Greetings Titans,
I hope this message finds you well and enjoying your summer. We are looking forward to the start of the Fall 2020 semester – just five weeks away! I want you to know that we are working hard to create the safest, high quality educational environment for you to pursue your educational goals. This message provides some important information that we hope you find helpful.
Registration and Course Delivery
The Schedule of Classes has been updated with information on how courses will be taught for fall. We have dramatically reduced the number of in-person classes to not only lower the total number of people on campus at any one time but to reconfigure classroom spaces to accommodate physical distancing requirements.
If you have already registered you can check your Student Center to learn more about the delivery modes for your courses. The key to understanding the format of your courses will be reviewing information under “Days and Times” and “Building Location/Room Number”. We have put together a Guide for Decoding the Schedule of Classes to help you better understand the format of your courses.
If you wish to change your schedule, you can do so through the usual drop and add process. If you have not yet registered for fall, you are encouraged to do so as soon as possible. You are also encouraged to speak with your advisor about any questions related to changing your schedule or registering for classes. If you are not certain who your advisor is please call the Gateway Information Center at (574) 520-5005.
Campus Housing
We look forward to welcoming students back to our River Crossing Campus Housing. Our apartment style residence halls create a unique safety advantage by providing each student with their own private bedroom. Students who have already signed a Housing Contract for fall will be receiving information this week about revised terms as well as other important information.
Students choosing to live in River Crossing will be required to take a COVID-19 test and show a negative result in order to move-in. If their test result is positive, they will not be permitted to move into their apartment and must self-isolate for a fourteen-day period following that test result. More information will be sent directly to residents about this process. This is just one of the many things we are doing to ensure a safe living and learning environment for students this semester.
I encourage you to review our Housing Frequently Asked Questions for more information about plans for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Reminders
As a reminder, in order to keep everyone in the IU community safe, all students will need to review and sign the Student Commitment Form before returning to campus. This form ensures you are informed of and commit to individual safety practices that we know will help stop the spread of the virus. Faculty and staff are also required to sign a similar agreement and adhere to the same safe practices so we are all working together to create a safe learning environment.
As you know, everyone, including visitors to IU South Bend, will be required to wear a face mask when inside a building or when outside and physical distancing isn’t possible and we will be providing students with two IU-branded masks. We will share more information on how you will receive your masks soon.
In addition, we have worked to reduce the number of people on campus at any one time in offices as well as classrooms. We are installing Plexiglas barriers for high-volume point-of-contact spaces and testing out technology-enabled contactless service points for safer interactions. Custodial staff will be sanitizing common spaces daily and sanitization products will be available so you can wipe down desks upon entering or leaving a classroom. Hand sanitizer stations will be installed in high-traffic areas along with signage to remind everyone about handwashing practices, face mask and social distancing requirements, and cleaning protocols.
All IU students, faculty and staff will also have access to a virtual symptom checker, virtual health screening, and COVID-19 testing if needed. You can visit COVID Health Services to learn more.
Keeping You Informed
We know you will continue to have questions about what campus life and services will look like this fall. We will continue to send update messages to you regularly and are also planning virtual information sessions for you and your family. A schedule for these events will be out soon and I look forward to seeing you there. In the meantime, we encourage you to visit Fall 2020 IU South Bend for more information and continued updates. As a reminder, you can also submit questions about Fall 2020 here. We look forward to hearing from you and are so glad you are part of our community!
Sincerely,
Susan Elrod, PhD
Chancellor