Wednesday, July 1, 2020
Dear UNT students and families,
Next week will mark the first time UNT is hosting in-person classes on campus since the COVID-19 global health crisis forced us to abruptly leave campus in March. It won't be our typical bustling campus and buildings full of people, but it is a move toward being back together on campus. I look forward to seeing you and campus life resuming, and I know you are eager to see friends, take classes in-person and enjoy campus life too.
As we prepare to reopen, our first and utmost priority must continue to be the health and safety of our Mean Green Family. Our intent is to open campus and provide as robust a student academic and engagement experience as possible, while maintaining a safe environment.
To help ensure everyone has the necessary information, UNT's Guide for Returning to Campus has been created, which pulls together necessary resources and information for personal safety practices and guidelines for faculty, staff and students such as the mask requirements. For those of you who weren't able to attend our Reopening and Safety Town Hall last week, you can watch the video or read the transcript.
Fall 2020 Courses
Fall classes will commence Aug. 24, please register if you haven't already. A few things for you to note:
- By mid-July, we expect to have finalized our fall face-to-face schedule. We are in the process of actively reviewing more than 12,000 course sections, so please note that course information available now could change as we revise the schedule to benefit our students. Large classes will be online or remote and about 50% of classes will be in person.
- We have identified additional classroom space and may extend our academic week to allow for weekend courses to teach more students face-to-face. And to safely accommodate classes, we will be engaging in social distancing, which will limit the number of students in each classroom space. These steps, among many others, will help support the health of our Mean Green Family.
- Students should review class information using MyUNT. As we finalize the Fall 2020 schedule, details for each course section can be found in Search of Classes through MyUNT by simply clicking on that section. There you will find tabs for details, meeting information and section notes. This also is where you will see specific information on how a course will be taught.
- Students will not be required to return to campus for classes after the Thanksgiving holiday, though those living in residence halls may choose to do so and complete the semester on campus. The end of the semester and final exams will be conducted remotely.
- If the changes made to your schedule do not work for you, please contact your department's academic advisor to discuss how to get the schedule you need once all changes are final.
We also have a general COVID Hotline to create a streamlined approach to handle questions, calls or concerns about symptoms or COVID testing. The hotline number is 844-366-5892 and email address is COVID@unt.edu.
As we move through this summer and fall, we will be faced with ever-changing conditions, and we will respond by following our federal and state guidelines, as well as recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local health officials. We are committed to remaining flexible and doing everything possible to help keep our community safe.
Our university prides itself on being a caring, resilient community, so I am asking each of you to care for one another, follow our guidelines for masks and social distancing, and show your social responsibility in helping keep our community safe. I look forward to seeing you as you return to pursue an education that will transform your life.
Stay healthy and safe,
Neal Smatresk
UNT President