September 2 - Updates on COVID-19
Section 1
CAMPUS SNAPSHOT
Claire Trevor School of the Arts. Photo by Steve Zylius/UCI.
TODAY’S CAMPUS UPDATES
UCI administrative policies & procedures
During UCI’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, UCI executive directives and other advisories can be found on: UCI’s COVID-19 Resources & Updates. Some executive directives and advisories may take precedence over administrative policies, procedures and guidelines on the Administrative Policies & Procedures website, or portions of them. If you have policy questions, please email ucipolicy@uci.edu.
UCI COVID-19 NEWS AND EVENTS
Coping with pandemic anxiety as kids return to school
This workshop is designed to help people to deal effectively with emotions and anxiety in response to returning to school during a pandemic. It is intended to provide an understanding of the types of reactions people can experience during this time, and practical tips for coping. The webinar takes place Friday, Sept. 4, from 11 a.m. to noon, and registration is required.
Fellowships keep grad students afloat
The COVID-19 pandemic nearly turned summer 2020 into an economic disaster for UCI’s 6,500 graduate students. The university, however, created two summer fellowship programs paying $5,000 per fellow – a much-needed chunk of cash for 425 graduate students in various disciplines. About 300 graduate students were awarded summer fellowships by the Division of Teaching Excellence and Innovation to be trained in online instruction to help faculty members transition to remote teaching for the upcoming academic year. An additional 125 fellows were selected to learn how to become COVID-19 contact tracers.
UC UPDATES
Judge rules UC must drop use of the SAT and ACT
The University of California must immediately suspend all use of SAT and ACT test scores for admission and scholarship decisions under a preliminary injunction issued by an Alameda County Superior Court judge. He ruled that plaintiffs had shown sufficient cause to stop the tests for now because applicants with disabilities had virtually no access to test-taking sites or legally required accommodations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
HOPE, INSPIRATION, LAUGHTER
Amid the heartbreaking loss of life and economic hardship wrought by the coronavirus, we recognize the need for stories of kindness, hope, courage and humor.
How do you make workplace coronavirus training fun? Sing it
The “COVID-19” song puts a spin on work safety. All employees have to do is queue the catchy course, listen and take a quiz to fulfill job requirements so they can get back to work. It’s all designed to make boring workplace training a little easier to swallow.
GENERAL COVID-19 NEWS
This section curates noteworthy articles on COVID-19. No endorsement by UCI is implied.
Note: Some news organizations require subscriptions to read articles. The UCI Libraries offer free subscriptions to The New York Times and Wall Street Journal for students, faculty and staff.
American Airlines tests new virus-killing coating
American Airlines is testing a newly approved antimicrobial protective coating that is able to make the coronavirus inactive on aircraft surfaces for up to seven days. The odorless, transparent protectant, called SurfaceWise2, was developed by the Dallas-based Allied BioScience, which specializes in antimicrobial coatings for use in public spaces.
California to have new COVID-19 reporting system in October
Gov. Newsom announced that a new reporting system will be online in October to track coronavirus test results in California. This comes after a state public health computer database failure when up to 300,000 tests had not been uploaded.
AMC to reopen another 140 theaters by Friday
AMC has announced that 70% of its theaters, or 420 total, will be open by this weekend, including the first AMC theater in San Diego.
COVID-19 cases in children have jumped 17%
Since Aug. 13, there have been 70,330 new child cases of coronavirus reported. This is a 17% increase in cases over two weeks.
UCI IN THE NEWS - COVID-19 Article List
LAist, Sept. 1, 2020
Thousands of college students are moving into SoCal dorms. Can campuses curb the COVID risk?
USA Today, Sept. 2, 2020
University of California system can no longer consider SAT, ACT results in admissions, judge rules
Forbes, Sept. 1, 2020
A court orders the University of California not to use the SAT Or ACT during the pandemic
MORE INFORMATION
OC-COVID19.org - powered by UCI and UCI Health, a website devoted to providing timely, useful, evidence-based information about the novel coronavirus pandemic to our friends and neighbors across Orange County
UCI Coronavirus Information Hub - more information on campus status and operational updates
UCI Health COVID-19 Updates - important information related to UCI Health