UNC Charlotte is dedicated to the health and safety of its campus community.
As part of the UNC System, the University works closely with System officials on major decisions affecting classes, leave and payroll. This page has been updated to reflect additional guidance the System Office issued on March 17, 2020.
Messages sent to faculty from the Provost can be found here.
Quick Links:
Faculty Resources for Alternative Teaching Methods
Crowd-sourced Teaching Online Resources
This crowdsourced and curated list of Teaching Online Resources can assist faculty with generating ideas for their classes, including tips and links to free materials, virual labs and more. It is an evolving work-in-progress that will be refined and added to in the coming days.
Alternative Instructional Formats offered by UNC System
This resource is intended to provide assistance to faculty who need to move their classes online quickly. It is designed to support the use of technology that allows faculty to hold classes when circumstances prevent them from physically meeting with students. Continual updates to this document can be found here and this site also contains the native Word documents for easy use and remix, as well as PDF and web versions for mobile accessibility.
Helping All Students Access WebEx Session Content
Some students may not be able to join live WebEx sessions for a variety of reasons due to the current pandemic (childcare, eldercare, illness, lack of proper equipment, internet issues, etc.). Here are a couple ideas you may consider to help these students:
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Share your lecture materials with students ahead of time and ask students to dial in to the telephone number for your WebEx session. If you are using slides, handouts or other visual aids in your WebEx presentation, you can send these materials to students before the session starts by posting them in Canvas. Then they can dial in by phone to listen and follow along with the materials you had sent to them.
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Record and share your WebEx sessions with students to review after the fact. Even if students cannot join the live session as it is happening, they could watch the recorded version at a later time. All WebEx sessions can be recorded, downloaded and shared in Canvas, with captions automatically added that are editable by you, to make reviewing the recordings more helpful.
Video Captioning Makes for Greater Accessibility
All recordings, including WebEx recordings, that are uploaded into Canvas are automatically machine captioned with over 93% accuracy. These captions can be edited by the user, too.
Some Students May Not Have the Correct Equipment for Proctored Tests With Respondus Monitor or Respondus Lockdown Browser
For faculty who have students who lack the necessary equipment, you can refer to a new FAQ that explains how you could to determine which students are affected by this and ideas for alternative assessments. Please note that Respondus Lockdown Browser also does not work with Chromebooks.
Students May Not Have Internet Access Readily Available to Them
We know some students have trouble accessing the Internet at home. Students can use eduroam to go online at any of the close to 20,000 eduroam campuses across the US! There are 38 sites across the Carolinas alone, including many campuses in the UNC System. See: How do I log in to eduroam wireless on my computer? and How do I log in to eduroam wireless using a phone/tablet?
Internet Providers and Software Giants Respond with New Offers
Adobe is providing students temporary at-home access to Adobe Creative Cloud for personal use. Active students were emailed Thursday to follow these instructions to enable access to Creative Cloud Desktop Apps on their personal device. Click here for a resource list of IT-related services announced to help you learn, teach, and work remotely.
Ideas for Access and Support for Online Classes
Ashlyn Walden and Cat Mahaffey, faculty members in WRDS who are both trained in Quality Matters, provide a tip sheet for faculty members who are new to remote instruction.
Advice when quickly moving courses online, by: Amy Young, Portland State University
- Be kind to yourself and your students. Everyone is stressed, even if they're playing cool. That includes faculty. And that's okay.
- Many universities have a considerable number of pedagogical experts ... Be kind to these people. They are suddenly very slammed.
- You will not recreate your classroom, and you cannot hold yourself to that standard. Moving a class to a distance learning model in a day's time excludes the possibility of excellence. Give yourself a break.
- Prioritize. What do students REALLY NEED TO KNOW for two weeks. We have to strip it all the way down--in my campaigns class, that means I need them to post infographics on their research and now post narrative context and slides. But I'm going to punt on presentations because we just don't have time. Which sucks. But these are not normal circumstances.
