Before returning for fall, limit your outside activities
By Lisa Nagy, Vice President for Student Affairs and Angela Middleton, M.D., Director of Health Services
We’re looking to keep the Maverick community safe, and we know you want to help. After all, we’re all in this together.
Here’s how you can show your Maverick spirit: To prepare for the fall term, we ask that you limit your social activities and exposure to outsiders, to the maximum extent possible, for 14 days prior to your coming to campus.
We believe this approach—in conjunction with daily self-monitoring, wearing masks, and social distancing—will help us minimize the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The goal is two-fold: to ensure you stay healthy and to protect other Mavericks from illness.
So what would a 14-day pause on outside activities look like?
- Stay in your home as much as possible and limit your interactions to immediate family and those who live within your household.
- Avoid public transportation if possible, eating out, and large group gatherings.
- Continue social distancing from others by remaining at least 6 feet away from anyone you come into contact with.
- Do not allow unnecessary guests into your home.
- Wear a mask at all times when out in public.
While laying low, you should monitor your symptoms daily. COVID-19 symptoms include cough, shortness of breath, chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, loss of taste or smell, diarrhea, or fever. If you are experiencing any of those symptoms, you should contact your primary health care provider or UTA Health Services.
We understand that, on such a diverse campus, everyone has a different living situation or employment status. Please limit your outside activities in a manner that makes sense for your life, while considering the impact of your actions on other Mavericks.
As part of the fall return, we have outlined a COVID-19 testing plan for students exhibiting symptoms and have expanded our on-campus testing capabilities with a boost from the North Texas Genome Center.
These are stressful times, and it’s OK, even encouraged, for you to ask for help. As a Community that Cares, UTA makes available to students a number of resources that you should consider accessing. Remember, social distancing doesn’t mean social isolation. Reach out to us, your family, and your friends to manage your stress and ease your worry.
A successful return to campus for the fall is going to take the best efforts of everyone at UTA: students, faculty, and staff. These last few months have reinforced the importance of community, even as we must keep social distancing from one another. Let’s make smart choices in the coming weeks to keep one another safe and healthy, and to help you move closer to the degree that your hard work has placed within reach.