Corona, UCR & You

You can find the information you need about coronavirus on our Intranet. This is only accessible to current students and employees.

UCR is offering our students, in-person and on-campus teaching.

Community is the heart and soul of UCR. Our small, tight-knit student community lives on campus, socializes, and learns here. Our faculty and staff enjoy the frequent in-person interactions they have with students and with each other. We want our community to have in-person touchpoints. However, the safety and well-being of our students, faculty, and staff is of course our top priority. 

For these reasons, and because new nationals measures allow for it, we are able to offer all teaching in-person and on campus. We are also fully equipped and ready to switch to fully online or a hybrid teaching model if the pandemic takes a turn for the worse.

Such a flexible (back-up) model provides for both online and limited (especially where necessary) face-to-face classes. In practice, this means that if we had to switch to hybrid teaching, on-campus students may attend classes both online, as well as in-person where and whenever possible. And students who are unable to come to class because of illness or personal reasons would still be able to attend classes remotely using Zoom (there are exceptions, such as lab courses).

This flexibility is particularly useful when the effects of the pandemic are forcing us to make decisions about how many students can fit into a classroom on campus. The model also enables it to function for students who may not be able to come to campus at the moment, which might be the case for some of our international students.

The relaxation of the rules at university is of course great news for our small community that relies on the close and personal interactions we can enjoy on our campus. We also understand that there will be students and colleagues who will feel uneasy with the lifting of some restrictions. At UCR, we take our responsibility seriously, which is why we have introduced a number of additional conditions and processes to ensure on-site learning can take place in a safe and responsible way.

Frequent and thorough hygiene protocols
Classrooms, offices, and communal areas are being cleaned more regularly.

Maximum room capacities
Maximum room capacities will apply to each classroom.

Adequate ventilation in teaching spaces
We have ensured that all rostered teaching spaces are adequately ventilated. Whilst the weather permits and if the whole class can attend, outdoor teaching is also strongly encouraged.

As mentioned above, teaching will take place in person and on campus. All students are therefore expected to be on campus for the start of the Fall semester.

Short answer, yes. Travel for study is generally exempt from travel restrictions. However, do keep the following in mind:

• Quarantining upon arrival
• Lockdowns and shop closures
• Test requirements

Read more about what applies to your specific situation here. You can also do the travel check here.

Students who are self-quarantining and unable to attend class in person can join classes online via Zoom. They liaise directly with their instructors who will share the relevant joining links with them.

The short answer is, no.

UCR is a residential college. We owe it to our students and our colleagues, many of whom long to return to campus, to facilitate as much in-person and on-campus education as possible. We also want to create a safe space for our students (current and incoming) and employees to socially integrate which is of great importance to our small university college and close-knit community. With all this in mind, UCR will continue to offer all teaching on campus.

This means that all of our students are expected back on campus. At the same time, we continue to take our responsibility for public health very seriously, to minimize the risks of outbreaks of the virus.