- If you're making videos, student viewership drops off precipitously at 5 minutes. Make them capsule videos if you make them. And UPLOAD to YOUTUBE because it TRANSCRIBES for you. Do not assume your audio is good enough or that students can understand without transcription. This is like using a microphone at meetings--I don't care if you don't need it, someone else does and they don't want to ask.
- Make assignments lower or no stakes if you're using a new platform. Get students used to just using the platform. Then you can do something higher stakes. Do not ask students to do a high stakes exam or assignment on a new platform.
- Stay in contact with students, and stay transparent. Talk to them about WHY you're prioritizing certain things or asking them to read or do certain things. I've moved to doing that in all of my face-to-face teaching anyway, and it improves student buy-in because they know content and delivery are purposeful.
- Do not read on best practices for distance learning. That's not the situation we're in. We're in triage. Distance learning, when planned, can be really excellent. That's not what this is. Do what you absolutely have to and ditch what you can. Thinking you can manage best practices in a day or a week will lead to feeling like you've failed.
- Be particularly kind to your graduating seniors. They're already panicking, and this isn't going to help. If you teach a class where they need to have completed something for certification, to apply to grad school, or whatever, figure out plan B. But talk to them. Radio silence, even if you're working, is not okay.
Classes and Labs
UNC Charlotte is committed to ensuring that all students can fulfill their academic requirements as planned and supporting faculty and students in this process.
All classes, including lab sections, will be online or remote effective March 23 and for the remainder of the semester. Students engaged in dissertation, thesis or other individualized instruction should contact their faculty advisor/instructor.
Summer Classes and Fall Registration
Registration for all summer terms and the fall semester opened as scheduled on March 30. All courses for the full summer term, the first-half summer term (Session A) and the second-half summer term (Session B) will be completely online. More information is available on the Niner Central website.
Additional information for faculty: Academic Affairs will communicate with faculty members with additional information about ongoing resources to assist in course instruction. Faculty are directed to provide the maximum flexibility possible for students during this time.
Faculty members have been instructed to provide maximum flexibility to any students required to move out of the residence halls, including excusing an absence or any assignments due, during their move out week.
Textbooks: To help facilitate the transition to online learning, Barnes & Noble College and VitalSource have made free ebooks available for the remainder of the semester.
Over 90 publishers are participating in the program. To check if a course textbook you are using is available, set up an account and search for the textbook by author, title or ISBN.
Please note: Access codes are not included with free VitalSource ebooks. Not every textbook is available digitally through VitalSource.
For questions or additional assistance gaining access, please visit the VitalSource FAQs page.
More information.
Returning rented textbooks: Rented textbooks can be returned by mail. For information about printing a free shipping label, please visit Barnes and Noble Charlotte’s Rental Book Return webpage.
Dining and Transportation
- Dining:
- Crown Commons will continue providing brunch and dinner takeout service.
- Market on Craver will be open in the Union.
- Please visit the Auxiliary Services operational changes webpage for more information.
- Transportation:
- Niner Transit will operate the Silver and Gold Routes from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- Paratransit service is unavailable until social distancing restrictions are lifted.
- Please visit the Auxiliary Services operational changes webpage for more information.
- CATS On Modified Schedule: The Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) has announced modified schedules for its services, including light rail. Please visit the CATS website for more information.
Administrative Leave (including student and temporary employees)
Administrative paid leave for all mandatory and non-mandatory employees, including temporary and student employees, will be in place for the following situations related to COVID-19:
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High Risk Mandatory Employees: Mandatory employees who are determined to be “high risk” for contracting COVID-19 or experiencing greater complications (i.e., over 65 years of age; have underlying health conditions, including heart disease, lung disease or diabetes; or a weakened immune system) or who are providing care to someone at high risk will be given special consideration for teleworking or administrative leave.
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Ex: Pat is a mandatory employee who has been assigned to report to work at a particular date and time. Pat is 65 years old and has an underlying lung condition. Because Pat is in a high risk group for COVID-19 infection, they should be allowed to telework, if feasible; if teleworking is not an option given the nature of the work, then Pat should be granted paid administrative leave.
