COVID-19 student communication

Below are copies of all past COVID-19 communication sent to students. Please note the information contained in these may not be the latest advice. For the latest advice please go to the UQ COVID-19 webpage.

21 Feb

Date	Subject	To	From
21 Feb	COVID-19 – Australian Government extends restrictions	Impacted students	DVCA
The Australian Government has announced it will extend the current restrictions for travellers from mainland China to Saturday 29 February 2020. We understand that the continuation of these restrictions is disappointing and you will have further questions about your study options. On behalf of UQ, I want to assure you that we are continuing to work on ways for you to study with us and we will be ready to welcome you when you arrive. What should you do now? Once enrolled in your courses, it is important that you continue to update your details in our register, including your current location. We have added some extra questions to gather information that will help us to better support your study needs. If you are yet to register, please do so, as it will help us provide you with the best advice for your particular circumstance. What are your options to study at UQ? For many courses, you will be able to arrive on campus as late as Week 5 (23 March). Go to my.UQ and select "Travel Affected Students”. This will take you to our course checker that will allow you to find the on-campus start dates for the courses you have enrolled in. In addition, we are organising a number of options to support your study and wellbeing over the coming weeks and when you arrive on campus: online/remote study and engagement with your teachers and other students (currently available for most courses in Weeks 1 – 4) catch-up classes and additional academic support additional program and course offerings in Semester 2 and Summer Semester (November to February) a range of orientation and social activities to help you settle into campus life. If you are expecting to graduate at the end of Semester 1, please contact our Student Services team (+61 7 3365 1704 and student.services@uq.edu.au). Our FAQ page contains additional information that you might find helpful, or you can contact our Student Services team (+61 7 3365 1704 and student.services@uq.edu.au) if you have any questions. At this difficult time, I wanted to share with you some messages of support from our students and staff (click here). We will contact you next week with more detailed information.

13 Feb

Date	Subject	To	From
13 Feb	Course checker	Impacted students registered and China based students	DVCA
As you would be aware, the Australian Government has put in place precautionary travel and health restrictions in response to COVID-19 (coronavirus) that continue to impact some of our students. The Government has committed to reviewing these restrictions towards the end of this week (14 -16 February). Once we have the updated advice we will share it with you via email, and update our UQ webpage. If you are a student impacted by the restrictions but have not registered with us please register here. For students that have registered please continue to update your details as your circumstances change. In the meantime, we wanted to let you know the progress we have made to support you continuing your Semester 1 studies remotely until you can join us on campus. When do I need to be on campus for the Semester 1 courses I have chosen? You need to comply with any Australian Government travel restrictions including self-isolation protocols. Many impacted students will be able to commence classes on campus as late as Week 5 (23 March 2020). However, a small number of courses will require some students to be on campus and commence classes from the start of Week 3 (9 March 2020). Enrolled students will be able to access our 'course checker' through my.UQ. This shows the current courses you have enrolled in and the latest date you will need to be on campus to commence or continue your Semester 1 studies. Once you have logged in select "Travel Affected Students" from the options list. If you have not yet enrolled, please contact Student Services (+61 7 3365 1704 or student.services@uq.edu.au). What if I don't think I will be able to arrive on campus in time for my courses? Depending upon your expected arrival date, you may need to consider enrolling in alternative courses. A full list of courses with their on campus commencement date has been provided with the course checker. If you need further assistance please contact our Student Services team to discuss your options (+61 7 3365 1704 orstudent.services@uq.edu.au). What additional support will UQ provide me to support my study? The content covered during Weeks 1 - 4 will be made available to you online in an easy-to-access format (click here to see an example). These materials will support you to fulfil the learning objectives and outcomes of the course during this time. Delivering your course materials remotely will typically include: Access to lecture notes and readings supplemented by lecture recordings Opportunities to consult and collaborate with teachers and fellow students Access to learning support resources and staff Opportunities to complete quizzes and receive feedback I still have questions about how this will impact my studies. Who can I talk to? The UQ website includes answers to frequently asked questions from students. If you continue to have any concerns or questions, please contact Student Services (+61 7 3365 1704 / student.services@uq.edu.au). Thank you for your continued patience, I hope you and your families stay well and we will continue to keep you updated as more information becomes available. Kind regards Professor Joanne Wright Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic)

