Newsletter July 2020

News and Deadlines

Safety and Opening Plans
RIT has unveiled two plans that outline the actions RIT and its individual community members must take for a safe, productive, and meaningful Fall 2020 semester. Please read and refer your student to the RIT Safety Plan. Faculty, staff, students, and visitors are expected to fully comply with the provisions of this Safety Plan and other policies, procedures, and guidelines designed to protect the health and safety of all individuals on the RIT campus.

For more detailed information, please review the full RIT Ready: Fall 2020 Reopening Plan.

In particular, please note the following:

• All students are responsible for getting a COVID-19 test prior to coming to campus and must provide evidence of a negative result. Students will not be permitted to circulate on campus until a test is taken and submitted to the Student Health Center. Detailed information about the test submission process will be available soon. Please review the Testing, Quarantine, and Contact Tracing FAQs for details.
• Visitors coming into New York from many states are required to complete a 14-day quarantine before circulating among the community. We are awaiting further guidance from state officials on the quarantine implementation and we will communicate with all students as soon as more details are available. Individuals returning from areas with significant community spread of COVID-19 will be required to take an additional test upon their return to campus.
• Students must complete the RIT Daily Health Screening every day, seven days a week, whether or not they are coming to campus.
• Visitors will be allowed at RIT but not in RIT housing at this time. All visitors are expected to comply with applicable laws, regulations and guidelines relating to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the requirements of this plan and the RIT Safety Plan. This includes utilization of the Daily Health Screen prior to coming on campus.

Move-In Information
For the safety of students and staff, all students living in RIT housing are required to select a move-in appointment time. RIT Housing has communicated with your student to their RIT email account regarding actions to select a date and time. Move-in for returning students is August 16-18. The 2020 Arrival Guides will be available soon with move-in instructions.

A few other items to note:

• Early arrival requests cannot be accommodated.
• Students will be allowed one adult guest to accompany them into the building during move-in for one hour to assist with move-in before being required to vacate the building.
• Incoming students will be moving in between August 12-15.
• All RIT mandated safety protocols must be followed.

Student Insurance Options

• Student Health Insurance:  RIT expects all students to have health insurance. If your student will use a family plan, please contact the company to determine what coverage your student has in Rochester (many companies have limited out-of-network coverage). RIT offers a robust student health insurance plan with an expansive provider network across the U.S. and out-of-network benefits.
• Student Dental Plan: The RIT Student Dental plan provides cost-effective dental care provided by network dentists at treatment locations in close proximity to RIT's campus.  
• Personal Property Insurance: RIT offers a broad personal property insurance plan-which covers losses that homeowner’s insurance typically does not-that is very reasonably priced with low deductible options.
• Tuition Refund Insurance: This elective insurance plan provides coverage for tuition and room and board charges in the event of an unexpected withdrawal from classes due to an illness or accident.

RIT Ready

We know we cannot guarantee a COVID-free environment, but we are taking every measure to mitigate both personal and community risks. A successful fall semester will require every member of RIT to work together and do their part in adhering to the safety guidelines. 

RIT Ready Website & Newsletter
RIT has launched a new website and newsletter, RIT Ready, which serves as a central repository of news and information as we ready ourselves to welcome students back to campus in August in accordance with New York State’s New York Forward guidelines. You can find information on campus cleaning and safety upgrades, details on how to prevent the spread of COVID-19, an update on how instruction will proceed this fall, and the RIT Ready weekly companion newsletter archives on this site.

COVID-19 Testing
All students are responsible for getting a COVID-19 test prior to coming to campus and must provide evidence of a negative result. Students will not be permitted to circulate on campus until a test is taken and submitted to the Student Health Center. Detailed information about the test submission process will be available soon. Please review the Testing, Quarantine, and Contact Tracing FAQs for details.

RIT Ready Pledge
We all—students, staff, faculty, and family members—play a role in keeping our RIT community healthy and safe against the spread of COVID-19. The RIT Ready Pledge asks community members to pledge to:

• Protect myself and others by:
  • Wearing a mask
  • Washing my hands frequently
  • Watching my physical distance
• Prevent the spread by:
  • Practicing daily self-care
  • Keeping shared spaces clean
  • Contacting a health care provider if I have any COVID-19 symptoms
  • Staying home when I feel sick
• Prepare and plan ahead by:
  • Adhering to RIT guidelines
  • Following directional signage throughout campus
    Keeping important supplies with me at all times – mask and hand sanitizer
  • Finding ways to be together socially, while physically distant

Please review the pledge with your student and stress the importance of doing their part to keep RIT safe! 

Preparation Tips
With a month until courses begin, there is a lot that students can be doing now to prepare for their return to RIT:

• Practice RIT’s expectations now so students are used to these behaviors when they arrive, including wearing a mask, physically distancing, and washing hand regularly.
• We know students will want to say goodbye to family and friends from home, but please consider individual or small group, outdoor, and distanced gatherings.
• We are stressing from our experience this past spring that students need to pack light and minimally, especially if living in RIT housing. Please check out the What to Bring lists for residence halls and campus apartments.
• Don’t forget to pack face masks and hand sanitizer. A command hook to hang a mask by your student’s door may also be very helpful!

Information and Updates

Family Orientation Refresher
This summer, we have been producing videos for Family Orientation that include interviews with staff from around campus about student resources and life at RIT. They cover what is a “typical” experience, as well as what will change in the coming semester to account for COVID safety procedures.

While most of you have already experienced Family Orientation, these videos may be helpful reminders of resources. Topic include:

• Health & Wellness
• Disability Services
• Academic Support
• Safety on Campus
• Money Matters (coming July 28)
• Living on Campus (coming August 4)
• Deaf Culture and Access Services (coming August 4)
• COVID planning (coming August 11)

 All videos can be found on the Parent & Family Programs YouTube channel.

Family and Emergency Contact Information 
Please remind your student to update family and emergency contact information in SIS (Student Information System) by going to www.rit.edu/studentcontact. This official record must be updated by your student and does not impact your email preferences for this newsletter. To change your email address for the Parent Newsletter, please do so on the Parent & Family Programs website. 

Career Opportunities for Students with a Disability
Career Services and Cooperative Education will be participating in the 2021 Federal Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP). WRP is a recruitment and referral program comprised of eligible candidates with disabilities who apply each fall for temporary and permanent job opportunities that will start in the Spring or Summer of 2021. This is a great opportunity for students to connect with Employers and to learn about a variety of employment opportunities.

To be eligible to participate, candidates must be current, full-time undergraduate or graduate students with a disability, or have graduated within two and a half years of December 2020. More information on eligibility requirements can be found at www.wrp.gov.

Eligible students should be aware of upcoming WRP Dates:

• August 24-October 14, 2020: Student registration
• October 26-November 18, 2020: Fall Informational Interviews
• December 2020: Candidate Database Access for Employers

Contact RIT’s WRP coordinator Chris O’Connor (cmooce@rit.edu) with any questions about this program.

Parent Poll
Each month, we ask parents to respond to our Parent Poll and provide feedback on a topic related to RIT, your student, and you. Please take a moment to answer our August question.