FCC/SCEP Model Syllabus Language on Covid-19 Precautions

Current as of August 3, 2021

[Small edits were made to better tailor University language to the Law School]

The University of Minnesota currently requires all students, staff, and faculty to wear masks when indoors regardless of vaccination status, and strongly encourages members of the campus community to get vaccinated. Resources are available for accessing vaccines.

Please stay at home if you experience symptoms of COVID-19 and consult with your healthcare provider about an appropriate course of action. An absence due to symptoms of COVID-19 is an excused absence, and I will work with you to find the best course of action for missed work and/or class experiences.

Please see below for additional details: 

People who are not vaccinated are at high risk for getting and spreading SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. New variants of the virus spread more easily and quickly, particularly among young adults. An increase in the number of COVID-19 cases will strain health care resources and lead to more hospitalizations and potentially deaths.

The best defenses against contracting COVID-19 and spreading the virus to others are vaccination and masking. All members of the University community who can be vaccinated are strongly encouraged to get vaccinated. See this link for resources to get vaccinated.

When indoors, you are currently required to wear a face covering (mask) to protect the entire community of students, faculty members, and staff. This will maintain a culture of safety to help protect all members of the community, and especially those who are immunocompromised and/or who are caretakers of others (e.g., young children) who are not yet vaccinated.

If you experience COVID-19 symptoms or symptoms of any potentially infectious respiratory illness (e.g., fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose), you should stay home and not come to class. Please consult with your healthcare provider about an appropriate course of action, and please consult the M-test program for COVID testing resources. Such an absence is an excused absence.

Note that the pandemic guidelines update regularly in response to guidance from health professionals and the prevalence of the virus in our community. You will be notified of any changes.