COVID-19 update for AHS students from the AHS Office of the Dean

Consistent with the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) communications listed below, the migration of all in-person classes to an online format has begun.

• President Killeen issues new preventive polices for all three campuses
• Provost Poser and Vice Chancellor Barish issue guidance for these new preventative policies
• Dean Fernhall provides update and resources to AHS students

During this process, we want to assure you that AHS faculty and staff will provide you with the support necessary so that you may complete your coursework as planned. Unless we are notified otherwise, you are currently welcome to come to campus to pursue your academic work. Important resources including, but not limited to, AHS advising, the AHS Office of the Dean, the AHS Office of Student Affairs, the AHS Academic Support and Achievement Program, campus housing, cafeteria services, student health services, university libraries and computer labs, all remain open to you.

As you know, classes will be ready to be delivered online no later than March 23. The following points offer more details, recommendations and practices for you to keep in mind as you continue with this semester:

• Each of your course instructors will be making an independent decision as to when, exactly, their course will be migrated to an online format before the March 23 deadline. Your instructor will inform you on the format and modality in which the course will proceed
• If you are a student bearing a current Letter of Accommodation from the UIC Disability Resource Center (DRC), please be sure to consult with the DRC and inform your instructor if you will need any new accommodations given any unforeseen changes in your course format or delivery mode. If you discover such a need and do not currently have a DRC Letter of Accommodation, please consult with the DRC for further advice
• Depending on the rate at which any given instructor is able to migrate to an online format, it is possible that certain courses and exams will continue to be held on campus this week and next week
• Essential small-group courses and corresponding assessment processes, such as practical examinations and other clinical learning activities that occur regularly during labs and as part of clinical fieldwork placements, may still be conducted in person, on- or off-campus at a placement location. If you are part of a small-group course experience or clinical placement, please follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention safety precautions and recommendations and any necessary infection control policies and practices that are governed by the site to which you have been assigned
• If you are in the midst of a clinical or community placement, you are permitted to continue unless the site decides to terminate your participation due to COVID-19. If this situation occurs, please notify your AHS faculty advisor as soon as possible
• Events and meetings conducted by student organizations for which more than 50 attendees are expected are suspended indefinitely and should be canceled by the student leaders of that organization. Other student-organized meetings and events with fewer than 50 attendees must first be approved in writing by the AHS Office of the Dean. Petitions for essential activities from AHS student leaders may be sent to Dean Bo Fernhall at fernhall@uic.edu or Associate Dean Eileen Doran at eileend2@uic.edu
• Research activities are expected to continue as usual following appropriate procedures to ensure the safety of faculty, staff, students and research participants. If you are participating in a research team/collaborative project that meets regularly, please check with your faculty advisor as to the meeting format, as well as the research and data collection practices, going forward. Although small group meetings are permitted to occur, your faculty advisor may choose to conduct team meetings in an online format
• If you are a graduate student and you are required to participate in a field exam, project, thesis/dissertation proposal or final defense this spring, please check with your faculty advisor regarding the format
• If you are feeling concerned about the changes imposed by COVID-19 or feeling stressed for any reason, please bear in mind that campus resources are available to you via Student Health Services

Please know that AHS is here to support you. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to consult an AHS faculty or staff member. Although the format for your coursework and your interactions with faculty and other students are likely to change during this period, the quality and promptness of advising and support will continue. We encourage you to continue to visit Inside AHS for more information.

Best wishes,
Eileen Doran, Assistant Dean for Student Affairs

Bo Fernhall, Dean and Professor

Renee Taylor, Associate Dean for Academic and Faculty Affairs and Professor