Frequently Asked Questions

Following the guidance of public health organizations, UNI students, faculty, staff and visiting community members will be required to wear face coverings in all campus buildings. Exceptions in certain areas such as in residence hall rooms, private offices, or while eating will be posted individually in relevant campus spaces. Face coverings are required in outdoor settings when six feet or more of social distancing cannot be maintained. 

Cloth masks are the preferred and safest form of face covering and the primary recommendation from agencies like the CDC. We have made face shields available for individuals with medical conditions that prevent the use of a mask and other unique situations when a mask is not practical. Masks provide the best measure of safety so when you have a choice, you should wear a mask, or a mask with a shield. Students, faculty, and staff will receive complementary face coverings, which can be picked up by showing your UNI ID at the UNI Bookstore customer service desk.

Stay home and call the Student Health Clinic at 319-273.2009 to be assessed over the phone, call your family physician for an assessment, or go to the Test Iowa website to determine eligibility to be tested. If you live on campus, notify your residence hall office by phone. If you work on-campus, notify your supervisor by phone or email.
Student Health Clinic staff will talk you through next steps, including testing and contact tracing, as well as campus resources for your quarantine or self isolation. 

In order to observe continued social distancing guidelines, the university is developing social distancing logistics/procedures for each learning, living and communal space on campus. Classes will be taught in a combination of in-person and online, and all in-person classes will be scheduled in larger rooms to aid in social distancing. More specific information will be shared by academic departments closer to the start of the fall semester on how this will impact individual classes. This information will vary course-by-course, and will be sent by faculty members directly to their students.

Social distancing will also be critical in spaces outside of the classroom. For example, furniture in communal spaces will be rearranged to ensure social distancing is observed as much as possible.

 

Residence halls will be open, and the UNI Department of Residence is working quickly to continue to provide a home on campus to our students - while also prioritizing our community members’ health and well-being as it relates to COVID-19. If you plan to live on campus or purchase a meal plan, you will receive communication directly from the Department of Residence, including details about new move-in dates due to our early start. Details will also be available on the DOR website.

At this point, we are asking all students and employees to self-check each day before coming to campus or leaving their dormitory. If you have symptoms of COVID-19 you should stay home and contact the Student Health Center or other medical provider.  

This guidance could change later in the fall, depending on the presence of novel coronavirus in our community. The university will continue to use the Black Hawk County Health Department for contact tracing.

This spring and summer, UNI Facilities Management has increased cleaning and sanitization procedures. These increased cleaning schedules will continue throughout the fall.

Each department will be provided two transaction barriers (sneeze guards), a refillable hand sanitizer dispenser with counter stand (refills provided by Facilities Management), one bottle of hand sanitizer for each employee, and one floor decal reminding about standing six feet apart. This standard configuration will work for most departments. For those departments with more unique operational needs, they may submit a FAMIS request to complete a Certification of Hazardous Assessment for Departments to help identify additional needs or materials. 

In addition, every building entrance will have a hand sanitizer dispenser. 

While study abroad opportunities through UNI have been postponed through January of 2021, many of the university’s other off-campus educational opportunities will continue as planned, observing the protocols and procedures of those partner organizations and schools. If you have specific questions related to your planned internship, research project or student teaching assignment, please contact your adviser.

The university’s subcommittee focused on community engagement and outreach is working quickly to determine our approach to on-campus events as well as off-campus outreach. They also continue to monitor guidance from external partners such as NCAA and Iowa Department of Public Health. Detailed schedules and plans related to athletics, concerts, and other events - as well as safety protocols designed to protect the health of event participants - will be released in the coming weeks.

The UNI Forward Together website is the hub for information related to our plans for reopening campus this fall. For specific questions, email forwardtogether@uni.edu.

The Department of Residence has adjusted residence hall move-in dates to align with the new academic calendar. Detailed information was emailed on June 18 to students with housing contracts. Updates are also posted on the Department of Residence web page.

Tuition, room and board rates are remaining flat for fall semester 2020. Tuition costs are priced based on credit hours, and with the new academic calendar students will still be able to complete a full semester of coursework with the associated credit hours. The early start date and the removal of fall semester breaks to build in additional class days will allow us to offer a full academic semester, while also positioning the university to plan for a healthy and safe learning environment.

Students who plan to live on campus or purchase a meal plan will receive communication directly from the Department of Residence by July 1, including details on earlier move-in dates that align with the new start date for the fall 2020 semester. Details will also be available on the Department of Residence web page. Residence halls will continue to be open for students throughout the break between semesters.

Offices that provide services to the public are being provided transaction barriers, stickers and signs that provide physical distancing directives, and hand sanitizer. All employees and students are also required to wear face coverings. Office administrators can request additional supplies through FAMIS.

Yes. Face coverings are required in all public areas of campus buildings, including elevators, restrooms, hallways and corridors.

Drinking fountains and bottle stations will be available and will be disinfected daily.  

Custodians will perform one deep cleaning per day and at least one additional touch point cleaning per day in all restrooms. In cases where it does not impact privacy, restroom doors will be propped open to reduce touch points.

Classrooms will be cleaned and disinfected daily, disinfectant wipes will be provided in classrooms, the classroom capacities have been reduced, face coverings are required and we have made adjustments to the HVAC system in accordance with CDC recommendations.

Departments should follow CDC guidelines for these spaces. As part of department offices, these spaces will be cleaned by custodians two times per week.

We are using 40% of the designated capacity of classrooms to provide more space for students to spread out. Classes have been reassigned to new, larger rooms across campus and designated seating has been marked off to help people distance properly.