Dear Deans, Directors & Department Heads,
I plan to send the email below to all instructors later this afternoon. Please consider sharing this information through your established channels with instructors in your units.
Sincerely,
Andreas C. Cangellaris
Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Provost
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Dear Instructors,
As you know, we are requiring all of our students who are residing in the local community for the Spring 2021 semester to receive two negative COVID-19 test results at least three days apart before the first day of instruction. This decision was based on guidance from our Shield Team. A student’s Illinois app and Boarding Pass will show “Building Access Denied” until they receive their second negative result.
Though we have been sharing information about Spring-semester return testing since October across communication platforms, it is possible that some students may not be aware of or may have misunderstood this requirement. Therefore, we are asking all of you, in your role as instructors this semester, to continue to work with students who miss in-person classes due to restricted building access, to ensure they can continue to make academic progress. In parallel, we encourage students to communicate with their instructors or the Office of the Dean of Students if they encounter any challenges.
We appreciate your extra attention to this issue as we begin the new semester. While this return testing requirement may pose some additional challenges for the first week, it is a critically important step to maximizing the safety of our students, our instructors and the broader community. For those students who were unable to return in time to complete both required tests before the first day of instruction, the critical point is that they test as soon as possible and continue to follow the return protocol of essential activities only.
Thank you for your ongoing patience, understanding and flexibility as we continue to make science-based decisions. And, most of all, I am most grateful for your steadfast commitment to the education and mentoring of our students despite the challenges.
Sincerely,
Andreas C. Cangellaris
Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Provost