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Employees with Childcare and Eldercare Issues: Mandatory or non-mandatory employees (including temporary and student employees) who cannot work because they have childcare or eldercare needs due to COVID-19-related facility closings will receive paid administrative leave for the period of time they are unavailable.
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Ex: Kim is a non-mandatory employee and a single parent to a kindergarten-age child. With the closure of the public schools, Kim is the sole caregiver to the child during the day. Kim cannot telework during the day due to childcare responsibilities arising from COVID-19 facility closures, but Kim can complete some of her work duties by teleworking. Kim arranges with her supervisor to telework 20 hours per week outside her regular work schedule and will receive 20 hours of paid administrative leave for the period of time dedicated to childcare.
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Employees Unable to Telework: Non-mandatory employees (including temporary and student employees) who are unable to telework will receive paid administrative leave if they cannot telework because their position duties cannot be performed remotely and reasonable alternate remote work is not feasible or productive.
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Ex: Sam is a temporary employee who averages about 15 hours of work per week. Sam’s duties cannot be performed remotely and are not considered mandatory. Sam would receive paid administrative leave for their regular hours of work using 15 hours per week.
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Please note: For part-time employees with irregular schedules, paid administrative leave should consider the employee’s average hours per week over the course of a month. In no case shall paid administrative leave exceed forty hours per week.
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Employees Who Are Ill from Cold, Flu or COVID-19: Any mandatory or non-mandatory employees (including temporary and student employees) who are sick due to symptoms of a cold, flu or COVID-19 or who are caring for a dependent with such symptoms will receive paid administrative leave. All other medically related absences will utilize regular forms of leave such as sick, vacation and bonus leave, or shared leave if previously approved.
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Ex: Terry is a non-mandatory employee who is assigned telework. After two days of working from home, Terry has an accident resulting in injuries that require hospitalization. Because Terry is unable to work during this time due to nonCOVID-19-related health issues, Terry must take sick leave for the time they were unable to work.
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Center City
- Center City Building is closed, and will not accept reservations until further notice.
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Please check the Center City website for further updates.
Other Campus Services
- Recreation Facilities: All University Recreation facilities are closed. Services will be assessed weekly until further notice and more information will be shared as it becomes available.
- Popp Martin Student Union (PMSU):
- The Student Union will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.
- Movies are canceled, and Union Station, Barnes and Noble at UNC Charlotte and NinerTech are closed until further notice.
- Cone University Center: Cone is closed until further notice.
- Barnhardt Student Activity Center (SAC): The SAC is closed. Services will be assessed weekly until further notice and more information will be shared as it becomes available.
- Dean of Students Office: The Dean of Students Office will operate normal business hours of 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday - Friday.
- Veteran Services Support (VSO): The VSO office in Barnard will be closed, but staff will be working remotely and accessible at 704-687-5488 or veteranservice@uncc.edu. Additionally, the Barnard Veterans Lounge will be closed and inaccessible. Card access will be temporarily deactivated until further notice.
- Title IX Office: The Title IX Office will operate normal business hours of 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday - Friday.
- Graduate School: The Graduate School and Graduate Admissions offices are operational in an online capacity to support graduate students and faculty. Please visit their websites to obtain contact information.
- Receiving & Stores: Central receiving will remain open to accept packages from FedEx and other carriers. There will be staffing from 7:30-10:30 a.m. each day to assist campus customers. To contact Receiving and Stores, call 704-687-0372. Please leave a message if no one is available to answer this phone.
- McMillan Greenhouse and Botanical Gardens: The McMillan Greenhouse is closed until further notice. The Botanical Gardens will remain open. More information.
- Mail and Package Services: Mail Services will be open on a reduced schedule. Departmental mail will be held at Lower Prospector for pick up by the authorized department contact. Please visit the Auxiliary Services Operational Changes webpage for more information. Students who need to forward mail and packages should fill out the Change of Address webform.
