A Message to the UTA Community

In recent months, our university has faced unprecedented adversity and, together, we’ve persevered. Now we face the new challenge of safely resuming activity on campus while ensuring the safety of our community and continuing to provide the high level of instruction for which UTA is known.

The UTA Repopulation Executive Planning Task Force, working in close coordination with the Fall Academic & Course Planning Task Force, has been developing a phased approach to safely resume increased activity on campus. This plan is built into three phases, with staff and faculty returning to campus throughout the summer and into early fall, to prepare for the resumption of in-person classes.

Throughout the planning process we have proceeded thoughtfully and deliberately with safety as our guiding principle. The plan to bring people back to campus encourages social distancing, minimizes on-campus presence, and provides the safest environment for staff, faculty, and students as we resume in-person activity. That means we will be entering the fall semester in a hybrid teaching format, with a mixture of in-person and online learning.

The University will implement a face-covering protocol, effective at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, June 10, 2020, and in effect until further notice. This protocol will apply to everyone on campus—all students, staff, faculty, contractors, vendors, suppliers, and visitors—and is critical in minimizing risks to others near you. Use of face masks or cloth face coverings is strongly encouraged on campus. They must be worn

while in campus buildings (except private offices, alone in labs, or in residence hall rooms or apartments); and
elsewhere on campus where social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., student shuttle buses, well-attended outdoor events, etc.).

Reusable, washable fabric face masks for individuals are available at Central Library and the information desk at the University Center. Through UTA’s Environmental Health and Safety Department, reusable, washable fabric face masks are available for UTA departments and disposable, three-ply, pleated, ear-loop face masks are available for research groups. You may submit a request form for your department or lab.

As we continue to learn from and adapt to the pandemic, we will remain nimble and adjust as necessary, while following the recommendations of experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the State of Texas, and The University of Texas System.

We will all do our part to keep our community safe by continuing to practice safe social distancing, follow proper hygiene and sanitation procedures, and wear masks on campus and in public—especially when social distancing cannot be achieved. We are in this together.