As the beginning of the school year approaches, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock has issued a revised return to campus plan. The university is entering Phase 2A of its return to campus plan on Monday, July 27.
For Phase 2A, employees who need to be on campus to prepare for students’ returning in the fall will be allowed to return if cleared by supervisors. Approximately one-third of the university’s employees are expected to be allowed to return during this phase.
Additional employees will be allowed to return for Phase 2B, which is slated for Aug. 10. During this phase, the university is expecting to have two-thirds of its employees return to the campus.
In the revised return to campus plan, all students, employees and visitors are required to use a facemask on campus in all indoor settings. The limited exceptions include while eating and drinking, when in a private office with only one individual present and in residential bedrooms.
UA Little Rock announced that it will be providing a COVID-19 kit for employees. This kit will include a digital thermometer, two cloth face masks, a personal size hand sanitizer and a plastic face shield. During Phase 2A, the university will be working to ensure that departments are stocked with personal protective equipment for the coming semester.
Students will return for the fall term on Aug. 24, as part of the university’s Phase III. Students are currently expected to attend the full term, and Thanksgiving break is scheduled as normal. However, the Provost’s Academic COVID-19 Taskforce (PACT) will monitor COVID-19 levels on campus throughout the semester and should COVID-19 levels hit a specific threshold, instruction will revert completely to online instruction. This threshold will reportedly be determined by PACT and the Coronavirus Emergency Response Team (CERT).
Instructors will be required to prepare contingency plans for a 100 percent conversion to online learning. Online instruction is “expected wherever feasible and effective” in order to limit transmission possibilities and to ensure there are sufficient classroom spaces for courses that require face-to-face interaction, such as labs, studios, clinics, etc.
Before the return of classes, students will have an extended period of time to move into their residencies. This move-in week will be scheduled for Aug. 15 to Aug. 22. Only two guests will be allowed to assist students with the move-in process.
According to the revised plan, international students will be required to self-quarantine for two weeks once they arrive on campus.
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