The below email was sent to undergraduate and graduate students on the Storrs, Hartford, Stamford, Avery Point, and Waterbury campuses on March 31, 2021
Hang on, Huskies,
This is going to be a long email. Why? Because it is time to move past COVID and share some of our plans for fall ‘21.
First, let me again say thank you. Back in March 2020, we simply did not know what the future would hold. You’ve shown me and countless others what it means to care for one another. We have always had Husky pride, worn the sweatshirts, and cheered for our favorite teams. But we have never been tested like this and chosen to be so relentlessly committed to keeping each other healthy and safe.
So, thank you. For choosing to always care for another. Thank you for making friends, participating in activities, and continuing in your educational journey at UConn despite making endless compromises. Thank you for showing us all what being a Husky truly means. Let us never lose sight of that.
Now, it’s time to deliver on the hope we all have for a fall that is rich in in-person activities. Remember to complete the “Do-Over” survey that was sent to you last week to help inform our planning processes for the fall.
It’s going to take a bit of reading, but I want to focus on:
- Our Health: Latest testing data
- Our Care: Vaccination strategy for UConn students
- Our Home: Residential living during the fall term
Our Health:
Click here for graph
Our Care:
Please, please, please get vaccinated once appointments are available. Getting a vaccine will require patience since appointments are limited, but our nation’s distribution systems have already administered millions of doses across the United States. Once vaccinated, please upload your vaccination records on the SHaW patient portal. Notifying SHaW of your vaccination is required for all UConn undergraduate and graduate students. Information on how to schedule an appointment, report your vaccination, and a general FAQ is available here.
Students remaining at UConn for the remainder of spring semester after spring break and over the summer will be vaccinated through SHaW once vaccine supplies become available. SHaW does not anticipate receiving the vaccine prior to the end of April. Neither SHaW nor the Hawley site, operated by UConn Health, are available as a walk-in site. Appointments are required.
While we strongly encourage you to get vaccinated over the summer, students who are unable to receive a vaccine will be vaccinated when they return to the University in the fall. Priority will be given to our residential and international students.
Our vaccination rate and our increasing knowledge of the success of the vaccine will ultimately determine the exact strategy for the fall. I will share that with you later in the summer. However, COVID-19 will not entirely disappear and our plans will include some form of modified quarantine for those not fully vaccinated, as well as some degree of surveillance testing. Assuming we are a vaccinated community, the use of quarantine and surveillance will be significantly less than what you experienced in this academic year.
Our Home:
10,000 beds. That is our goal for the fall semester and a significant increase from the 4,500 residential students who are currently living on our campuses. We might be able to do better and increase that number further, but I will need your help.
Fall planning requires that we accept that COVID-19 will still be present. As a result, we will still need to hold beds from the general population that will be intended for quarantine and isolation of students. However, the number of beds we’ll need to hold is tied closely to the percentage of students vaccinated.
Right now, Residential Life is holding 10% of the targeted bed count for quarantine and isolation. That’s a lot of beds and, by medical necessity, those beds need to be located in our suites and apartments. I know that is the housing that our upper-division students (juniors and seniors) want most. While some apartment and suites remain in the current housing selection process, availability will be limited. More specific information will be sent from Residential Life later today.
I know that’s not something you want to hear. Here’s how we are working to make that news better:
- We need to keep communicating with one another. The closer we get to a 100% vaccination rate among the residential population, the sooner we can reduce – but never eliminate -- the number of quarantine and isolation beds for the fall. As a reminder, students are required to report their vaccination to SHaW. We will constantly evaluate those reports and post them on the COVID dashboard. I will update you in May and June about those vaccination rates.
- Housing selection will begin on April 9 and will include a room change process for all students in June. The complete timeline is available here.
- On July 1, Residential Life will notify upper-division students (juniors and seniors) of any increased availability of suites and apartments and of their eligibility to change their housing.
Here’s what matters: Tell us your vaccination status by July 1. That is not a hard deadline – we are prepared to vaccinate you when you return to campus -- but it helps us make the best decision on returning suites and apartments to eligible juniors and seniors.
Thank you, friends. Our strategy for fall is based on us talking to one another, sharing what we know, and always listening to guidance from our colleagues in the state Department of Public Health. That has worked well for us so far, and I know that partnership will continue over the summer as we finalize our plans.
I’ll be in touch next week with an update on the vaccination process.
All good things,
Eleanor JB Daugherty, EdD
She/Her/Hers
Associate Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of Students
For more information, contact: Janice Canniff at janice.canniff@uconn.edu