Dear UMKC Roos,
Again, you have our deepest appreciation for adapting and thriving this semester, learning and working while keeping everyone safe. We continue to keep our rolling 7-day-average of on-campus positive COVID-19 cases low, consistently between 1 and 2 per day.
With enrollment for spring semester starting next week and holiday and semester breaks on the horizon, we want to share some important updates.
Thanksgiving break
Classes won’t be in session the week of Nov. 23, and most employees won’t be working Thursday and Friday that week. Residential Life housing will be available to the students who live there and want to remain on campus through the break at no cost to students.
We plan to return to classes Nov. 30 through the close of the semester, which ends Dec. 18 after final exams. Students in on-campus housing who need to remain on campus during winter break will have that option this year for an additional cost. Residential life will send a communication about signing up for this option.
Return to campus Spring 2021
Next semester will be similar to the fall when it comes to coursework. We plan to have 50% of courses online and the other 50% in a face-to-face or hybrid format, with an emphasis on providing a larger percentage of lower division and professional program courses face-to-face. Factors such as enrollment, class registration patterns, classroom and faculty availability and public health recommendations will all impact the final breakdown.
We expect to continue existing health and safety guidelines and policies in the spring as well, including our mask guidelines. Residential Life housing students will be required to show negative COVID test results upon return in January as they did in August. Those who have left the U.S. will be required to quarantine for 14 days before classes begin Jan. 19. More details, including testing options, will come to those students in the upcoming weeks.
We also will not have study abroad programs available this spring or summer, due to ongoing COVID concerns in the United States and globally.
Health and safety on and off campus
We know that colder weather and time away from campus are coming. That means it’s vitally important to continue best practices for health and hygiene such as wearing masks, physically distancing and avoiding gatherings, small and large.
Please visit our UMKC COVID-19 website for up-to-date information on confirmed cases and health and safety best practices. Per notification protocols for students and employees, please remember that all members of the UMKC community are required to report a positive COVID-19 test within four hours of receiving it, whether you are on or off campus. During business hours, students should call the UMKC HelpLine at 816-235-2222; employees should contact their supervisor. After hours and on weekends, all should report by calling 816-235-COVI.
Thank you for keeping every Roo safe!
In this together,
C. Mauli Agrawal, Ph.D. Jenny Lundgren, Ph.D.
Chancellor Provost
