Update regarding COVID-19 from President Houston Davis to students, faculty, and staff
As we turn the corner from June to July, our plans for the fall 2020 semester continue to evolve to meet the needs of our students and ensure the health and safety of our campus community. Today, I want to share a few more important updates with you regarding the academic calendar, the COVID-19 website, summer commencement, and more.
FALL BREAK 2020
First, I want to let you know that we have made an additional change to the fall 2020 academic calendar. In order to help maximize instructional time in advance of the onset of flu season, we have adjusted the fall 2020 academic calendar to remove the fall break and add those days to the Thanksgiving break. Therefore, the final day of on-campus instruction will be Friday, Nov. 20, 2020, and students will have a full week off (Monday, Nov. 23 through Sunday, Nov. 29) for Thanksgiving. The start and end dates of the semester will remain the same. As previously planned, the four days of instruction following Thanksgiving, as well as final exams, will be online. Student support services, such as housing, dining and the HPER, will continue to be available through exam week in December. The academic calendar has been updated to reflect this change.
UPDATES TO COVID-19 WEBSITE
Over the past few weeks, we have continued to update our COVID-19 website with new information as it becomes available. Our focus has most recently been on filling in as many details as possible on the student section of the site. Some important additions to the student site this week include new information about face coverings, campus housing, and dining. We have also updated guidelines for social distancing in buildings on campus. These guidelines may be found under the Resources tab.
TESTING, TRACING, ISOLATING
We are very close to announcing a community health partnership for COVID-19 testing and tracing on campus. We hope to release this information in the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, if you have questions about what to do if you are experiencing symptoms and need to be tested, or if you have been in close contact with someone who has received a positive diagnosis, please see the guidance and protocol provided by the UCA Student Health Clinic.
COMMENCEMENT
Finally, we are completing plans for summer commencement ceremonies on August 7 and 8, which will be held on The Stripes at Estes Stadium. We are taking care to ensure that the ticketed ceremonies follow physical distancing and face covering protocols, while minimizing time in the summer heat. More detailed information can be found here.
We continue to plan for a safe return to campus for all of our students, faculty, and staff and will keep you posted as more information becomes available. As a reminder, you can review all of our COVID-19 information and plans for the fall semester on our new website. You can also email questions and concerns to coronavirus@uca.edu.