7 Feb

Date	Subject	To	From
7 Feb	Options for students impacted by coronavirus travel restrictors – Semester 1	Impacted students registered	DVCA
Thank you for registering your details with us. We hope you and your families are safe and well, wherever you are right now. We know many of you have been impacted by the Australian Government restrictions as a result of the coronavirus. We also understand that many of you are worried about what this means for your studies. What we are doing At the moment we don't know when the restrictions will change. The University is committed to making sure we can support a late arrival for Semester 1 for students impacted by these restrictions. We have extended the date you need to be on campus to the 23 March 2020 for most courses. A small number of courses will still require you to be on campus ready to commence classes on 9 March 2020. A 'course checker' will be available early next week via my.UQ. This will provide information so you can confirm when you need to be on campus for the courses you have enrolled in. We will support you to find an alternative course enrolment where you are unable to meet the timeline. We will provide you with online support during the first four weeks of Semester (between 24 February - 20 March 2020) to help you keep up with your studies. The support for students arriving on campus late will include: *Accessing your course remotely and support for Weeks 1-4, 24 February to 20 March 2020.* The content covered during Weeks 1-4 will be made available to you in an easy-to-access format. This will typically include: · Opportunities to consult and collaborate with teachers and fellow students. · Access to lecture notes and readings supplemented by lecture recordings. · Access to learning support resources and staff. · Opportunities to complete quizzes and receive feedback. While this is an interim solution, we want to make sure we deliver everything we can to give you the best chance of graduating on time whilst meeting the academic requirements of your program. *Special considerations for impacted students* · We have extended the due date for university tuition fees until Friday 20 March 2020. · If after Weeks 1-4, you are still impacted by restrictions, you will be able to withdraw from your course without financial penalty up until 31 March 2020. · You may request to withdraw without academic penalty up until the last day of classes in Semester 1, 2020. There will be extra support for you when you arrive on campus as well as a range of social activities and events. You can read about this on UQLIFE. What if your courses are not available for the online period? If some or all of your courses are not available online for Weeks 1-4, please contact Student Services +61 7 3365 1704 or email student.services@uq.edu.au so we can provide you with the best advice for your particular situation. What should you do now? If you haven't yet finalised your course enrolments, please do so. This information will help us support you to continue with your studies until you are able to join us on campus. Our registration form has changed. Could you please update your details in the new registration form? We want to know how you are doing and where you are so we can better support your needs. Tell your friends. We still need to make contact with other students who may not know what to do or who to contact. If somebody you know has not registered please send them this link: https://my.uq.edu.au/semester-1-arrival-information. It will be worth the wait UQ is an amazing place to study. We want to share a message for you and your family from our UQ President and Vice Chancellor. We are looking forward to welcoming you when you arrive, and we are sorry that this has been a tough start to the year for you. Please remember, even if you can't make Semester 1, there are so many opportunities waiting for you at UQ and we will do what we can to ensure you have a great experience. Kind regards Professor Joanne Wright Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic

Date

Subject

From

7 Feb

Options for students impacted by coronavirus travel restrictors – Semester 1

Impacted students registered

DVCA

Thank you for registering your details with us. We hope you and your families are safe and well, wherever you are right now. We know many of you have been impacted by the Australian Government restrictions as a result of the coronavirus. We also understand that many of you are worried about what this means for your studies.

What we are doing

At the moment we don't know when the restrictions will change. The University is committed to making sure we can support a late arrival for Semester 1 for students impacted by these restrictions. We have extended the date you need to be on campus to the 23 March 2020 for most courses. A small number of courses will still require you to be on campus ready to commence classes on 9 March 2020.

A 'course checker' will be available early next week via my.UQ. This will provide information so you can confirm when you need to be on campus for the courses you have enrolled in. We will support you to find an alternative course enrolment where you are unable to meet the timeline. We will provide you with online support during the first four weeks of Semester (between 24 February - 20 March 2020) to help you keep up with your studies.

The support for students arriving on campus late will include:

Accessing your course remotely and support for Weeks 1-4, 24 February to 20 March 2020.

The content covered during Weeks 1-4 will be made available to you in an easy-to-access format. This will typically include:

· Opportunities to consult and collaborate with teachers and fellow students.

· Access to lecture notes and readings supplemented by lecture recordings.

· Access to learning support resources and staff.

· Opportunities to complete quizzes and receive feedback.

While this is an interim solution, we want to make sure we deliver everything we can to give you the best chance of graduating on time whilst meeting the academic requirements of your program.

Special considerations for impacted students

· We have extended the due date for university tuition fees until Friday 20 March 2020.

· If after Weeks 1-4, you are still impacted by restrictions, you will be able to withdraw from your course without financial penalty up until 31 March 2020.

· You may request to withdraw without academic penalty up until the last day of classes in Semester 1, 2020.

There will be extra support for you when you arrive on campus as well as a range of social activities and events. You can read about this on UQLIFE.

