Information for Current Students & Families

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. Students, faculty and staff will receive complimentary UNI cloth face coverings. You will receive details on pick-up times, locations and procedures later this summer. 

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.

HVAC systems constantly circulate air through the buildings. We are increasing the rate of airflow and the amount of outside air brought into buildings. The total volume of air inside rooms will be exchanged a minimum of 6 times per hour. In addition, new, high-efficiency air filters have been installed around campus.

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.  

Students with any health-related concerns or questions should contact the UNI Student Health Clinic at 319-273-2009, option #1, or visit the clinic website. After-hour care options are also available.

The Student Health Clinic is moving to tele-health appointments only beginning Monday, March 23. The clinic will no longer provide face-to-face office visits, but will support students via telephone and Zoom.

Students must call 319-273-2009 to be assessed over the phone. Clinic staff will remain available 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The Counseling Center will also provide mental health services via tele-health (through Zoom). Please call 319-273-2676.

Visit the 2019-nCoV Prevention and Treatment page to learn about how to protect yourself from respiratory illnesses, like COVID-19. The CDC always recommends these everyday preventive actions to help prevent the spread of respiratory viruses:  

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. 

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands. 

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick. 

• Stay home from work, classes, social events when you are sick.

• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.  

• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.   

There is information for people who have had close contact with a person confirmed to have, or being evaluated for, COVID-19 infection available online.

The UNI Counseling Center offers after-hours crisis counseling to UNI students or any person concerned about a UNI student. Call the Counseling Center after hours at 273-2676 and press 2 to speak to a mental health counselor about your concerns. Counselors can also assist callers in accessing Counseling Center services or other campus resources.

Students with disabilities are encouraged to review the Student Accessibility Services (SAS) COVID-19 Questions page for common questions regarding COVID-19 and accessibility. If you have additional questions or concerns, please contact SAS directly at (319) 273-2677 Relay 711 or accessibilityservices@uni.edu.

If you are the victim of bias or witness bias related to COVID-19 or anything else, please visit our Safety at UNI website and click on the “Report an Incident” box. You will be prompted to select an option.

The University of Northern Iowa is committed to promoting an educational, working and living environment that is free from all forms of discrimination. 

Several universities have experienced an increasing number of reports of stereotyping, harassment, and bullying directed at persons perceived to be of Chinese American, and more generally, Asian descent due to misinformation about the virus. The COVID-19 is a public health issue and is not the fault of any person, country or ethnic group. 

Acts of bias, discrimination and harassment—whether via words or actions, publicly or privately expressed—counter the university’s core values, vision, mission and strategic plan. It is essential that we be supportive, respectful, and inclusive of the members of the UNI community who may have friends and families in the countries impacted.

 

• Summer 2020 courses will only be offered online. Continuing and Distance Education will communicate with Deans and Department Heads about shifting classes currently scheduled for face-to-face instruction to an online format.

• Faculty should continue to communicate regularly with students regarding how the semester will be concluded. Students should watch their email and/or Blackboard.

• Students and faculty are encouraged to take advantage of the online resources available through the Rod Library. 

• The Learning Center at UNI continues to offer online resources, including assistance with writing and other student work.

• The Educator Preparation office will be communicating with students regarding completion of the necessary requirements to be certified to teach or to enter the program; waivers have been provided at the state level and we will communicate how this will impact your progress towards becoming a teacher.

Students should contact their instructors to receive information on how they’re going to continue with online classes. Our Remote Access page also has helpful resources for the UNI eLearning Suite of tools.

Students who have a critical need, and do not have the ability to access a device to complete instructional requirements remotely for their courses, are eligible to checkout a UNI laptop computer on a temporary basis by following these steps:

• Fill out the Service Hub form (sign in with CatID). Laptops will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis through this process.

• Stop by the service desk, after you receive confirmation that the laptop is available for pickup at the Innovative Teaching and Technology Center (ITTC) room 36, to assess the functionality and condition of the laptop.

• Sign the form to receive the laptop.

The Learning Center REMOTE (TLCRemote) is now open. As long as The Learning Center @ Rod Library remains closed to the public, TLCRemote will be available 24/7. UNI students who need academic support can explore their options by going to tlc.uni.edu. The alert homepage message instructs students to select “COVID 19 TLCRemote” to review current academic support options. Option #1 encourages students to take advantage of Smarthinking, a 24/7 online tutoring service. Option #2 directs students to our newly developed Zoom tutoring center where we offer half-hour tutoring for math/stats, science, writing and academic coaching/specialty tutoring. Questions can be directed to TheLearningCenter@uni.edu.  

Whether in person or online, all federal aid financial (including grants and loans) will still be available as usual to students based on their fall enrollment. In order to qualify for a Federal Direct Loan a student would simply need to be enrolled half-time (6 hours for undergrads), have a 2020-21 FAFSA filed and be in good academic standing.

If courses remain online through the fall 2020 semester, Veterans Affairs has said we can count them as residential courses. 

 

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.

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.

An update to the travel moratorium that was implemented in March on all domestic, non-essential travel by state employees was sent to student, faculty and staff on June 18.

Due to the continued global health emergency and concerns surrounding COVID-19, the University of Northern Iowa is canceling fall and winter study abroad programming scheduled for students and faculty to depart before January 10, 2021.

Yes. CDC recommends travelers avoid all nonessential travel to an affected area at this time. For any travel plans, stay up to date with CDC’s Coronavirus travel information site.