Dec. 10, 2020
Dear Students, Faculty and Staff,
I am writing to you with important updates on the spring semester.
Because of current COVID-19 projections nationally and within our state, the spring 2021 term, which begins Jan. 14, will occur remotely for at least the first month. On Feb. 15, we intend to resume some in-person courses and on-campus student activities and experiences, and we will follow up with you by Jan. 14 to hopefully confirm this plan.
Additionally, with the restrictions on events and the uncertainties of when we can safely gather again, we’ve made the difficult decision to hold the spring 2021 commencement ceremony virtually.
In consultation with state and local health officials, we need to delay our in-person opportunities until cases decrease and we can provide a safer and more positive on-campus experience. We will do our best to avoid the back-and-forth shifts that created uncertainty for our campus community in the fall. We didn’t arrive at the commencement decision lightly, but firmly believe it's the right call.
For our residence hall students, move-in will be delayed and your room and board will be reduced accordingly. Additionally, we ask everyone with the flexibility to remain in your permanent-home communities to delay your travel to Boulder until our return to in-person courses. This will help reduce the risk of travel-related COVID-19 transmission. More information about the spring 2021 semester is available online.
For our faculty and staff, we encourage you to work remotely to the extent possible, and you can consult with your supervisors for guidance on this as needed. Existing research and innovation activities—as well as related graduate student research—will continue in person via the existing campus protocols. The Research and Innovation Office continues to ask researchers who are not already approved to conduct research on campus to work remotely until instructed otherwise.
As we begin the spring semester remotely on Jan. 14 you can count on:
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Weekly updates and opportunities to provide feedback directly to campus leaders.
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Communications on decisions that are delivered as clearly, transparently and quickly as possible.
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Our tireless commitment to make everyone’s classroom experience better, even if beginning remotely.
Our monitoring testing program will remain available for all students, faculty and staff. Diagnostic testing and contact tracing will continue to be available for students. On-campus residents are required to participate in the testing program, and we recommend that all off-campus students, faculty and staff participate as well.
On a personal note, I’m just as disappointed as you that we won’t be on campus together, seeing a friendly face on Varsity Bridge, cheering on our Buffs, or gazing at the Flatirons and our other remarkable surroundings. We are all tired of the pandemic-related changes and disruptions to our CU Boulder experience and to our day-to-day lives. But we need to hang on and continue to meet these challenges as a community. With the distribution of new vaccines on the horizon, we can see the light at the end of the tunnel, though it will take time yet for us to get there. We are reaching the culmination of a truly challenging period, and I am grateful to you for your perseverance.
Please join me for a campus Q&A session at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 15. It’s important for us to hear your concerns, answer your questions and stay connected with each other.
Let’s all keep being Buffs together,
Phil