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Important Information About Fall 2021

In This Email:
  • All UVA students, faculty, and staff must update their vaccination status following the directions below. 
  • Unvaccinated people who are on Grounds will be subject to at least weekly prevalence testing and additional requirements to protect their health.
  • Most UVA operations are ready to return to full capacity. Students preparing to return to Charlottesville should read the details below.

Since the academic term ended in May, University leaders, public health experts, and officials from across Grounds have been working to finalize our plans for the 2021-22 academic year. This communication offers updates on those plans so that members of our community know what to expect as we enter another year. 

As we have said before, rising vaccination rates and lower local case counts will permit the University to return to a much more “normal” academic year, with classes in person and most University operations at their full pre-pandemic capacity. For people who are vaccinated, masking and testing requirements, as well as gathering and travel limits will no longer be in effect.

We want to thank every member of our community who has gotten vaccinated and has shared their vaccination record with the University. As of July 15, 2021, 85% of University students who are eligible to enroll in classes on Grounds in Charlottesville and 78.5% of UVA Academic Division employees are fully vaccinated.

If you have been vaccinated but have not yet informed the University, please update your status today, following the instructions provided in the update below. If you have not yet been vaccinated, we urge you to schedule an appointment as soon as possible in order to protect yourself and the people around you from this deadly virus. 

As we get closer to the start of the term, a team of UVA medical and public health experts, led by Doctors Mitchell Rosner and Costi Sifri, will continue to monitor the pandemic, including the impact of new variant strains. The plans below are informed by their advice, as well as that of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Virginia Department of Health.

After a year in which the pandemic made nearly everything more difficult, we hope you are as eager as we are to get back to doing what UVA does best: living, learning, and working together on Grounds. For now, we hope you enjoy the rest of the summer, and we look forward to seeing all of you back at the University.  

Liz Magill, Executive Vice President and Provost

J.J. Davis, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer

 

VACCINATIONS AND PUBLIC HEALTH MEASURES

Reminder: Employee Vaccinations, Uploading Proof, Mandatory Testing if Unvaccinated

The University expects all employees to be vaccinated and they must update their vaccination status in Workday no later than July 23. Any employee who has not been vaccinated, or who has not shared proof of vaccination with the University by July 23, will be subject to mandatory prevalence testing at least once per week beginning August 2. Individuals who are not vaccinated must also adhere to masking requirements, as described below. More information on updating your vaccination status is available from UVA HR. 

 

Reminder: All Students Must Be Fully Vaccinated Before Returning to Grounds

All students who will live, learn, or work in person at the University during the upcoming academic year must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 before returning to the Grounds. Students may seek a medical or religious exemption to the vaccination requirement. Links to the exemption request forms are available on the Student Health and Wellness website.

Students must upload confirmation of their vaccination or their completed exemption to the HealthyHoos patient portal (using NetBadge). To avoid delays, the exemption form must be signed and dated. Students who did not comply with the July 1 deadline to upload their information have been notified that their UVA ID cards have been deactivated, blocking access to buildings, services, and resources. Cards will be reactivated within two business days once students take the necessary steps.

 

Masks Required for People Who Are Unvaccinated

All students, faculty, staff, contractors, and visitors at UVA who are not vaccinated must wear masks in the following situations:
  • When they are inside, including in any common space, except when they are alone and in their own private space (e.g., in an individual office or in a private bedroom or bathroom).
  • When they are outside in all cases, even when they can maintain a physical distance of at least six feet.
As a reminder, people who are vaccinated are welcome to continue wearing masks if they are more comfortable doing so and all University community members are encouraged to treat each other with respect.

 

COVID-19 Testing for Students with Approved Exemptions

As previously communicated, students with an approved vaccine exemption must complete a pre-arrival COVID test and engage in at least weekly mandatory prevalence testing. Students must upload their pre-arrival test results in the HealthyHoos Portal. On-Grounds prevalence test results are automatically uploaded. More information is available on the University’s Student Testing website . The University will continue to provide saliva prevalence screening and Student Health and Wellness will continue to offer testing for any student who is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.  
 

ACADEMIC LIFE

What to Expect in the Classroom

With the return to regular classroom instruction, all available teaching spaces will be arranged in their pre-pandemic configurations by the first day of class. The Registrar’s office has begun classroom assignments, and they will become visible in SIS on a rolling basis as they are made.

 

Guidance for Classroom Instruction and Course-related Accommodations

The Provost has shared guidance for classroom instruction and requests for course-related accommodations with academic leaders. UVA’s default mode of instruction will be in person.

