NKU Ashish Vaidya ready to launch ‘Spring Forward’ plan for the coming semester as students return to classes on January 11 to a mix of face-to-face, online and hybrid blends.
Departments will maintain minimum staffing levels on-campus, to have their locations open to serve faculty, staff and students in-person, as necessary, he said in a letter to the campus community.
He said the university will continue to follow the Commonwealth’s guidelines and reinforce the Norse Nine principles for those on campus. The COVID-19 Preparedness Team will monitor the situation and recommend adjustments as necessary.
Vaidya said that Faculty, students (undergraduates in particular) missed the on-campus experience and interactions and worried about their families’ financial uncertainty.
“In our quest to become a student-ready university, we are responding to these concerns,” he said.
He outlined the responses:
Easing Registration – for example by removing certain registration “holds” and rolling-out a centralized holiday break virtual one-stop so students can call or email their questions with a 24-hour response time.
Making NKU more Affordable – for Spring 2021 Semester, tuition will remain unchanged, and there will be no institutional scholarship renewal requirements. Parking will be free in all garages, so students can attend classes or visit campus without worrying about the hourly rate. There will be no online course fee, no late registration fee, no late graduation fee and no commuter meal plan mandatory fee. And NKU’s IT Department will continue to provide laptops, hotspots and other technology resources.
Empowering Engagement Opportunities
• Students will be invited to “Pitch a Program” – an opportunity to pitch their idea for a program or event on campus. The “Pitch a Program” open sessions will be January 21, 22 and 25. Programs selected will need to have an in-person component and follow the Norse Nine. NKU Student Engagement’s social media accounts will be sharing more information on this event soon.
• The spring semester will also have redesigned annual events that are campus traditions, like the MLK Day of Service on January 18 and Homecoming on February 17-20. While Homecoming might be a bit different, there will be a number of in-person watch parties around campus to cheer on the Norse. We will roll out more engagement activities for the spring semester in January.
• NKU will be hosting an Esports Rocket League tournament February through March. This builds upon the success of our varsity Rocket League team, and it is open to all students, regardless of skill level. The winning team will get to scrimmage with NKU’s varsity team in an exhibition match. There will also be side matches for prizes throughout event. The tournament will culminate with the grand opening of our NKU Esports Arena on campus in late March.
• NKU’s TikTok account @nkuedu1 launches in January! We are looking for student, faculty and staff ambassadors to join the NKU TikTok team to create fun content representing their college, student organization, athletic program or affiliation with the university. Please follow this account and contact social@nku.edu to join the NKU TikTok team.
Supporting Health and Wellness – Campus Recreation Center is open, so one can stay active in the colder months. Health, Counseling and Student Wellness (HCSW) is available for students to answer questions, perform COVID 19 testing and provide emotional support. During the spring semester, NKU is exploring a partnership with an online platform that will both supplement the work being done by the HCSW staff and provide students with a variety of 24-hour self-help tools. In addition, for those students who need financial assistance, therapy session fees at HCSW may be waived or reduced for the Spring 2021 Semester.
Northern Kentucky University