UNC Chancellor Pens Letter To UNC Community Announcing Fall Student Return

What does a return to Carolina look like? Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz outlines an early return for students with detailed precautions and safety measures.

University of North Carolina Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz penned a personal letter to UNC students a community outlining an early return and departure for fall students. UNC will begin in-person classes for fall  semester August 19th and end November 24th. The fall semester will not feature a fall break and students will take exams during their last week of classes, November 18-24.

Ending the semester early will aid in keeping students safe from what experts are predicting a second wave of COVID-19 during the winter months. 

In his letter, Guskiewicz outlined the changes that will take place at UNC and what students can expect:

This fall semester will look and feel different from the past. Here are some of the initial changes we are implementing to care for our community:

• Faculty and staff will return in a phased approach. Research programs and laboratories will begin ramping up on-campus operations June 1. Employees should initially expect staggered work schedules, alternating schedules, reconfigured workstations, remote work and other accommodations to limit density on campus and maximize safety. More details to follow.
• The first day of classes will be Aug. 10 (professional schools may vary), final exams will be completed by Nov. 24 and students will not return to campus after the Thanksgiving holiday. We will announce plans for New Student Convocation (Aug. 9) and Winter Commencement at a later date. The University will observe Labor Day (Sep. 7) and University Day (Oct. 12), but will eliminate fall break (Oct. 15-16) this year.
• Students participating in organized co-curricular activities (e.g. Carolina Athletics/ROTC/UNC Marching Tar Heels) will be invited back to campus in a similar phased approach. More details to follow.
• We will ask our campus community to adhere to our “community standards” and public health guidelines to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
• Class sizes will be adjusted to allow for appropriate physical distancing; entering and exiting buildings will occur through clearly marked one-way corridors.
• Time between classes will be extended to allow for necessary physical distancing in and out of buildings, which will impact the number of courses held during typical weekdays. Therefore, students and faculty can expect additional weeknight classes. More details to follow.
• Up to 1,000 new students who are unable to begin residential learning and living in August may participate in a new experience called Carolina Away. This initiative, still in development, will allow them to learn together in high-quality, digital sections of key courses in our general education curriculum, participate in small group experiences and engage in learning communities that focus on the impact of COVID-19.
• Many other areas are still in the planning phase. The University will launch Carolina’s Roadmap for Fall 2020 website next week that will serve as a repository of information relevant to fall 2020 operations. The website will be updated throughout the summer as more details are available.

For more information regarding UNC and the upcoming changes, please visit unc.edu.

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