 

Research Update

On-Grounds research labs and personnel are returning to pre-pandemic protocols, as long as researchers (including all faculty, staff, students, postdocs, and others) are vaccinated. Following Academic Division guidance, if researchers are not vaccinated, they will submit to at least weekly mandatory prevalence testing and wear masks at all times in labs and research spaces.
 

OPERATIONS

UVA Dining Returns to Full-Scale Operations

Dining will return to full-scale operations in the fall semester, with more than 20 locations open across Grounds including retail locations and dining rooms. Visit the UVA Dine website for more details, and follow UVA Dine on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to keep up with the latest news.

 

University Transit System Updates

In accordance with University policy and CDC guidance, all passengers on public transportation (University Transit System) are required to wear face masks, regardless of vaccination status. Bus routes and capacity remain modified, though capacity is higher than the 2020-21 academic year. Visit the Parking and Transportation website for updates and route information.

 

Reminder: New Travel Guidance for Employees

Last month, the University lifted its previous prohibition on University-related international travel for faculty and staff and replaced it with a new policyrequiring employees to register all such travel on the University’s International Travel Registry no later than 7 days before departure. The University reserves the right to not reimburse or fund unregistered international travel. Faculty and staff who undertake international travel are responsible for assessing the safety of their planned itineraries in consultation with their supervisors, drawing on resources provided in the policy. They are also responsible for abiding by the University’s regulations governing international travel, especially regarding export controls and travel to sanctioned countries. In addition, University employees are required to abide by Center for Disease Control guidelines for international travel during COVID-19 before, during, and after such travel, including by being fully vaccinated before undertaking travel.

 

IM-Rec Updates for the Fall

IM-Rec gyms and pools no longer require reservations. Visit the IM-Rec website for the most current operating information. Additionally, outdoor fitness is now open at The Park; basketball courts and body-weight equipment are being installed near Mem Gym; and pickleball lines were added to tennis courts at Snyder and Perry-Fishburne.
 

STUDENT LIFE

Orientation, Move-In, and Wahoo Welcome

Virtual Summer Orientation, consisting of advising and course enrollment activities along with community-building activities with the orientation leaders and others, is now under way for new first-year and transfer students.

Move-In: New undergraduates living on Grounds will move in beginning in mid-August. First-year students will move in at appointed times on Wednesday or Thursday, August 18 or 19. Second-year and transfer students will move in on Friday, August 20, and returning third and fourth-year students can arrive on Saturday, August 21 or later. More details about Move-In are available on the Housing & Residence Life website.  

Any student who does not have a confirmation of vaccination or completed exemption form on file in HealthyHoos will not be able to move on Grounds.

Wahoo Welcome: Starting with the first day of Move-In on August 18, a fun and engaging series of Wahoo Welcome activities will take place daily and nightly for both new and returning students. A full schedule of these community-building activities will continue into the fall.

 

 

Student Identification Card Updates

ID cards will be distributed to new undergraduates living on Grounds during Move-In. New transfer students living off Grounds may pick up their ID without an appointment beginning July 26th.  Other undergraduate students who need to pick up a new ID or get a replacement ID should make an appointment with the Academic ID Card Office. Schools/programs will provide information to new graduate students about ID cards. Any student who has not met the vaccination or exemption requirement will not be able to pick up their card. For details, please see ID Card Information.

 

New Student Health and Wellness Center

The new UVA Student Health and Wellness building is scheduled to open the end of August with services rolling out through September. Serving as both a student center and Department of Student Health and Wellness , the state-of-the-art facility features spaces designed to promote student well-being, including a teaching kitchen, student lounge and living room, an art therapy room, and more. Departmental services include Counseling and Psychological Services, Medical Services, Health Promotion, and the Student Disability Access Center. Follow along on Facebook and Instagram for more information about this exciting new student-focused facility.

 

University Library Updates

Through the summer, the University Library is offering appointments in Special Collections and item pickup, study space, and some equipment use at Clemons Library. Pickup at Central Grounds Parking Garage will be available until early August. For fall semester, Library stacks will re-open after the HathiTrust ETAS program ends in late August. Course Reserves will be offered in electronic-preferred format, and Subject Liaisons are happy to assist instructors in planning for the fall semester. Further details about specific locations, hours, and services will be forthcoming. Questions are always welcome in the Ask a Librarian chat service.

 

Athletics

Earlier this summer, UVA Athletics announced that all home events will return to 100% capacity. Any additional health protocols for sporting events will be announced at a later date. 

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