July 15, 2020
Your health and well-being guide all we do as we plan for students’ return in the fall.
UCF is your home, and while the campus experience will undoubtedly be different for a time due to COVID-19, we are committed to your success.
Our academic plans for the fall are intentionally flexible and allow for alternatives in the event students have to be quarantined or test positive for COVID-19, including the possibility of pivoting to more remote instruction if needed. I encourage you to review your courses and connect with your advisor if you need personalized academic advising.
While fall courses will be a mix of face-to-face, online and hybrid learning, many student services will continue to be available virtually, and there will be other ways for you to receive support and get involved.
Campus Activities
- In addition to activities this summer, there will be engagement opportunities this fall through student organizations, events and other activities that are planned to be held both face-to-face and virtually to help bring you together with your UCF community.
- Registered Student Organizations are encouraged to continue to hold events remotely when possible. There are new training and safety plan requirements for face-to-face events that require detailed information on setup; face-covering enforcement; cleanliness; and plans for adhering to CDC, state and university guidelines.
- Sorority and fraternity recruitment will take place this fall but primarily in a remote manner. More information will be shared in the weeks ahead as plans are finalized.
- Phase 1 of the Recreation and Wellness Center’s reopening started this week, with several outdoor recreation facilities open for student use with modified hours and policies. Online programming continues to be offered through the RWC+ platform, and the RWC plans for a more full opening later this summer with new guidelines that align with public health best practices for COVID-19.
- Engagement will take continued creative thinking about how to maximize virtual environments and utilize outdoor spaces in accordance with physical distancing and other precautions. We will continue to explore these options as we emphasize a campus culture built around caring and personal responsibility.
Housing
- UCF Housing plans to stay open to residents this fall, even if the university transitions to fully remote instruction at any point. Residence halls will remain open after UCF transitions to remote instruction following Thanksgiving.
- Additional health and safety measures will include reduced occupancy, the wearing of face coverings in hallways and community spaces, space and amenity restrictions, and increased cleaning and disinfecting.
- These practices also have been recommended to the UCF-area apartment complexes that house so many of our students.
Our fall on-campus experience depends on us all doing our part wherever we are to stop the pandemic’s spread by wearing face coverings, respecting physical distancing and washing hands regularly. We have already seen near UCF and throughout the state and nation how not following proper behavior can contribute to the spread of COVID-19.
All of us need to continue to tackle personal inconveniences, take individual responsibility, and adopt the health measures necessary to promote a culture of well-being that will allow us to be together again.
I know that day will come, and it will be here sooner if we all do our part now. Armor Up, Knights, and Charge On!
Maribeth Ehasz, Ph.D.
Vice President, Student Development and Enrollment Services