Archive for May, 2020
University Library Remains Closed, Interlibrary Loan Services to Resume May 18
All University Library locations, including the Central Textbook Collection and the Medical Library, remain closed at least until May 24. The period of closure has been extended by one week. In urgent cases, RWTH members can borrow media from the Central Library, Library 2, and the Medical Library by prior appointment (+49 241 80 94456, Check-Out Desk or Medical Library) if there is no digital version of the media available.
Please note that inter-library loan services will resume May 18, 2020.
The above given date also applies to the University Library’s study spaces and reading rooms.
Uniklink RWTH Aachen Open for Blood Donations Again
The blood donation service of Uniklinik RWTH Aachen urgently needs blood donations. As of May 12, blood can be donated again at the university hospital. Donation hours are as usual:
Monday: 12:30 to 7:30pm
Tuesday: 11:30am to 7pm
Wednesday: 12:30 to 7:30pm
Thursday: 12:30 to 7:30pm
Friday: 7:30am to 12:30pm
Due to the physical distance requirements, the large seminar room on the ground floor will be used rather than the regular blood donation corridor on the third floor. Signs will direct you accordingly. Please remember to wear the required mouth and nose covering.
We would like to point out that until further notice, blood donation appointments cannot take place at other locations, because the required minimum distance of 1.5 meters between persons cannot be maintained in any other facility. The blood donation service cannot currently foresee when the situation will change.
Further Information About the University Sports Center’s Interim Program
The University Sports Center has announced more details regarding the limited outdoor program it will soon be offering. Only activities that take place outdoors, are non-contact, and do not use shared sports equipment will be offered. According to the HSZ, each sports offer forms a 60-minute self-contained unit. Courses in the conventional sense that build skills over several units are not possible due to the possibility of weather-related cancellations. Here’s a weekly overview of offers from May 18, 2020.
https://hochschulsport.rwth-aachen.de/cms/HSZ/Sport/~hgsio/Uebergangsprogramm-Outdoor/
IT Center: In-Person Submission of DFN Applications to Resume May 14
From Thursday, May 14, applications for DFN user and server certificates can once again be submitted in person at the IT Center, Seffenter Weg 23, upper entrance. In light of the coronavirus pandemic, the service was temporarily suspended for health and safety reasons. However, strict rules and regulations apply. In order to coordinate access to the office, please arrange an appointment via the IT Center’s online appointment planning tool. Time slots are always available Tuesdays to Thursdays from 9am to 3 pm.
Further information: IT Center – Application for DFN Certificates
University Sports Center Starts First Outdoor Classes May 18
The University Sports Center has announced that it will start a limited sports program from May 18. All classes in the program, which are subject to registration, will be held outside for the time being. Participants will have to register via single class bookings, which will be activated 24 hours before the start of the class. The first offers will be available to book from Sunday, May 17. This limited program will initially run until May 29.
A second period with an adapted program is planned from June 2 to July 17. This further development depends on the decrees on the current political decisions that will be taken in the context of the Corona pandemic. The current measures are based on the recommendations of the Federal Ministry of Health, the Robert Koch Institute, the regulations of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, and the Crisis Management Team of the Städteregion Aachen.
The Rectorate of RWTH is aware that the measures will continue to lead to restrictions in university life. The gradual start of limited sports activities is a step toward a normalized social life at the University. However, this endeavor can only be successful if all participants comply with the rules associated with the offers.
https://hochschulsport.rwth-aachen.de/cms/~icgi/HSZ/.
NRW Ministry of Culture and Science: It Is Right to Continue With the Online Semester
NRW Minister of Culture and Science Isabel Pfeiffer-Poensgen has spoken out in favor of continuing the online semester at the state’s universities, thus expressly supporting the universities’ decision. “The universities in North Rhine-Westphalia have really done an excellent job in making a wide range of online courses available to students under the difficult conditions of COVID-19. It is impressive how quickly and flexibly the universities have accepted and mastered the challenges of the complete switch to the online semester. Since the new formats have been well received by students and lecturers alike, I welcome the decision to end the summer semester as an online semester,” says Pfeiffer-Poensgen in a statement from the Ministry of Culture and Science. In order to support the universities in meeting the challenges of solely online teaching, the Ministry of Culture and Science is not only providing universities with immediate financial aid for digitization in teaching and studies amounting to 20 million euros, but also with the necessary legal regulations for university operations under the conditions resulting from corona, the Ministry continues.
Federal Government Launches Special Program for Vaccine Research
The Federal Government has adopted a special comprehensive program for developing a vaccine against corona. The program complements Germany’s significant contribution to global efforts with a further national commitment and will be implemented by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), according to an announcement. Developing and producing a vaccine is crucial to bringing the current pandemic under control. “A vaccine is the key to social and economic normalization – for the life that we are used to and that many deeply miss,” explained Federal Federal Education Minister Anja Karliczek. The approved program has been allocated a total volume of up to 750 million euros. This is the highest funding amount that the Federal Ministry of Education and Research has provided for corona research.
New Regulations on Public Life Take Effect
Many new regulations have been announced by the Federal Government and the individual states for the upcoming period, some of them with immediate effect. The current Corona Protection Regulation for NRW is available at www.aachen.de/corona. In addition to regulations for RWTH and the other universities in NRW, it regulates all essential areas of public life – from trade, gastronomy, schools, daycare centres, care, leisure, cultural, sports and entertainment facilities to tourism and accommodation, and more. In an announcement, the City of Aachen points out that the lighter measures usually implicates the public continuing to adhere to strict hygiene and infection protection requirements and, in many cases, also wearing a form of mouth and nose protection.
Dining Halls on Campus Remain Closed
As officially announced by the NRW Federal Government, catering establishments and restaurants may reopen from 11 May under strict health and safety procedures. The new regulations do not apply to university dining halls, according to Studierendenwerk, as these are different from normal restaurants in many respects. The State of NRW has not yet issued any regulation that allows the opening of the dining halls on campus; for this reason, all refectories of Studierendenwerk will continue to be closed for the time being.
In addition, Studierendenwerk also announced that the new easing measures in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic come with specific new regulations. In order to be able to trace infection chains, for example, all institutions welcoming customers within their buildings are obliged to record the contact details of external visitors. As a result, students and other visitors to the Studierendenwerk offices must provide their contact data when visiting.
From now on, the following must be observed when visiting the facilities of Studierendenwerk: Admission is now only permitted with a nose and mouth covering. In the foyer of our Pontwall building, which currently opens daily between 12noon and 1pm, only one person is allowed to enter at a time. According to the Studierendenwerk, this also applies to students who want to reacharge their BlueCard. Visitors who wish to clarify any card-related matters in person at the Infopoint or who intend stay in the building for a longer period of time are asked to keep a distance of 1.5 meters and to provide their personal details (i.e. put their names on a list).