Welcome back!  We are glad you are here at UAH. We are excited about starting fall semester and a new academic year.  Please review the following announcements and updates for the Fall 2020 semester.

Important Dates. As you start fall semester, please review the important dates for the semester or terms in which you are enrolled.  The dates for drop/add, drop with refund, final exams, and other important dates are attached to this e-mail message.  These dates for the academic semester and the different terms within the semester are also given on the Registrar’s website at https://www.uah.edu/registrar/calendars?view=article&id=13842:fall-dates&catid=122:registrar.

Drop/Add.   For the given semester or term in which students are enrolled, students may add courses without special approvals and may drop courses and receive a refund up until the last drop/add date given for the semester or term.  After the drop/add date, students must have approval to make schedule changes and cannot receive a refund for dropped courses.  Please also keep in mind that not attending class does not equate to dropping it; students will still be responsible for tuition charges if they do not drop unwanted courses. Faculty can expect changes to their class rolls through the drop/add dates after which enrollment should be stable.

Remote Sections.  Hybrid courses have blue and silver sections that are classified as on-campus and a remote section that is classified as online.  If you are enrolled in a blue or silver section of a hybrid course, you will be classified as an on-campus student. If you want to be a classified as a fully online student, please remember that you must enroll in remote sections of hybrid courses and/or in online courses. 

Please remember that if you are classified as an on-campus student, prior to re-entry you must

If you are classified as a fully online student, which means you are taking fully online courses and/or remote sections of online courses, you do not have these re-entry requirements and you are not to come to campus. If your faculty member tells you that she or he does not plan to hold any on-campus activity in their hybrid course, ask to switch to a remote section of the course.

Parking. Students who are fully online and not coming to campus this fall will not need a parking permit.  If you need one for the spring semester, you may purchase a parking permit in January for $95. 

Reporting Exposure to COVID-19.  If you test positive for COVID-19 or if you have had exposure (close contact) to a positive COVID-19 case, notify the university as soon as possible. Provide information on when you were last on campus, in which buildings, the areas in the buildings you spent more than 15 minutes, and whether you were wearing a mask.  Provide any information available about the other members of the university community with whom you or the affected individual had close contact.

To make these notifications, students, please contact the Dean of Students, Dr. Ronnie Hebert, dos@uah.edu or 256-824- 6700.  Please also contact the Student Health Center at 256-824-6775, Ext 3.

GuideSafe™ Exposure Notification App.  The GuideSafe™ Exposure Notification app will be available to UAH faculty, staff and students at no charge.  Everyone in the university community is encouraged to use this app because it affords us the opportunity to protect each other and ourselves during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Users of the GuideSafe™ Exposure Notification App can anonymously share a positive COVID-19 test result.  The app also obtains information on close contacts so that you can be anonymously notified of potential previous close contact with someone who later reports a positive COVID-19 test result without sharing anyone’s identity. The app protects your privacy while giving you the power to protect the health of yourself, your family, and your community. Use of the app is voluntary for all UAH faculty, staff and students.

Traditional contact tracing by experts at public health departments and notification protocols at UAH will continue. The GuideSafe™ Exposure Notification app does not replace either of those processes. The app can, however, help anonymously notify those who you do not know or do not remember about possible exposure.  For more information about the GuideSafe™ Exposure Notification app and a list of frequently asked questions, please visit the GuideSafe™ website.

Additional information about the GuideSafe™ Exposure Notification App will be sent to you later or can be found at the UAH reopening website https://www.uah.edu/covid-19/covid-19-testing/notification-protocol

Reminders

Face Coverings.  UAH students must wear a face mask/cloth face covering for the duration of any in-person class session or while in any University owned facility other than a private residence hall room or while alone in an enclosed study space. 

Enhanced Cleaning.  Disinfecting wipes are available in classroom buildings. Students are encouraged to pick up a wipe on the way into classrooms and wipe down their work areas and classroom technology such as wireless microphones, keyboards, and podium touch pads. Before you leave after class, be certain to disinfect your classroom space.  If working or studying on campus, disinfect the area before beginning your work and after you finish.

Additional Support.  A wide range of support services are available in both face-to-face and remote formats this fall.  The Salmon Library (www.uah.edu/library) and the Student Success Center (www.uah.edu/ssc) are there for you as usual and provide a place for you to study and seek assistance.  In addition, Instructional Testing Services (www.uah.edu/testing) will serve as a Digital Safe Space for students needing internet access or a quiet place to take an exam.

Salmon Library hours for fall semester are:

  • 7:30am - 10:30pm Monday-Thursday
  • 7:30am - 8:00pm Friday
  • 12:00pm - 6:00pmSaturday
  • 1:00pm - 10:00pmSunday

This schedule will change on November 20, 2020, when in-person classes are scheduled to end. There will also be exceptions for holidays (such as Labor Day). You can find the Library’s complete hours at  https://www.uah.edu/return-to-campus/, will be continuously updated with the latest information, including guides and checklists to ensure your safety in Fall semester and beyond. In addition, a set of Frequently Asked Questions is on the website at https://www.uah.edu/return-to-campus/faqs and will be updated as new information is available. 

We hope you have a great semester.