participating in our Carolina Together Testing Program.
You may have seen the Chancellor’s announcement introducing the Carolina Together Testing Program for Spring 2021 on November 23. Today I’m writing to provide more specific information that applies to the testing requirements for the spring semester. Your ability to return to the area for the spring semester will require some advanced planning through the winter break, so please take note of what will need to be completed. We have included a printable chart that you can fill out with the relevant dates.
As another year comes to a close, I write to provide a series of updates related to employee benefits and spring semester planning. Admittedly, some of these updates are still in the making or are awaiting further information from state and federal agencies. However, we know how valuable it is in these remarkably uncertain times to have some sense of what is and what may be.
For those who are spending some part of your break in the Chapel Hill or Carrboro area, there are campus services available for students, although hours may be limited. Check out our Student Affairs website for information about campus resources.
On behalf of the faculty and staff who continue to plan and develop our comprehensive strategy for the spring semester, I am pleased to introduce the Carolina Together Testing Program, our re-entry and asymptomatic evaluation COVID-19 testing plan.
The University is sharing key data on a quarterly basis that summarizes our community standards referrals for violations and outcomes on our Carolina Together website. We will do this in a way that balances our desire for transparency with ensuring that individuals’ privacy rights aren’t compromised.
In October, the Chancellor and Provost announced a revised calendar for the spring semester. As part of that announcement, the University moved from a traditional Spring Break to providing five wellness days spread across the semester.
As this semester winds to a close, we ask those of you who are preparing to leave residence halls, apartments, and homes in town to please make an exit plan.
Today we are providing important updates on modes of academic instruction, on-campus housing and COVID-19 testing. These decisions are guided by feedback from recent student surveys, as well as from several groups, including the Campus and Community Advisory Committee, the Roadmap Implementation Team, student and faculty advisory groups and the advice of our public health and medical content experts, state and Orange County health departments and the UNC System.
As you enter the final weeks of the fall semester, we want to update you on planning for the spring 2021 semester and Winter Commencement. We have been carefully listening to the voices of our community as we consider the important lessons learned from planning for the fall and prepare to make updates to our Roadmap to offer classes next semester.
In the last week, we have heard that many students would appreciate a mental health day. World Mental Health Day is Saturday, October 10, and given the stress we have heard that many of our students are under, we recommend faculty recognize Friday, October 9 (which is also midpoint of the fall term), as the University’s observance of World Mental Health Day by “pausing” instruction on that day, creating a three-day weekend and allow time for self-care.
We’re pleased to announce that we are expanding our COVID-19 Testing program for all students in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro area. Beginning today, Campus Health will offer free, voluntary testing to on-campus and off-campus students at a new location, with a new, more comfortable test.
While we continue to work with our faculty and staff to execute a successful fall semester, we have also turned our attention to spring. Along with our own experience in preparing and implementing our fall plan, we have paid close attention to what is taking place at other institutions around the state and nation.
We have two important updates to share with you today.
I hope you are enjoying the summer and staying safe and well. I wanted to drop you a quick note to say that we have not forgotten about rescheduling your well-earned spring commencement ceremony.
Two weeks ago, we made a difficult but necessary decision to transition to remote undergraduate instruction and began efforts to de-densify our campus. We made this decision first and foremost for the health and safety of our community and so that we could more ably continue our mission of world-class teaching, research and service.
As campus community partners, we are very aware of the concerns felt by our neighbors and other local residents over the potential spread of COVID-19 within our shared community. Since announcing the move to remote instruction for undergraduate students, we have regularly messaged to students and parents the importance of safeguarding the health of our entire community.
Starting today, the University will begin sharing information about COVID-19 clusters exclusively on the Carolina Together website and on the University social media handles and no longer utilize the Alert Carolina Emergency Notification system for these updates.
We recognize that the University’s recent shift to fully remote instruction for our undergraduates, and our efforts to further de-densify our campus, has created additional challenges and uncertainty to the start of the fall semester. Many students are struggling and feeling stressed. As a result, we are instituting academic grading accommodations for undergraduate students for the Fall 2020 semester.