Research and Economic Development
All Research and Economic Development (RED) offices remain operational, including all pre-award, post-award and research compliance. RED staff will be available by email, phone and video conference during reduced operations. Faculty and staff are encouraged to check the RED website for additional instructions
Travel
University-sponsored in-state travel to gatherings of 50 or more people is suspended, and all travel outside the state is suspended, unless otherwise authorized by the chancellor or provost. Additionally, employees should avoid any reservations via p-card or personal funds for future travel without prior authorization. The University will ensure any costs for any previously scheduled travel that cannot be refunded are recovered so the traveler does not incur expenses.
Please review these travel FAQs for more information.
Events and Athletics
- Non-Athletic Events: All events of 10 more people, regardless of location, are canceled until further notice. No exceptions will be granted by Chancellor Dubois.
- Athletics: All spring sport competition for Conference USA institutions is suspended until further notice. Any fans who have purchased tickets in advance for previously scheduled Charlotte 49er athletic events will receive further information about refunds or account credit.
Commencement
Given the evolving nature of COVID-19 and based on current federal health guidance, UNC Charlotte’s May commencement ceremony will need to be postponed. We are working to develop a thoughtful plan to recognize and celebrate your UNC Charlotte accomplishments. The University is considering in-person ceremony options in either August or December, and we expect to finalize these plans by May. Our commencement website website will also be updated with FAQS and the latest information.
Self-Quarantine Reminder
Self-Quarantine: As a reminder any student or employee who fits the criteria below is advised to self-quarantine for 14 days:
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You have returned from any international travel.
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You have been in close contact with anyone who has traveled to areas of concern for COVID-19 or has been ordered to quarantine because of exposure to the virus.
Any employee or student who is self-quarantining is required to fill out a self-quarantine form. More information is available on the Emergency Management website.
Reimbursements
Refunds: On March 30, the UNC System announced that institutions will be able to provide students prorated housing and dining refunds for the spring semester. The University is committed to working with the System to provide these refunds as soon as possible. We are working diligently to finalize the details, and expect to have more information to share about the refund process in the next few weeks.
Other Information
Building Access
Most buildings will remain on swipe access from 6 a.m. until 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, which means a 49er ID card will be required to enter buildings. This excludes the Student Health Center, Student Union, Facilities Operations and Parking Services (FOPS), Cato, Prospector, Auxiliary Services and the Facilities Management and Police and Public Safety building (FM-PPS). All buildings are in normal (locked) conditions from 6 p.m. until 6 a.m., Monday through Friday, and all day Saturday and Sunday. Faculty and staff who have already secured swipe access to a building will remain able to access that building during the normal locked conditions.
Stay Informed
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NinerNotices: We will send notices every Monday and more as warranted.
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Website: We will continue to keep the Emergency Management website and FAQs updated with the latest information. Check these resources often.
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Social Media: We will communicate with you on social media via the NinerAlerts Twitter and Facebook accounts and the University’s main Twitter and Facebook accounts.
Resources
- Faculty FAQs
- Center for Teaching and Learning
- Academic Policies and Procedures
Emergency Fund for Students
The UNC Charlotte Emergency Relief Fund helps current students by providing financial support when they need assistance with unexpected, unforeseen, and unavoidable emergency expenses, including pandemics. Please consider donating online.
The Demond ‘97 and Kia ‘98 Martin Foundation will match dollar-for-dollar gifts made to the Emergency Fund up to $100,000. Currently enrolled students can apply for an Emergency Fund grant via this website.
Employee Support
UNC Charlotte offers employees experiencing economic difficulties access to emergency loans up to $250. Donations to the emergency loan fund can be made via the UNC Charlotte giving website. The North Carolina State Health Plan has also made some changes to further assist employees during this time, including the elimination of any co-pay requirement for COVID-19 testing.
This page was last updated on Tuesday, March 31, 2020.