Answering Parents’ Questions

On Oct. 20, 2020, UC hosted an interactive WebEx event designed to address parents’ questions about the College’s COVID-19 response and the general UC experience. Barb Knauf (parent of Mason ’23) was joined by UC’s Senior Vice President for Student Life & Enrollment Jeffery Gates, and Vice President for Emergency Management Shad Crowe. (If you missed the event, watch the full video below.)

During the broadcast, the group answered a wide range of parent questions, but couldn’t get to them all.  As promised, they address those remaining questions here:

Q: What happens to my son/daughter's academic status if they get COVID and miss several days of school?

Jeffery Gates: Rest assured that your child will continue as a registered student. If your student contracts COVID, their name will be provided to the Dean of Students. The Dean will contact their faculty and make them aware that the student will be attending remotely. Your student’s Success Coach will also be notified and will assist your child with completing homework assignments, getting organized and staying on track by providing the necessary tools to succeed while recovering. Your student is also encouraged to reach out to faculty for assistance.

Q: When is the last day of in-person classes and the end of the semester, and when does the spring semester start?

Jeffery Gates: The last day of in person classes is November 25, 2020. The spring semester is scheduled to begin on January 25, 2021. For more, see the academic calendar online here.

Q: How many COVID tests have been administered thus far?

Shad Crowe: Utica College is proud to be part of the 6% of colleges testing aggressively by requiring students, staff and faculty to get tested every week. For up-to-date information on the number of COVID tests administered and active/resolved cases on campus, please visit the Utica College COVID Dashboard here.

Q: Is there academic assistance for students who attend classes virtually?

Jeffery Gates: Yes, students can reach out to their Success Coach if they need academic assistance. Tutoring services are available at Learning Commons. Peer tutoring is available for most subjects including writing, math, science, business, criminal justice, and cybersecurity. Smarthinking.utica.edu is an online tutoring service available 24/7 at no additional cost. All the academic assistance services are provided free of charge to Utica College students. The Center for Student Success is open and a Success Coach is available to help. Find more information on academic assistance here or call 315.792.3179 if your child needs academic assistance.

Q: Will there be a winter/spring athletic season?

Shad Crowe: Utica College is following guidelines provided by the NCAA and Empire 8 Conference. Teams have been participating in strengthening and conditioning exercises. We continue to adhere to guidelines provided by Oneida County and New York State.

For more information on UC's COVID-19 response, visit utica.edu/covid-forward