Sanitary sprays, hand sanitizers, single-sided plexiglass barriers, face masks, face shields and three-sided plexiglass shields are just some of the safety precautions UHCL has implemented on campus using funding from the CARES Act.Īs of Sept. A sanitization station is posted beside every classroom on campus. UHCL does not have a traditional residential campus with numerous dorms or Greek life, so administrators could afford to spend CARES Act funds on the students and on the safety of the UHCL community. UHCL boasts about being “ the solution” but sometimes only provides “ a solution.” However, with the UCT and oLARP systems, UHCL proved it can live up to its promise. UCT and oLARP brought campus computer labs to students’ homes. The oLARP program is incredibly necessary for students who use campus computers to complete their coursework but were not expecting to have to suddenly make a large purchase. The University Computing and Telecommunications (UCT) team created a way for students to access computers on campus through a virtual private network, but that does not help the students who do not have access to a reliable computer or high-speed internet. While UHCL did receive CARES funding for students impacted by COVID-19, on March 25, administrators implemented an Online Learning Assistance and Reimbursement Program (oLARP), which allows students a one-time reimbursement ― up to 80% ― of the cost of a new computer. UHCL administration, instead of having to focus on how thousands of students would be housed, was able to spend their time and money wisely on making sure students were well-equipped for the fall semester.ĬARES Act allowed UHCL to provide financial care to students A formerly upper-level commuter university recently turned into a four-year institution with a single 1-year-old residence hall, UHCL exists in a weird transition bubble. 13, 2,342 students at the University of Alabama tested positive for COVID-19.
The University of Michigan is quarantining students who test positive for COVID-19 in roach-infested apartments with only a single roll of toilet paper. New York University is serving quarantine students lemons and watermelon chicken salad. Masks would be enforced, hand sanitation stations made available in every classroom and in common areas, the Patio Café would reopen, but Neumann Library would continue online.Īs TikTok and news organizations across America have shown, universities, as a whole, are not handling reopening well. Under this plan, UHCL employees could choose to work from home if their work allows, but offices could not staff more than 50% of their employees at the same time. Guided by both Governor Greg Abbott’s Open Texas plan and Harris County officials, UHCL made the move to have all classes taught bimodally or online with art studios and labs offered as scheduled. UHCL reopens with few students roaming campus halls Various signs explaining protocols and procedures for campus safety in the SSCB student lounge. Even though the library and Patio Café closed their doors to students and masked administrators were the only ones to roam the campus halls, everyone knew UHCL would reopen. Summer classes were exclusively online with the campus open to limited emergency personnel for the most part. The spring semester ended with a whisper as Spring 2020 graduates stayed home and watched their names and photos crawl across a PowerPoint slide. Instructors traded in classrooms for Zoom meetings. Students traded in their school clothes for pajamas. Since March 11, classrooms at UHCL have remained virtually empty.
0 kommentar(er)
