UNL chancellor gives COVID-19 update

July 24, 2020 steven

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – The University of Nebraska-Lincoln plans to have students return to campus for the fall semester.

Chancellor Ronnie Green released a letter to faculty, staff and students on Thursday where he detailed the university’s plan to return for the upcoming school year.

Chancellor Green thanked the UNL community for how they responded to the challenges posed by the pandemic.

“It is critically important that we work together to create an environment of access, opportunity, innovation, and life-long experiential learning for all students, faculty, staff, and visitors to campus. Our focus on maintaining human connection and a sense of community is what sets Nebraska apart, particularly within the Big Ten. Students come to UNL for the connections they make with their instructors and with one another,” he said.

He adds that there are strong protocols put in place to ensure the health, safety and well-being of everyone on campus.

As part of this effort, each faculty, staff and student will receive two cloth face masks for use.

For faculty and staff, these will be distributed to deans and vice chancellors in early August, and in a couple of weeks you can reach out to your unit leader or department chair for distribution within your group. Instructors may also request a face shield from their department chair.
For students, distribution stations will be open on August 10. Pick up details will be forthcoming in a future communication.

The letter goes on to say…

“To mitigate the risk of virus transfer within our buildings, our facilities team is increasing by nearly 50 percent the amount of fresh air being drawn into HVAC systems. They are also upgrading filters to more efficiently capture and reduce large and small particles in the air.”

All students will be asked to sign our Cornhusker Commitment. All faculty and staff are being encouraged to voluntarily sign to demonstrate their commitment to the safety of the campus community.

UNL students will move into university housing August 13-16.

Starting August 10, campus buildings will be open and accessible as they normally would be during the academic year. All campus safety measures, such as wearing face coverings and social distancing, must be followed.

All students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to self-monitor for and report symptoms of COVID-19 by using the 1-Check COVID-19 screening app developed by the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

For symptomatic individuals or those who desire testing, the university will be providing testing through a partnership with TestNebraska and the University Health Center.

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