Dear Undergraduate Students,
We hope this email finds you well and that you had a safe and enjoyable fall break. As we prepare for the spring semester, we are requiring all undergraduate students to complete the Mandatory Declaration form (right click > Open in Incognito Window) to declare your campus access status for the spring semester. Last semester this was requested through the Mode of Learning Survey. Completing this declaration form is not optional and is a very important step in your return to classes in the spring.
In the Mandatory Declaration process, each student must elect to be either a campus-access student or a fully remote student for the entirety of the Spring 2021 semester. No undergraduate student, even if you elected a status in the fall, will be automatically assigned to a status.
Most undergraduate students in the Bethlehem area will need or want access to campus. Being a campus-access student is required for any student who wants to:
- Take classes in person.
- Live on campus in residence halls.
- Access any campus spaces including the dining halls, libraries, labs, music practice rooms, and athletic facilities.
- Have a meal plan.
- Participate in in-person activities run by Student Affairs, Academic Affairs, or any campus organization.
Approximately 25% of courses in the spring semester have a mandatory on-campus component—these courses are designated as either “On-Campus Required” or “Flex-Classroom” sections of a course. Only campus-access students will be eligible to take these courses.
Our goal is to maintain regular operations of campus spaces such as libraries, gyms, and labs. Only campus-access students will be allowed to access on-campus activities. Note that access may be temporarily altered or limited as changing conditions warrant. Please consider this when deciding whether to declare as campus-access or fully remote.
Undergraduate students who do not intend to access campus in any way may choose to declare themselves as fully remote students. This designation is primarily intended for students living outside the Bethlehem area. Fully remote students:
- Will receive a 10% reduction in tuition.
- Will not be allowed to participate in in-person classes or events/activities or access campus buildings including libraries, classrooms, laboratories, gyms, or outdoor spaces such as the UC lawn, patios or tents, on the Asa Packer, Goodman, or Mountaintop campuses.
- Will have their ID card access disabled.
- Will be required to provide current address information.
- Will be required to participate in regular surveillance testing and contact tracing if they are spending time in Northampton or Lehigh counties.
- Will be allowed to access the Health and Wellness Center.
To receive this reduction, students must be fully remote for the entire duration of the term. If a student wishes to gain access to campus at any point during the semester, the student should not elect fully remote status. Students receiving financial aid should be aware that the 10% tuition reduction will affect their cost of education calculation, and thus will likely reduce their financial aid package.
All students living off campus—whether fully remote or campus-access—will be required to provide up-to-date information about their address. All students living in Northampton or Lehigh Counties must participate in mandatory surveillance testing and contact tracing. These students also must abide by university guidelines regarding social distancing, gathering sizes and other safety protocols. Failure to comply with any of these requirements by a fully remote student will result in the loss of the 10% reduction in tuition.
***We have provided important questions and answers to help you understand both the Mandatory Declaration process and the implications of the campus-access versus fully remote status.*** Please read these Q&As carefully, as they provide information that is important for you to understand before you make your selection regarding Spring 2021.
You must submit your responses no later than December 22, 2020, though it will be possible to adjust your responses after the deadline. Please note: if you do not elect a status, your bill will reflect full tuition and you will not gain access to campus until you complete the mandatory declaration form as a campus-access student. Because of the importance of this process, you must also submit your form before you can access your grades and transcript.
Please see the Q&A for more information.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Jensen
Deputy Provost for Academic Affairs
Jennifer Mertz
Assistant Vice Provost for Financial Services
Jennifer O’Brien-Knotts
Assistant Vice Provost for Enrollment Services