Chancellor Venkat Reddy and campus leaders addressed campus at the fifth virtual Town Hall of the summer on August 13.
Chancellor Reddy and a panel of campus leaders provided updates on the state of enrollments, health and safety measures UCCS has put into place on campus and the criteria that the university would take into account if considering moving to remote operations at any point during the fall semester.
Updates presented by Chancellor Reddy and campus leadership included several key takeaways.
Here’s what you need to know:
- With enrollments down just 4.8 percent from last year, the university does not expect to make any further cuts to the budget or require additional furloughs or layoffs. Further decisions will be made after the Sept. 10 fall census. Learn more >>
- The Office of Information Technology has installed new technology in classrooms and computer labs across campus to improve the remote learning experience. Learn more >>
- All visitors to campus – including students, faculty and staff – should take the daily wellness check before traveling to campus. In collaboration with CU Denver and the Anschutz Medical Campus, OIT has developed an app that will soon take the place of the current assessment. It will be located at the same URL. Learn more >>
- Anyone who spends time on campus must wear a face covering while in public spaces, maintain social distancing and carefully monitor their symptoms. When outdoors, face coverings are strongly encouraged, but they may be removed so long as individuals keep six feet of distance between themselves and those around them. Learn more >>
- Public health guidelines from the state of Colorado, including face coverings and social distancing, will be enforced. Students who refuse to wear face coverings will be held accountable by the student code of conduct, and employees will be held accountable by the Office of Human Resources. Learn more >>
- In the event of positive cases of COVID-19 on campus, the Wellness Center will conduct contact tracing for residential students living on campus, and will partner with El Paso County to conduct contact tracing for faculty, staff and commuter students. Learn more >>
- Any student who has symptoms of COVID-19 should contact the Wellness Center immediately, so that they office may begin to conduct contact tracing. The name of the individual reporting symptoms will not be revealed to those contacted. Learn more >>
- A rapid testing machine will soon be available at the Wellness Center that will deliver COVID-19 testing results for students in 15 minutes. Faculty and staff are encouraged to visit drive-through testing centers or work through their primary care providers for testing. Learn more >>
- Residential students who test positive for COVID-19 are encouraged to isolate or quarantine at home when feasible so they have additional support and can be in the comfort of their own home. Students that remain on campus will be moved to a single private room and will remain in that room until their isolation or quarantine period has passed.
- Faculty members are encouraged to wear a face covering while teaching in-person classes, but a face shield will suffice. They may not remove face coverings within a 25-foot distance of students. Learn more >>
- Students who believe they may require an accommodation due to a disability in order to comply with face covering requirements should contact Disability Services. Learn more >>
- UCCS will not hold events on the main campus sponsored by individuals unaffiliated with the university. In many cases, events involving off-campus individuals, such as speakers, will need to be held virtually. Learn more >>
“Thank you to each and every Mountain Lion who makes up our community, who has been doing their part to keep UCCS moving forward, despite all the challenges we have faced,” said Chancellor Reddy in remarks to the audience. “It’s our collective effort that makes a return to campus and a fall semester possible. We all have a part to play in keeping our community healthy.”
“I am proud of the patience, compassion and courage our faculty, staff and students have shown throughout this planning process. I take a great deal of pride in serving you, and I am a very proud Mountain Lion.”
Members of the UCCS community who would like to submit additional questions for response may do so online. They may also fill out a survey response to the event.