[Agvisors] FW: End of the Year

Thu Dec 17 12:55:39 MST 2020

FYI – this message was sent to students today

[cid:image001.png at 01D6D473.EF900910]
Danielle Flink
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Student Success and Retention Specialist
CALS Career & Academic Services
THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA

From: President Robert C. Robbins <president at comms.arizona.edu>
Sent: Thursday, December 17, 2020 12:31 PM
To: Flink, Danielle - (danielleflink) <danielleflink at arizona.edu>
Subject: End of the Year

I am very grateful for your perseverance this fall semester, which I know  was not the traditional college experience many of you imagined.

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Dear Students,

I am very grateful for your perseverance this fall semester, which I know was not the traditional college experience many of you imagined. I appreciate your patience and determination. The vast majority of you have taken public health guidance seriously and done what was necessary to protect yourselves and those around you. Thank you.

The Test All Test Smart initiative played an essential role in keeping transmission rates low, with 100,000 tests administered by the University since August 4 and a positivity rate of 3%.

We will need the same level of vigilance in the spring. Plans for the semester include:

  *   A testing blitz will be held from January 6 to January 12. Dorm residents will test on their move-in day.
  *   Just as we did in the fall, isolation dorm rooms will be provided for students who test positive during move-in and throughout the term.
  *   Following the testing blitz, mandatory weekly testing will be required for students living in the dorms and those who come to Main Campus for classes. Students who come to campus for other needs are expected to have tested within the previous week.

You will receive additional information closer to the beginning of the spring term, including a checklist to prepare for spring testing, but for now, please note the following:

  *   We will offer rewards to encourage high testing rates.
  *   Our public health faculty advisors will recommend levels of adherence to testing, and if rates fall below this level, compliance will be managed through access to the campus-based Wi-Fi network on Main Campus. Access to the University’s guest Wi-Fi and the University Libraries’ online resources will not be restricted.
  *   Based on CDC guidance, students with a positive PCR or antigen test will be exempt from testing for 90 days, after which they will be required to participate in ongoing testing. By early January there will be a process for students to request accommodations.
  *   If you live off campus and have left Tucson for the break, please plan to return five days early and quarantine prior to completing your rapid antigen test to ensure infections contracted during travel are detected.
  *   A highly sensitive Saline Gargle PCR test will soon be available at our test sites. This is the result of University faculty members’ leadership, and we will offer this new, non-invasive test to students, faculty and staff free of charge, just as with the antigen tests.

While this year presented a multitude of challenges unforeseen in our lifetimes and grief for many, there have been many displays of resiliency and compassion as well. Your actions, and those of our faculty and staff, have set a strong foundation for the spring semester. I truly believe we have set an example for other universities around the country, that we have the tools necessary for success as an institution, and that we will provide you the tools for lifelong learning and success.

I hope I can see you again in person at some point during the spring semester. Have a safe and joyous holiday season and a happy new year.
Bear Down and Mask Up,

Robert C. Robbins, M.D.

President
The University of Arizona

Our physical address is:
University of Arizona
PO Box 210066 Tucson, AZ 85721 US

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