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Update on Deadline for COVID-19 Vaccine Requirement for Employees
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Chancellor
Fall 2021 — What You Need to Know!
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Dear students,
With the fall semester upon us, I know many of you are eager for our return to campus and the Ole Miss spirit we feel when we’re together. You may have questions about the upcoming school year and how it will look, and I hope to be able to answer some of them in this letter. Whether this will be your first fully in-person Ole Miss college experience or you’re returning to face-to-face learning, events and gatherings, let’s make this the best year possible. Here’s what we anticipate the beginning of this school year will look like and how we can help keep each other healthy while on campus.
With the spread of the highly contagious COVID-19 Delta variant, we have adopted guidance from the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) and the CDC and will temporarily require masks for everyone in indoor settings on campus, regardless of vaccination status.
While this is not what we expected the Fall 2021 semester to look like, we hope this temporary policy will allow us to preserve two of our biggest priorities at Ole Miss: keeping our university community safe and helping students stay on track to earn their degrees. If we can limit the spread of COVID-19, we will be able to continue fully with in-person classroom instruction and on-campus operations. More information about the university’s Fall 2021 campus protocols is available here, including answers to frequently asked questions and contact info to address any questions that are not answered on the website.
- Tuesday, August 17, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
- Monday, August 23, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
- Wednesday, August 25, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
University departments and registered student organizations (RSOs) may plan in-person events, gatherings and extracurricular activities. All in-person events must be submitted through The ForUM and should comply with the university’s event registration policy. RSOs must attend Fall 2021 RSO Orientation to be able to register events and apply for Student Activity Fee funding from the Associated Student Body. Please see these requirements and recommendations for event planning for Fall 2021.
COVID-19 INFORMATION RESOURCES
OTHER RESOURCES
Fall 2020 Update
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Academics for Spring 2021
- Offer more in-person (face-to-face and hybrid) courses – We remain committed to holding as many face-to-face courses as we possibly can, and we are looking at new and additional ways to make that happen. Departments are finalizing their course formats for the spring semester, and we will assess those in relation to available spaces to hold classes. Once approved and finalized, course formats will not change unless under special circumstances related to the pandemic. The Spring 2021 course catalog will be made available online later this week.
- Expand the number of places where we host classes, including potentially off-campus locations, to maximize opportunities for face-to-face instruction while also practicing social distancing in the classroom – We will also expand our use of non-traditional spaces on campus to hold classes. It is worth noting that in normal times, we hold relatively few large classes compared to other flagship public universities. That means we have fewer auditorium-style classrooms. As a result, reduced classroom capacities required to maintain social distancing give us fewer options to host our larger classes on campus, which is why we extended our search for space to off-campus venues. We will use any space that will allow for more face-to-face instruction.
Student Life
- Opened more options for registered student organizations to host activities off campus – The university has launched a pilot to expand student social activities safely. The pilot allows some off-campus social gatherings under delineated parameters and requirements. We hope to expand upon this plan at the conclusion of the pilot. (See Oct. 19 message to students for details.)
- Created additional efforts to direct students to the full range of campus resources including supplemental instruction, tutoring, counseling services, and more. Our Division of Student Affairs contacted all freshmen by text to ask if they needed any assistance. Several hundred responded, and we are working with students individually to address their needs.
- Extended hours of operation for the J.D. Williams Library on campus – On weekdays, the library will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. The library will also be open on Saturdays (except on home football Saturdays) and Sundays.
- Expand co-curricular opportunities for student engagement – We kicked off our Bright Pathways initiatives task force, which is developing a framework to offer additional co-curricular activities through academic departments and further engage faculty and students in topics related to their disciplines and programs.
- Make more on-campus spaces available for student organizations and groups to meet – In addition to meeting rooms in the Gertrude C. Ford Ole Miss Student Union, we will make classroom spaces open to registered student organizations when available. These groups are also being encouraged to meet outdoors.
- Expand student programming – Students can visit the ForUM website for information about the full array of registered student organizations. Please encourage your student to learn more about the hundreds of organizations in which they can get involved and grow their leadership skills at Ole Miss.
Additional Efforts
- Instituted direct outreach in dorms to check on individual students – The Center for Student Success and First Year Experience is working with Student Housing staff to reach out to individual students who may have struggled in midterms or are known to be struggling in other ways. This “door knock” campaign will allow us to connect students to a full range of campus resources.
- Publicize additional opportunities for engagement to students and faculty — In an effort to enhance our students’ connection to campus life, we created another touchpoint with our students at the start of this semester by launching a weekly student newsletter, The Powder Blue. This publication provides student-focused updates, tips, events, resources and more.
- Add picnic tables around campus to promote gathering places for students – In response to a request from a student leadership advisory council, we are adding 75 picnic tables across campus to allow small groups to gather in order to enhance social connections across our campus community. We want our students to be able to enjoy the outdoors as much as possible.
Chancellor
Revised Spring 2021 Academic Calendar and Commencement Plans
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- Maintain an on-campus learning, residential and working environment that prioritizes the safety and well-being of the campus population,
- Prevent the spread of the virus by following guidance provided by public health officials and agencies,
- Fulfill our core mission of education, research, and service, and
- Enable our students to maintain academic progress toward earning their degrees.
The established public health protocols and parameters outlined in our Campus Ready Plan will remain in effect, including wearing masks and practicing social distancing. These parameters and protocols are constantly evolving and are continuously being evaluated as our environment and understanding changes.
- Martin Luther King Jr. holiday (UM closed) will remain on the calendar for Jan. 18, 2021.
- Classes will begin as originally scheduled on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021.
- Spring break will be canceled to complete the semester as quickly as possible while mitigating risks associated with travel. This has been widely adopted as a best practice in the current environment by universities across the country.
- Good Friday holiday (UM closed) will remain on the calendar for April 2, 2021.
- Classes will end April 23, 2021, which is one week earlier than previously scheduled.
- Final exams will be completed by April 30, 2021.
- Faculty will remain on contract until May 15, 2021.
- Class of 2021 Commencement — The main ceremony and most individual ceremonies will be held Saturday, May 1, 2021. Some individual ceremonies may take place the day before or day after May 1. Details about individual ceremonies will follow.
- Class of 2020 Commencement — The main ceremony and most individual ceremonies will be held Saturday, May 8, 2021. Some individual ceremonies may take place the day before May 8. Details about individual ceremonies will follow.
In spite of the many challenges we have faced and continue to tackle since the onset of the pandemic, I’m grateful and humbled by the incredible commitment and determination of our university community to look after all of our students as well as our faculty and staff. We remain committed to delivering the education, experience and value that is synonymous with Ole Miss.
Chancellor
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