Dear International Students and Scholars,
ISSS understands that you may be worried about the emerging coronavirus situation, and that you may have been personally impacted through travel delays. If you are in China, or have family in China, we wish you and your family good health, and we hope that life will soon return to normal. Please let us know how we can support you.
We would like to share with you important updates and information:
Travel from China to U.S.
As you may know, President Trump issued a Presidential Proclamation on January 31st that bars entry to the U.S. of foreign nationals who have recently (within the past 14 days) been present in, or traveled from, the People’s Republic of China (excluding Hong Kong and Macau). The restriction started Sunday, February 2nd at 5 pm, and its end date is unknown. Some categories of foreign nationals, including lawful permanent residents of the U.S., spouses of a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident, and parents of U.S. citizen children, are exempt from this restriction. However, exempt individuals may still be subject to testing and quarantine upon arrival to the U.S.
If you are a student, a visiting scholar, or an OPT participant who is in China, and unable to return due to the travel restriction, please notify ISSS if you have not already done so.
Spring Break Travel to China
At this time, ISSS suggests that students who are in the U.S. not plan unnecessary travel to China during the Spring break, until we know when the reentry restriction will be lifted. If students are required to travel due to an emergency or otherwise cannot stay here, please discuss your plans with your ISSS advisor so we can help you understand your options for return.
Maintaining Your Visa Status
With the entry restriction in place, It is especially important that enrolled students make every effort to maintain your visa status by attending all classes, on a full time basis (unless you are already approved for a Reduced Course Load).
Also, do not work in the U.S. unless you have ISSS or USCIS authorization. The F-1 visa allows enrolled students to work up to 20 hours per week on campus, without special authorization. All other employment requires explicit ISSS or USCIS authorization. J-1 visa students require written ISSS authorization for all types of employment.
Visiting scholars are not required to study to maintain status, and may only work in a position at UConn that forms the basis of your exchange program. Please contact ISSS with further questions.
Health Information and Services
UConn Student Health and Wellness (SHaW) maintains up to date information related to coronavirus and flu on their webpage. They also have a phone number dedicated to novel coronavirus – if you have questions or concerns related to the virus, you may call (860) 486-8987 during business hours, or the after hours on-call nurse (860-486-4700) outside of business hours. If you are feeling ill, please seek medical treatment at Student Health and Wellness at the Storrs campus (for enrolled Storrs campus students) or through your local medical provider, if at a regional campus. SHaW would like to remind all students that they should get a flu shot, if they have not already done so. These are provided at SHaW, your local medical provider, and at many pharmacies.
Academic Support
We know that many students had to return to campus later than planned, or may have been ill and missed a number of classes. It is very important that you communicate with your professors if you miss class to find out how or if you can make up any missed work. The ISSS webpage on Academic Support lists a number of on-campus resources that can help you if you are struggling to keep up with your coursework. If you have missed significant class time due to an illness, and you have medical documentation, you may be eligible to take a Reduced Course Load for the semester and withdraw from the course, if necessary.
Please ask for help if you are struggling. UConn campuses have resources and staff who are willing to help, but you must seek out that assistance.
Travel Advising
If you are unsure how the new entry ban will impact your travel or your family/friend’s travel, please consult with your ISSS advisor. You can make an appointment or visit during drop in hours.
Bias Incident Reporting
We would like to remind students how they can report bias incidents that occur on campus. From the Dean of Students webpage on Bias Incident Reporting:
A bias-related incident is an incident that negatively targets, intimidates, or threatens an individual or group due to race, ethnicity, ancestry, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, physical, mental, and intellectual disabilities, as well as past/present history of mental disorders. This includes, but is not limited to, graffiti or images that harass or intimidate individuals or groups due to the above characteristics. Because novel coronavirus is associated with a specific world region/country, we want students to know that if you feel you are negatively targeted, or witness other students being negatively targeted, due to an association between someone’s race, ethnicity, or national origin and the novel coronavirus, you may report such incidents through this form.
Thank you and best wishes for the rest of the semester.