AUSTIN, Texas — Students and instructors at the University of Texas at Austin will head back to campus for in-person learning on Monday.
The first two weeks of classes for the spring semester have consisted mostly of online learning. Instructors were encouraged to start the semester virtually after omicron cases spiked over winter break.
In a letter sent to the UT community on Jan. 25, UT President Jay Hartzell said the university's COVID-19 executive committee has been monitoring conditions on campus and in the surrounding area to determine when in-person activities could resume. Hartzell said multiple data points indicated the situation on and around the UT campus is improving, so the decision was made to resume all in-person classes and campus operations on Jan. 31 as planned.
"This return does not mean that things will always be easy or straightforward. Given that, I have a request: Please show each other some grace, be patient and flexible and trust that we all want the same things – amazing learning experiences, great discoveries and inspirational works of scholarship and creativity," Hartzell wrote. "Please cut each other some slack and know that person you’re interacting with may be juggling some difficult circumstances at that moment and trying hard to make good things happen."
The university says there are safety protocols in place as people head back to the Forty Acres. Masks are encouraged indoors for everyone regardless of vaccination status.
If classes were listed as hybrid or in-person, students are expected to be in person for class on Monday, as online options for those classes will not continue for now. If a student must miss class for health reasons, they will need to make up missed work using standard procedures and resources, including contacting Student Emergency Services.
There are different guidelines on what to do if you are exposed to COVID-19, based on your vaccination status. If you are vaccinated and you are exposed, you should mask for 10 days after the exposure and get tested five days after. If you are not vaccinated and you are exposed, you should isolate for five days and get tested on the fifth day.
Whether you are vaccinated or unvaccinated, the protocols are the same if you receive a positive test result. If you test positive, you are required to isolate for at least five days and be without symptoms for 24 hours.
UT asked students and instructors to get tested within three days prior to their return to campus. There will also be free testing on campus this week and throughout the semester.
Students, families, faculty and staff can learn more about what to expect this semester by visiting UT's Protect Texas Together webpage.
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