What if your courses are not available for the online period?

If some or all of your courses are not available online for Weeks 1-4, please contact Student Services +61 7 3365 1704 or email student.services@uq.edu.au so we can provide you with the best advice for your particular situation.

What should you do now?

If you haven't yet finalised your course enrolments, please do so. This information will help us support you to continue with your studies until you are able to join us on campus.

Our registration form has changed. Could you please update your details in the new registration form? We want to know how you are doing and where you are so we can better support your needs.

Tell your friends. We still need to make contact with other students who may not know what to do or who to contact. If somebody you know has not registered please send them this link: https://my.uq.edu.au/semester-1-arrival-information.

It will be worth the wait

UQ is an amazing place to study. We want to share a message for you and your family from our UQ President and Vice Chancellor.

We are looking forward to welcoming you when you arrive, and we are sorry that this has been a tough start to the year for you. Please remember, even if you can't make Semester 1, there are so many opportunities waiting for you at UQ and we will do what we can to ensure you have a great experience.

Kind regards

Professor Joanne Wright
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic

3 Feb

Date	Subject	To	From
3 Feb	Coronavirus update 3 February - travel and self-isolation restrictions	All students	Student Services
As you may be aware, the Australian Government has provided updated information on the national response to the coronavirus and has implemented new measures that will directly affect some of our students. We understand that this is a difficult situation, and many students have been concerned about the impact this may have on their Semester One studies. We are working as quickly as possible to respond to this evolving situation. Australian Government latest advice for universities: From February 1, Australian citizens, permanent residents and their immediate family (dependents, legal guardians and spouses) returning from mainland China will be allowed to enter Australia but must self-isolate for 14 days. From February 1, all other travellers from mainland China will not be permitted entry. Australians are advised not to travel to mainland China. Self-isolation requirements If you have travelled from the Hubei province in the past 14 days, you must self-isolate for 14 days from the day you left. If you are already in Australia but have travelled recently from mainland China or transited through mainland China prior to Saturday 1 February, you do not need to self-isolate. You do not need to self-isolate when travelling from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, unless you have been in the Hubei province in the past 14 days or in any part of mainland China on or after 1 February. You must self-isolate for 14 days if you have been in close contact with a confirmed case of coronavirus from the last date of contact. There are further restrictions for students placements. Students on placement will be contacted directly by their faculty / school if impacted. Register for students impacted by the latest advice If you are directly impacted please complete our online registration form. This will help us to support you. If you completed the registration form on 2 February before 12.30pm Brisbane time, please update your details as a few more questions have been added. What adjustments may be possible for students directly impacted? In the vast majority of cases: Students will be permitted to commence classes up to two weeks after the start of semester (Monday 9 March). We are also investigating options to allow students to commence later than 9 March where course and program structures allow. We will be in touch with further details on this later in the week. Commencing students will have the option to defer their commencement until Semester 2 or a later date. Returning students impacted by these restrictions will have the option to take a break in their studies for Semester 1 and then return in a future semester (click here for details). In addition to this, we are currently investigating options for online delivery of course content in Semester 1 to support students who need to delay their start date. Students not directly impacted by the latest advice should attend university as planned. Please regularly check the UQ webpage which includes answers to key questions and is updated frequently. The Student Services team will continue to monitor the situation and give further advice to students as needed. You can call them on + 61 (07) 3365 1704 or email student.services@uq.edu.au Thank you for your continued patience as we work to resolve this situation as quickly as possible. Best wishes Andrea Strachan Director, Student Services

Date

Subject

From

3 Feb

Coronavirus update 3 February - travel and self-isolation restrictions

All students

Student Services

As you may be aware, the Australian Government has provided updated information on the national response to the coronavirus and has implemented new measures that will directly affect some of our students. We understand that this is a difficult situation, and many students have been concerned about the impact this may have on their Semester One studies. We are working as quickly as possible to respond to this evolving situation.

Australian Government latest advice for universities:

From February 1, Australian citizens, permanent residents and their immediate family (dependents, legal guardians and spouses) returning from mainland China will be allowed to enter Australia but must self-isolate for 14 days.
From February 1, all other travellers from mainland China will not be permitted entry.
Australians are advised not to travel to mainland China.

Self-isolation requirements

If you have travelled from the Hubei province in the past 14 days, you must self-isolate for 14 days from the day you left.
If you are already in Australia but have travelled recently from mainland China or transited through mainland China prior to Saturday 1 February, you do not need to self-isolate.
You do not need to self-isolate when travelling from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, unless you have been in the Hubei province in the past 14 days or in any part of mainland China on or after 1 February.
You must self-isolate for 14 days if you have been in close contact with a confirmed case of coronavirus from the last date of contact.
There are further restrictions for students placements. Students on placement will be contacted directly by their faculty / school if impacted.

