15 April 2021

On 20 April the government is expected to decide that we may resume in-person teaching at the university from 26 April. The government is talking about ‘every student going in to university one day a week.’ Below you will find a summary of the measures that the university will be taking in the coming period. Read more about the plans and the preconditions in the extensive update.

• We are going to look per programme and annual schedule at how we can provide the best possible teaching and what the maximum options are within – and alongside – the timetable. Alongside scheduled teaching, extra activities will also be possible at university locations. This could mean guest lectures, Career Services events or study association activities. Study advisers will be able to meet students in person once again, and, where possible, more study spaces will be available. Lecturers will be able to book a room for extracurricular activities with students, and study associations will be able to do this via the assessor. 
• We are pleased with the options, if limited, of meeting face-to-face once again. The campus protocol rules will continue to be extremely important and you will still have to do the corona check before you come to the university.
• From the start of May, students and lecturers will be able to order self tests for free via SURF. We would urge our students and staff to make use of this option because it will increase safety at the university. Self-testing will not be mandatory. Nor will the university provide self-tests. As soon as we know more, we will let you know in an update.
• We would urge our office staff to continue to work from home where you can. If your work or home situation make it essential to work at one of the university locations, you may do so on an exceptional basis, but do discuss this with your manager in advance.
• Like the whole country, we are gradually emerging from lockdown. As the number of people vaccinated increases and the number of infections decreases, we will move away from no, unless to yes, provided. If events are permitted once again, more people may be welcome to attend PhD defences, inaugural lectures and degree ceremonies. 
• We hope that from August/September we will all be able to return to our university locations once again with few or no restrictions. Read more about the new academic year. 
• We therefore want to return to ‘normal’: meeting one another without restrictions. But we would like to keep the best of our online contact and options from the past year. Read more in our interview with our rector magnificus, Hester Bijl.

The plans will, of course, only go ahead if the government gives us the green light, and the measures from the campus protocol will still apply.