Coronavirus Updates and FAQs
The latest information on ELP operations, social distancing and preventative measures
We know that many of you in the ELP community, as well as our friends and family, continue to have questions about COVID-19. In the last few weeks our ELP faculty and staff have been hard at work preparing for a shift to online instruction, remote learning, and tele-working.
Please know that the ELP community—your adviser, professors, administrators, and peers—are here to support you the students in this challenging time. We are here for you and are committed to doing all we can to ensure the best outcomes for you as we work to complete this term and prepare for what’s ahead.
Please see below for the resources, institutional changes, and updates that are available to students as we deal with this ongoing public health crisis.
Resources
The College and University have made many resources available to students. Here’s a curated list:
Learning from Home: As you study and learn from home, there are services available to assist you, including Keep Learning.
Technology Support for Remote Learning:
The Dean of Students office is available to assist if you need support with key resources, and if you do not have access to personal computers and internet connections. An emergency fund application is available through the Student Emergency Services office. Please complete it and the university will work to help you.
Zoom:
UT will be implementing the highest level of access security. This will require users who join classes or meetings to be authenticated through the UT Austin Zoom system and use a Zoom application.
Steps You Need to Take
This is important. Students need to take two fairly simple steps to ensure seamless access to high security Zoom.
If you haven’t already, you must claim your UT Zoom account by going to utexas.zoom.us and registering by clicking on Sign In. You will not be able to directly join a class or meeting until you have done so. Using any other Zoom account, including Zoom’s free account, will not work.
Download and register the Zoom app on your devices (including computers). This is necessary so that Zoom’s application can validate you as part of the UT community every time you access a class or meeting. The Zoom app is available in the Apple App Store and in the Google Play store for Android. The desktop app can be downloaded at utexas.zoom.us. Click Download Client, and then download Zoom Client for Meetings.
That’s all you have to do, but these steps must be taken before you join a class or meeting. Otherwise, you will be delayed joining class while you download the app, or you will be placed in the Zoom Waiting Room where you will have to wait for your instructor to manually admit you.
Technical support is available to help any student who needs it. Contact the ITS Service Desk at 512-475-9400 or email zoom@utexas.edu.
Zoom Sign In: How to Avoid the Waiting Room (Video)
Join a Zoom Meeting
Screen Sharing in Zoom
Proctorio:
Adobe Spark:
Mental Health: The CMHC has resources available and are utilizing telecounseling as an approach to support students. If you or a peer are experiencing stress and/or trauma, please visit their website here: https://cmhc.utexas.edu/ . It is important to realize that being knowledgeable of these resources will not only be beneficial for you, but also for friends and colleagues who may be under duress.
Please communicate directly to your faculty, your adviser, and departmental leadership if you are experiencing difficulty during this stressful time. While we have taken the approach to limit communication and cluttering your inboxes, we also realize it’s important that you know we are here to assist you however we can.
Health:
As the virus continues to affect communities across the country, there is much you can do to monitor your health and protect others during this time. If you have symptoms or have been exposed to COVID-19, it’s important for you to be screened for testing. Students can call the UHS Nurse Advice Line at 512-475-6877.
Others can call UT Health Austin at 833-882-2737; call your physician, who can register you to be tested with Austin Public Health; call CommUnityCare at 512-978-8775; or access telehealth services (via Austin Public Health). If you are not in the Austin area, we encourage you to reach out to your personal physician and local health care providers for support.
University Health Services (UHS) is still open to provide care for acute illness or injury. Call the UHS Nurse Advice Line — 512-475-6877 — for guidance about when to come to UHS, especially if you have a fever and respiratory symptoms. UHS can also schedule telehealth appointments at 512-471-4955 for some health concerns.
Above all, it’s critical that we take care of ourselves and one another. That includes adhering to Austin Public Health and City of Austin orders to stay home except for essential needs and continuing to be vigilant about hand-washing, avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands, and practicing social distancing. Further, stay aware of travel guidelines, including the need to quarantine when traveling from a COVID-19 hot spot.
For additional information related to COVID-19, including messages in multiple languages, visit Austin Public Health.
The Graduate School
In response to the university’s social distancing policy for COVID-19, the Graduate School will not be open for student walk-ins until further notice. Instead, the Graduate School is accepting all forms digitally/online, including request for final oral examination forms (*ELP has been doing these primarily via DocuSign already.)
Dissertation/treatise proposal committee meetings as well as dissertation/treatise final defense meetings will now be conducted remotely (i.e. via Zoom) only.
Email Forms to the Graduate School:
Please email all materials to: GradStudentSvcs@austin.utexas.edu.
Include your name and UT EID in all correspondence.
All forms must be submitted in PDF format only.
Please ensure forms contain all the required signatures before emailing, as this may delay processing.
During peak periods, it may take up to seven days for our staff to reply. Please do not send your email more than once. You will receive a confirmation when your form is accepted.
Graduating Students:
Only submit required pages to this inbox. Do not submit your report/thesis/dissertation to this inbox. Final reports, theses and dissertations MUST be uploaded to the Texas Digital Library before your final paperwork and pages will be reviewed. After submission, no revisions or corrections will be allowed except for those required by the dean of the Graduate School.
Electronic signatures continue to be approved for use on all Graduate School forms such as the Request for Final Oral, Master’s Committee Approval and Report of Dissertation Committee. Digital signatures or scanned signatures are also allowed.
Please make every attempt to ensure that your report/thesis/dissertation complies with university format guidelines.