Register for students impacted by the latest advice

If you are directly impacted please complete our online registration form. This will help us to support you. If you completed the registration form on 2 February before 12.30pm Brisbane time, please update your details as a few more questions have been added.

What adjustments may be possible for students directly impacted?

In the vast majority of cases:

Students will be permitted to commence classes up to two weeks after the start of semester (Monday 9 March). We are also investigating options to allow students to commence later than 9 March where course and program structures allow. We will be in touch with further details on this later in the week.
Commencing students will have the option to defer their commencement until Semester 2 or a later date.
Returning students impacted by these restrictions will have the option to take a break in their studies for Semester 1 and then return in a future semester (click here for details).

In addition to this, we are currently investigating options for online delivery of course content in Semester 1 to support students who need to delay their start date.

Students not directly impacted by the latest advice should attend university as planned.

Please regularly check the UQ webpage which includes answers to key questions and is updated frequently.

The Student Services team will continue to monitor the situation and give further advice to students as needed. You can call them on + 61 (07) 3365 1704 or email student.services@uq.edu.au

Thank you for your continued patience as we work to resolve this situation as quickly as possible.

Best wishes

Andrea Strachan
Director, Student Services

31 Jan

Date	Subject	To	From
31 Jan	Initial announcement to students	All students	DVCA
I hope this email finds you well, and that your preparations to join us for the 2020 academic year are progressing smoothly. As you would expect, UQ has been monitoring developments with the coronavirus, taking advice from the relevant Australian government departments, and implementing any necessary actions. We have set up a website to provide advice and information about the support we are making available to UQ students. The page will be updated as needed and I would encourage you to check it daily as government guidelines and transportation availability to Australia can change. The coronavirus situation is continuing to evolve, and we understand this can be challenging when you are trying to plan your travel to the University for Semester 1. Currently the restrictions are for students who have: 1. Travelled to Hubei province, China within the past 14 days, you must isolate yourself for 14 days after leaving Hubei province. 2. Been in close contact with a confirmed case of coronavirus, you must isolate yourself for 14 days after last contact with the confirmed case. Students in these circumstances should not attend university and must avoid contact with other students and staff. All other students are welcome to attend University as planned. Please be aware there are multiple factors, many outside of our control, that could change at short notice. You may want to consider this when making your travel plans. Key dates Orientation Week commences on 17 February. If you need to self-isolate, you will need to arrive in Australia week commencing 3 February First day of Semester 1 is 24 February. If you need to self-isolate, you would need to arrive in Australia week commencing 10 February. If restrictions relating to the coronavirus impact on your travel to Australia or could delay your Semester 1 start, please register here with Student Services, and they will work with you to look at alternative options to support your studies. We look forward to you joining us in the coming weeks. Professor Joanne Wright Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic)

Date

Subject

From

31 Jan

Initial announcement to students

All students

DVCA

I hope this email finds you well, and that your preparations to join us for the 2020 academic year are progressing smoothly.

As you would expect, UQ has been monitoring developments with the coronavirus, taking advice from the relevant Australian government departments, and implementing any necessary actions.

We have set up a website to provide advice and information about the support we are making available to UQ students. The page will be updated as needed and I would encourage you to check it daily as government guidelines and transportation availability to Australia can change.

The coronavirus situation is continuing to evolve, and we understand this can be challenging when you are trying to plan your travel to the University for Semester 1.

Currently the restrictions are for students who have:
1. Travelled to Hubei province, China within the past 14 days, you must isolate yourself for 14 days after leaving Hubei province.
2. Been in close contact with a confirmed case of coronavirus, you must isolate yourself for 14 days after last contact with the confirmed case.

Students in these circumstances should not attend university and must avoid contact with other students and staff.

All other students are welcome to attend University as planned.

Please be aware there are multiple factors, many outside of our control, that could change at short notice. You may want to consider this when making your travel plans.

Key dates

Orientation Week commences on 17 February. If you need to self-isolate, you will need to arrive in Australia week commencing 3 February

First day of Semester 1 is 24 February. If you need to self-isolate, you would need to arrive in Australia week commencing 10 February.

If restrictions relating to the coronavirus impact on your travel to Australia or could delay your Semester 1 start, please register here with Student Services, and they will work with you to look at alternative options to support your studies.

We look forward to you joining us in the coming weeks.

Professor Joanne Wright
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic)