The following message was sent to all undergradaute and graduate students
Welcome back, my friends. As we approach the start of the Spring semester, I wish you a healthy and safe return to instruction and, when applicable, to campus.
We’ve learned so much as a community and I thank you for your care of each another. I want to share a few reminders and updates as we approach reopening:
First, my favorite websites for staying connected and up to date:
Now for that long email of key topics - many of which reflect how much you have taught me over the course of the past semester and our commitment to all of you:
Communicating During COVID: I enjoyed my emails to all of you last semester. It was an opportunity to connect and share what we knew and ensure that you were aware of decisions as they were being made. That being said, to some of you, those communications appeared to be a perpetual message of rising concern. With that in mind, we are implementing a color-coded system for residential students on the University dashboard. This system will keep you informed as a community, aware of our current health status, and any impact it has upon the student experience (such as community quarantine, access to in person activities, etc.).
I do want to stay connected with all of you to celebrate our good work and share my concerns when warranted. Starting the week of Jan. 18, I will email all Storrs students a weekly Wednesday afternoon email. Students are also ALWAYS invited to attend my Dean’s Advisory group meetings.
Re-Opening: Move in will occur Jan. 16 to 17 with all residential students required to participate in testing prior to arrival and a second test upon arrival. Information on move-in and testing requirements for residential students was sent by Residential Life and can be found here. Please review it carefully and let us know if you have any questions. In addition, SHaW sent a separate email to Storrs and Stamford residential students last week with instructions and a link to obtain the Vault mail-in test for pre-arrival testing. Students must complete and submit these tests prior to arrival to live in university residence halls.
Off-campus Storrs students, both graduate and undergraduate, who are registered for in-person instruction or who will be regularly working or doing research on campus are required to be tested prior to coming to their on-campus commitments. On-site testing will be held on the Storrs campus Jan. 25, 26, 27 and 28 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. An email with specific information and instructions for in-person testing will be sent the week of Jan. 10th.
Off-campus and commuter regional campus students, both graduate and undergraduate, for all UConn regional campuses who are registered for in-person instruction or who will be regularly working or doing research on campus are required to submit verification of a COVID-19 negative test result collected within 7 days of the start of in-person classes. The University is making COVID-19 PCR testing available through a mail-in option at no cost through Vault Health. SHaW will send an email the week of Jan. 17th with specific instructions and a link to obtain the Vault mail-in test.
For more detailed information about all spring semester testing requirements, please visit the SHaW website here.
Connection: During the break, my colleagues across the university came together to talk about one thing: you. Under the guidance of Assistant Vice President Joe Briody we have reviewed our programs and opportunities to connect and have come up with the following for the Spring semester (also featured and updated on the uKindness site). Wherever you may be over the course of the Spring semester, we are one HuskyNation and we are committed to staying connected, whether in-person or virtually. Here are a few highlights:
- Skating in Storrs!!!: We are building an outdoor skating rink on the Great Lawn that will be available once the residential quarantine is complete. No joke. Bring your skates to campus or plan on “renting” them for free! Please remember to keep physically distant on the ice as you slip and slide all over the place. J
- Jonathan’s Challenge: Earn points, win prizes, and be recognized for participating in a host of virtual and in-person events and activities throughout the semester. Come take the Jonathan Challenge, a new university-wide initiative for students at every campus! #JonathansChallenge #DeanIsIn
- Community Connectors – You’re invited to connect with our peer Community Connectors beginning Jan. 11, to share your interests, ask questions, and be connected with programs and engagement opportunities across campus.
- Pack Ambassadors: Pack Ambassadors are trained volunteer students who provide messaging and activities to encourage others to maintain healthy behaviors associated with COVID-19 prevention, and who connect with students to extend care and community with a goal of working together to Protect Our Pack. Using social media, remote and in person platforms they provide information and interaction to their peers. Pack Ambassadors may be students at any of the UConn campuses and may be undergraduate or graduate students. They can be taking courses in person or remotely and live on or off campus. For more information, or to become a Pack Ambassador please contact Jenn Longa, Assistant Dean of Students for Victim Support Services & Bystander Initiatives, at jenn.longa@uconn.edu.
Our Mental Health:
Finally, COVID-19 vaccination for our general student population will occur in Phase 2, and not for some time. Many of us have the fortune of good health and we must prioritize the elderly, medically at risk, and first responders identified through the Phase 1 distribution plan. Our time will come and we are working closely with the Department of Public Health on plans to administer the vaccine to students once available. That time is weeks if not months away and it is critical that we continue this one, I hope, last push of choosing to keep each other safe through our behavior of mask wearing, physical distancing, testing, and symptom monitoring.
Thank you for the exemplary behavior and care that you have continued to practice towards one another. Let’s do this.
Eleanor JB Daugherty, EdD
Associate Vice President and Dean of Students
For more information, contact: Janice Canniff at janice.canniff@uconn.edu