During the first joint meeting of UNC’s Faculty Council and Employee Forum on Friday, members from both groups discussed the University’s plan for the upcoming spring semester, including the Carolina Together testing program.
What’s new?
- The Faculty Council, led by Chairperson of the Faculty Mimi Chapman, began its meeting in a closed session to discuss honorary degrees and awards.
- Educational Policy Committee Chairperson Melinda Beck presented a resolution to amend the guidelines for course syllabi.
- Changes include requiring student support services like Accessibility Resources and Services and Counseling and Psychological Services to be clearly included.
- The Faculty Council voted and accepted the resolution.
- University Librarian Elaine Westbrooks presented University library updates.
- “During this pandemic we are incredibly busy,” Westbrooks said. “Our interactions with staff, students and faculty have increased 67 percent.”
- Core library services will continue to be provided.
- Following this, Employee Forum members joined the meeting.
- Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz and Provost Bob Blouin discussed plans for the spring semester, emphasizing the new robust asymptomatic testing program called the Carolina Together Testing Program, which includes re-entry and weekly testing.
- “Approximately 20 percent of our classes are currently planned for in-person instruction, compared to about 35-40 percent that we started the fall semester with,” Guskiewicz said.
- Every undergraduate student must provide evidence of a negative COVID-19 test prior to reentry for the start of the spring semester.
- All undergraduate students living in the Chapel Hill and Carrboro area must be tested at least once a week and many students, like those with in-person classes or on-campus housing, must be tested twice a week.
- “We had an untested playbook to start that fall semester and it certainly had some challenges,” Guskiewicz said. “But we’ve learned from that and we now have a much more tested playbook that we’re confident about.”
- Blouin outlined the key differences between the fall and spring semester, which include single-occupancy campus housing and mandatory reentry and surveillance testing.
- The University will build its own COVID-19 testing lab facility in the Genome Sciences Building by January, Blouin said.
- Dr. Amir Barzin further outlined how the University will handle testing procedures and implement its new program.
- There will be three UNC COVID-19 testing centers, each with 15 stations where students will self-administer a nasal swab test.
- Locations include CURRENT ArtSpace, the Carolina Union and Rams Head Recreation Center on South Campus.
- Although not required, voluntary testing will be available for faculty and staff.
- There will be three UNC COVID-19 testing centers, each with 15 stations where students will self-administer a nasal swab test.
- Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Amy Johnson spoke about improving communication between students and the University about testing and community standards.
- “Our goal this semester really was to ensure that more voices were included in our planning and I believe that we’ve successfully done that,” Guskiewicz said.
What’s next?
- The Faculty Council will hold its next meeting on Jan. 15. Vaccine updates will likely be added to the discussion.