At this time, the university has stated the semester will end as scheduled, and our final submission deadline for reports, theses and dissertations remains May 8. Please continue checking the Graduate School website for updates.
Accepted Forms Via Email:
Doctoral –
Request for Final Oral Examination
Current conditions will require greater flexibility in accommodating Ph.D. students’ final defenses. The Graduate School does not distinguish between physical attendance or electronic/virtual attendance. Given the university’s current policy on meetings of two or more individuals, final defenses should be conducted remotely if at all possible.
Doctoral students and their committees should consult in advance to identify an acceptable format. This may include individual communication between student and committee member, rather than the conventional single defense presentation to the entire committee.
Regardless of the format of the final defense, the Graduate School will consider a student to have passed when committee members have indicated their approval by signing the Report of Dissertation Committee. This verifies that committee members have read and reviewed the final dissertation to determine that it is an independent investigation and constitutes an original contribution to knowledge.
Request for Change in Doctoral Committee
Final Submission Required Pages
Masters (thesis/report options only) –
Petition for Change in Master’s Supervising Committee
PDF Graduation Applications (dual degree students only)
Petition to Extend the Six-Year Limit on Coursework
Final Submission Required Pages
All Students -
Authorization for Leave of Absence
Portfolio Completion Reporting Form
Request for University Extension Credit
Petition to Transfer a Graduate Course from Another Institution
Students who miss deadlines because of self-isolation or health-related issues should email our staff at GradStudentSvcs@austin.utexas.edu to request accommodation.
Research-related Resources
Office of Sponsored Projects COVID-19 FAQs
Institutional Review Board COVID-19 FAQs
Other Resources
Center for Disease Control and Prevention
Institutional Changes
Specialized Qualifying Exam:
The next SQE deadline has been extended by two weeks, and the new deadline is now May 15th, 2020. Thus, the “no fly” zone (no outside help period) will begin on April 15, 2020. For more information on the SQE, see: https://wikis.utexas.edu/display/ELP/Doctoral+Program+Process
For 2nd year doctoral students - Mid Program Review:
All ELP doctoral students are expected to complete their Mid Program Review by the end of spring semester of their 2nd year in their program. The Mid Program Review consists of a meeting between a student and their adviser, and for the remainder of the semester, these meetings will happen remotely/online with your faculty adviser. Please plan on completing your Mid Program Review by 5/30/20. See the Mid Program Review section of our wiki for more information:
https://wikis.utexas.edu/display/ELP/Doctoral+Program+Process
Student Travel Awards:
The university has suspended all university sponsored international and domestic travel through April 30 with the possibility that this date could be extended. ELP will therefore not be disbursing any student travel awards this semester. Please reach out to the conference organizers, Airbnb, hotels, airlines, etc. to inquire about cancelling any reservations and receiving refunds. If you are encountering difficulties please let us know.
Q-Drop and Withdrawal Deadline Extended to May 8:
To support the transition to this new mode of course delivery, the deadline for Q-drops and withdrawals is now the last class day — May 8.
In addition, students are allowed to choose a Credit/No Credit grading option in courses where that was not previously allowed. Before deciding to change the grading option for a course, graduate students should discuss the change with their graduate advisers. If you are enrolled in a graduate professional program, please check with your program advisor regarding the availability of the Credit/No Credit grading option.
Commencement:
Because of the public health risk to our community, the University has decided to postpone the physical Spring 2020 Commencement ceremony. To honor the Class of 2020, a virtual ceremony will be hosted the week of May 18. Details forthcoming. The future plan includes celebrating students on campus later this year for the full array of graduation and commencement ceremonies. Please visit the University Commencement FAQs page.
Summer Classes Online:
For those students who plan to participate in summer classes, courses will be held online. The summer course schedule will be published April 8, 2020 and registration for summer and fall classes will open April 27, 2020 and close May 8, 2020. These dates are a week later than previously scheduled to allow students time to meet with their advisers remotely
Updates
Announcements from the University and College related to the response to COVID-19 will continue to be posted at the websites below:
Please Check the Following Regularly –
UT Coronavirus Updates and FAQs: https://coronavirus.utexas.edu/.You can also provide feedback and submit questions there so that the university can continue to respond and support you through this challenging period.
- College of Ed Guidance: https://education.utexas.edu/coronavirus.
- Graduate School: https://gradschool.utexas.edu/content/covid-19-frequently-asked-questions
- The Texas One Stop, for critical information around registration, tuition, and financial aid. This information will be updated frequently. Additionally, graduate students can contact their graduate coordinators and advisers for more information.
Finally
We are aware that the COVID-19 moment has exposed some of society’s greatest flaws. Xenophobic and racist behavior directed to the Asian and Asian American community; racist trolls infiltrating our online communities and using hateful slurs towards our students; and the fraying of the social safety net for the most vulnerable members of our community. Please know that the ELP community is here to support you and your families, colleagues, and community members. Don’t hesitate to reach out directly to your faculty, your advisors, and departmental leadership if you are experiencing difficulty during this stressful time. Also, the Campus Climate Response Team (CCRT) is accepting bias reports; you can access the online system here:
https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form?EQBCT=11b77a5089cc4d6b9226bb17e6f79a2d.
We know this is not how you envisioned your spring semester to be (none of us did), but we are all doing our very best to adjust and transition. Our goal is to preserve your academic experience and continue your educational journey as much as possible and ensure your success at UT.
