Information for students on studying in the summer semester 2021

2021-06-01 Update on student workstations, hybrid face-to-face courses, face-to-face exams, vaccinations and university sports

Dear students of Leuphana,

Against the background of the fortunately continuously decreasing infection figures for some time now, we would like to inform you today, after extensive internal coordination, about the next steps for Leuphana's handling of the Corona pandemic.

First of all, we would like to state that the University's previous strategy of consistently avoiding contact and strictly adhering to the known hygiene and distance rules has so far proven to be correct. Regardless of any further steps, you are still asked to remain very vigilant, to exercise the utmost caution and not to take any unnecessary risks of infection, so that together we can continue to manage the pandemic as well and as safely as possible.

Due to the current very positive developments, the Presidential Board has decided to take the first cautious steps towards opening up the university during the current summer semester. These opening steps concern the establishment of additional workstations for students, the opening of courses for hybrid formats and the implementation of examinations in the summer semester.

Specifically, assuming continued low infection rates and incidence, the following changes will occur beginning June 1:

  1. STUDENT WORKSTATIONS
    Beginning June 1, 100 student workstations will again be available in the library reading room. The spaces do not need to be booked. They will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. To check in, you will need your library card, proof of a negative Corona (rapid) test no more than 24 hours old (available free of charge between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. in C14), or proof that you have been fully vaccinated or have survived an infection. An FFP2 or comparable medical mask must be worn at all times while in the building. Workstations will initially be available Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. - 9 p.m. each day. From June 26, the reading room will then be open to the public again on Saturdays from 12 - 4 pm.

    The workstations in buildings 12 and 14, which have already been available since May 6, will initially not be available for use in the coming days. However, the Facilities Management Department is working to be able to provide additional workstations outside of the library. We will inform you of these additional workstations if and when they become available.
     
  2. HYBRID TEACHING IN PRESENCE
    As of June 1, instructors will again have the option to offer courses in a hybrid format if instructors choose to do so for didactic or personal reasons. In this case, synchronous teaching takes place with participants on site and participants connected online. More information about this type of event can be found here:
    https://www.leuphana.de/universitaet/entwicklung/lehre/aktuelles-semester/hybride-lehre.html

    It is not yet possible to estimate the extent to which teachers will make use of this option. You can find out directly from your instructors or via myStudy whether courses you have selected will be converted to a hybrid format and what requirements you must meet to participate on site. The Presidential Board has asked instructors to consult with students in their courses before switching to a hybrid teaching format.

    In each case, it is ensured that you as a student can also participate digitally in hybrid courses during the remaining time of the summer semester if you want or need to do so for personal reasons. The only exceptions to this are those courses which, for didactic reasons, have already been held in person since the beginning of the summer semester (e.g. practical courses in laboratories).

    Before participating in a hybrid course in presence, we ask you to perform an antigen quick test. Instructors may request these tests from the Occupational Health and Safety Department to be given to students in the relevant courses prior to the start of the course. All necessary further information on the testing strategy and implementation of the tests can be found here: https://www.leuphana.de/intranet/verwaltung/arbeitsschutz/sars-cov-2.html.

    Please note: All rooms will be furnished or marked by Facilities Management in accordance with the minimum distance requirements. The arrangement of the furnishings may not be changed.
     
  3. EXAMS IN PRESENCE
    As of July 1, from today's perspective, instructors may again make use of the option to hold exams in attendance, as an extraordinary situation due to the Corona pandemic no longer exists to an extent that justifies holding exams exclusively in digital formats. However, instructors will still have the option to choose between administering exams digitally or in face-to-face format for the summer semester.

    However, for the summer semester, teachers at Leuphana will continue to have the option, in accordance with the applicable Corona Annexes to the Framework Examination Regulations, to choose between conducting examinations in attendance or in accordance with the digitally conducted alternative examination formats defined in the Corona Annexes. In accordance with the regulations adopted by the University Senate, teachers are required to make a corresponding decision by June 25, 2021 and communicate it to their students via myStudy.

    We will provide further detailed information on the framework conditions for conducting examinations in the summer semester in good time before the start of the first examination phase.
     
  4. VACCINATIONS
    In recent days, there has been an increased focus in the press on vaccination, including of students. Against this background, we regret that we do not see any possibility on the part of Leuphana to offer our students a preferential vaccination service organized by the university. The university's occupational health service has informed us that it will probably not be able to provide any capacity at all until mid-August. Other vaccination capacities in the region are also not available for the university.

    We therefore ask you to make regular vaccination appointments with the vaccination centers responsible for you and with your family doctors. The good news from our point of view is that according to the forecasts available to us, vaccination appointments for all those who wish to be vaccinated should apparently be available by July at the latest.
     
  5. UNIVERSITY SPORTS
    The University Sports Center of Leuphana will soon resume some sports activities within the framework of the continuing requirements of the Lower Saxony Corona Ordinance, including sports activities for students. The University Sports Center will provide separate information on this. Please keep yourself informed on the website of the University Sports Center.
     
  6. MENSA
    We do not yet have any new information from the Studentenwerk Ostniedersachsen regarding the operation of the Mensa. For the time being, we assume that the Mensa will continue to offer take-away meals. Should the situation change, we will also inform you about this in the short term.
     
  7. OUTLOOK AND REQUEST
    In view of the positive developments, we currently continue to assume that we will be able to carry out teaching and studies in the coming winter semester completely or at least to a large extent in presence again. We will continue to inform you about this on an ongoing basis.

To ensure that this goal remains attainable, however, we ask you to continue to exercise great caution in the coming weeks, despite all the positive developments and the resulting easing of the situation. Meetings outdoors are always preferable to meetings indoors. And the request continues: please do not come to campus if you have any signs of respiratory illness - even mild symptoms. In these cases, please stay home and seek medical advice.

For all university-related questions, you may continue to contact cv-info@leuphana.de. For additional general information, please visit https://www.leuphana.de/portale/coronavirus.html.

We hope that despite all the hardships of the past few months, you continue to persevere well, that you are able to enjoy the first days of summer, and that you look forward - as we all do - to a gradual return to what we hope will soon be a life close to normal.

With best regards

Sascha Spoun
President

Christian Brei
Executive Vice President

Erich Hörl
Vice President College

Simone Abels
Vice President Graduate School

Jörg Terhechte
Vice President Professional School

Susanne Leeb
Vice President Research