Returning to Campus this Fall

Greetings UACCM Students:

I hope this email finds you all well and ready to get the fall semester started. UACCM has made the decision to delay the start of the fall semester to Monday, August 24th, in an attempt to align with the start of the state’s public schools. This will hopefully lessen the burden of returning to campus for those of you with school-aged children. This time will also be used to allow for additional faculty training and continued technology upgrades. To account for the three-day delayed start of classes, the two October Advising/Student fall break days have been eliminated and finals have been pushed back one day. While every feasible attempt will be made to physically distance, when 6’ physical distancing cannot be assured, all students are required to wear face coverings while on campus facilities.

The following ‘Your Choice’ options are available to all students during the Fall 2020 semester related to your learning preference, each of which are defined in detail in the Return to Campus 2.0 document.

• On-Campus Instruction:  Traditional brick and mortar, face-to-face courses will remain on the schedule. Classes/labs will be positioned in an attempt to adhere to social distancing guidelines. 

• On-line Instruction: Online courses on the Fall schedule will remain as planned.

• Hybrid Instruction: Hybrid courses will remain on the schedule and follow the same practice of meeting both face-to-face and utilizing asynchronous instruction. As with the traditional face-to-face instruction classes/labs will be positioned in an attempt to adhere to social distancing guidelines.

• Face-to-Face/Synchronous Instruction: A synchronous course is a blend of in-person and synchronous instruction utilizing Blackboard Collaborate. With synchronous instruction the instructor and students are all logged into Blackboard during the normally scheduled in-person meeting time.  If a course is scheduled to meet on TR from 8:00 AM to 9:15 AM, it will continue to do so. In this format, students may meet face-to-face in a classroom with the instructor or choose to attend the course synchronously utilizing Blackboard Collaborate. As with the traditional face-to-face instruction, all in-person classes/labs will be positioned in an attempt to adhere to social distancing guidelines.

Also in the attached document is a section of general COVID information followed by current return to campus guidelines broken down by Employees, Students, and Visitors followed by a list of the most frequently asked questions and additional resource links. For your safety, I have appointed Vice Chancellor for Student Services, Darren Jones, as UACCM’s official COVID Point of Contact. In this role, Mr. Jones is responsible for working closely with the Arkansas Department of Health on behalf of students and/or employees who potentially test positive as relates to the need to assist with contact tracing and ultimate affiliation with the local health unit for expedited necessary quarantining and/or COVID testing to limit the spread of the virus in such event.

The return to campus guidelines and decisions were arrived at in consultation with the UA Board of Trustees, the Arkansas Department of Health, and with the best additional information available at the time.  We want all students to understand we are continually monitoring updates to the situation and are prepared to act swiftly in the event adjustments to previously made decisions are needed.

In addition to multiple activities and sanitizing efforts, UACCM has equipped all campus buildings with a NuWave Air Purification ventilation system for your safest return to campus. The benefits of the added system include protection against recirculating untreated air particles, allergens, and molds. 

I wish to thank each of you for choosing UACCM for your education. As evidenced by the various instructional delivery options above and multiple physical campus adjustments, we are committed and equipped to keeping you safe as you return to continue our education.

Regretfully, for those of you having earned a credential in the spring, UACCM has decided to further postpone the spring 2020 gradation in an attempt to reduce the risk of COVID exposure with a large gathering. We remain hopeful to reschedule an appropriate celebration of all spring 2020 graduates when the time is right.

I sincerely look forward to seeing you all back on campus in a few weeks to tackle the fall semester together. In closing, UACCM is prepared to respond to multiple factors including student and staff active cases, evidence and severity of spread within the college, and spread within the surrounding community.  Your health and safety are taken very seriously, as is your right to a traditional education delivery. Feel free to reach out with any questions and please continue to monitor the UACCM COVID microsite. We are here to help!

Sincerely,

Lisa Willenberg

UACCM Chancellor