Office of the Provost

Academic Update — December 2020

December 1, 2020 • Office of the Provost

With a vaccine on the horizon, we are optimistic about the Spring but understand we won’t be back to “business as usual” the first week in January. The fluidity of this situation makes it virtually impossible to have definitive plans, even weeks in advance, as everything we do is contingent upon the spread of the virus in our area along with city and state ordinances.

Please know your health and safety are our number one priority but it’s important you continue to do your part – always mask up, distance yourself, wash your hands, and be smart in how you interact with others.

 Holiday Schedule

  • Campus will be officially closed for Winter Break, December 24th – January 3rd, 2021.
  • We do not currently have any external events scheduled on campus this month.
  • In-person class days are limited with no large groups.

Following are some useful resources to assist you during the Holidays:

 

The Lewis Library

  • The library will remain closed for general use at this time. Library services will continue to be delivered online and updates regarding its reopening will be posted on the library website.

 

Quiet Study Space

Students are now able to access the 2nd-4th floors of the Lewis Library for quiet study space.

Following are the guidelines to utilize the Library for after-hours study space:

  • Study space will be available on the 2nd-4th floors, Sundays through Thursdays from 5pm–11pm.
  • Your HSC badge is required to enter the Library. Keep badge visible while in the building so HSC Police and other staff can identify you as a student.
  • Outside visitors will not be allowed to enter the Library.
  • There will be defined individual and small group study areas with spaced out seating. Please do not rearrange any of the seating areas.
  • Everyone will be required to follow campus protocols including wearing a mask, physical distancing, and practicing personal accountability to promote a safe environment and model our HSC values.

Additionally, we have the following quiet study areas available for student use Monday-Friday between the hours of 8am-5pm, December 1st-December 18th:

  • EAD 108
  • RES 100
  • MET 124
  • IREB 250

 

 COVID-19 Updates

  • We now have a COVID-19 dashboardtracking active cases at HSC. Due to privacy concerns, HSC can offer only limited case information.
  • You should receive an email every Friday from the HSC News Office with active HSC-related COVID-19 cases.
  • When a positive case is reported, contact tracing is used to determine if/when the student or employee was last on campus and their interactions. Team members who have been in close contact with a positive case are notified and provided
  • Please report all positive or negative COVID-19 test results and potential exposures to HSCCOVID@unthsc.edu.

 

The following facilities are open now through December 23rd and will be available again beginning January 4, 2021:

 One University Studio

 The Torched Apron

  • Located in the IREB, open Monday-Friday, 11am-1:30pm

 HSC Student Health Clinic

  • In-person and virtual patient visits are available Monday-Thursday
  • Virtual patient visits only – available on Friday
  • Call 817-735-5051 (student health)
  • Call 817-735-CARE (employee health)

HSC Food Pantry

  • Student Services Building, open Monday-Friday, 8am–5pm

 

Coursera Learning Management System for UNT System

  • We now can utilize UNT MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) for FREE through April 30, 2021 (this has been extended from December 31, 2020.)
  • Provides access to approx. 3,800 non-credit courses that can be used as a great resource for high quality, supplemental content for our HSC online courses.
  • Courses can be accessed at https://online.unt.edu/courseraforunt.