We know that this is a challenging time — and that the University’s decision to move to remote undergraduate instruction has been difficult, requiring many of you to adjust to new modes of learning and living environments. While this is not the situation that any of us wanted or hoped for this fall, we want to do everything possible to ensure you achieve success academically and find personal growth as a member of your community.
On Monday, August 17, the Chancellor and Provost shared that we were seeing a rapidly escalating increase in the COVID-19 positivity rate and associated clusters on our campus, and we started the process to further de-densify our community. Since Monday, we have continued to see an escalation of positive test results on our campus.
As #UNC begins remote learning for all undergraduates, Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz offers a message to our students.
Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz thanks UNC faculty and staff for going above and beyond in their efforts to ensure a successful semester for our students and looks ahead to the rest of the semester.
Just two weeks ago, we began the process of welcoming students back into our residence halls; just one week ago, we held our first day of class. We knew this would be a Carolina fall like no other, and with our residence halls at less than 60% capacity and less than 30% of our total classroom seats taught in-person, we certainly began with a very different feel.
We have long known that this would be a semester like no other. The University's decision on Monday to shift our undergraduate instruction entirely remote and to further de-densify our residence halls has presented that challenge in every way possible.
The most important part of Carolina Together is the shared responsibility we have as Tar Heels to keep one another safe. When you follow our Community Standards and University Guidelines, when you Know Your Ws, you are the most important part of our Roadmap.
On Monday we welcome the day we’ve been planning for – the first day of fall classes. The Roadmap was announced on May 21 along with the decision to begin fall classes earlier than normal on August 10. Every day since that decision was announced, the Carolina community has worked together to put a plan in place to implement the goals of the Roadmap, help keep one another safe and implement steps to help reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19.
I am writing to update you on a letter I received late last Wednesday night (July 29, 2020) from the Orange County Health Department (OCHD), my subsequent conversations to clarify the points made in that letter and specific actions we have taken that we believe address their concerns.
We asked some Tar Heels to share with us why they wear a mask.
The first day of classes is just over a week away, but the beginning of the semester can be seen across campus and with it the steps we are taking together to keep one another safe. Housing move-in has begun for staff and begins for all residents on Monday, the Carolina Union has opened, the library will transition to limited open areas on Monday, and more faculty and staff are working from campus.
Please watch this video for a helpful guide on how to navigate buildings this fall.
It will take all of us to help create a healthy and safe environment for campus this year.
There are many updates to the Carolina Together website this week, and I hope you will take the time to read through them. The campus-wide effort going into the Roadmap to Fall 2020 is built around a collective commitment among all of us, students, faculty and staff, to embrace and practice our Community Standards and University Guidelines and help promote a safe and healthy environment for everyone.
All members of our #UNC community must do their part to help foster a healthy campus environment. Following the Community Standards and University Guidelines both on and off campus is a critical component to keeping each other safe.
In the coming days we will update the website with information to guide the University’s decision making on how we may adjust operations and inform off-ramp decisions. We will make any operational decisions in consultation with the UNC System. These metrics include:
"As we return to campus, we will all share the responsibility of adhering to the community standards to keep one another safe."
To make this semester successful, every member of our community will play a part. Each one of us – students, faculty, staff and visitors – must follow the Community Standards to contribute to a safe and healthy environment for us to teach, work, learn and live.
The best way to limit the spread of the virus is to practice physical distancing and wear a face covering or face mask. Our recent Roadmap messaging generated questions and some confusion across campus. To clarify, students, staff, faculty and visitors should remain at least 6 feet away from other people whenever possible in all indoor and outdoor settings, including classrooms.
This week we have made several updates to our Roadmap. We are carefully addressing your questions and concerns while putting guidelines in place to meet our responsibility to provide a safe environment for our return in the fall.
We are aware that some members of our community have expressed questions and concerns about the plan we’ve presented, and we understand and appreciate those questions and concerns. We are working very hard with our community to make sure you have the very best information available and that we communicate with you often.
Blouin will manage the creation and implementation of policies and procedures that will enable us to return to on-campus operations.