Corona-News

In norder to support the exam scheduling process, all students are asked to register for their exams now. Planning has begun, and the exam dates are scheduled to be published by mid-December, if possible.

Based on a recent decision by University Management, the application deadline for open-admission Bachelor’s programs w for the 2020/21winter semester will be extended until  November, 2020. Applications can be submitted via the RWTHonline online application platform. The regular admission requirements for undergraduates continue to apply.

The regular deadlines as stated in the announcement of application and enrolment deadlines as well as on the RWTH website are suspended for the duration of this regulation. The extension of the application deadline applies exclusively to the 2020/21 winter semester.

See also: Application for Admission

In einem neuen Video erläutern die neue AStA-Vorsitzende Lena Schrader und ihr Stellvertreter Paul Heuermann wichtige Regeln zur Eindämmung der Pandemie zum Semesterstart. Diese betreffen nicht nur die neuen Studierenden sondern sind für alle RWTH-Angehörigen interessant:

In a new video, the new AStA chairwoman Lena Schrader and her deputy Paul Heuermann explain important rules that help to contain the coronavirus pandemic at university. These are not only aimed at beginning students, but should be of interest to all RWTH members.

Staying Safe Through the Semester

You can have breakfast again on site at Campus Melaten. The Caffè Bar Vita in Helmertweg is open again on weekdays from 8am to 11am and offers Italian coffee specialities, delicious teas, snacks and sweet pastries. However, please make sure to complay with the social distancing rules!

Please note: Access to the café is currently via the patio only!

The University Sports Center published its winter semester program under the name “Sports Program WiSe 20/21, Restricted Program” in September. In coordination with the Crisis Management Team, different concepts have been developed to make a comprehensive sports program feasible while meeting the high reqirements of infection control.

The sports program is divided into two periods each semester. Each period has a specific start date where the offers open for registration:

• Registration start for the first period: Tuesday, October 27, 2020
• Registration start for the second period: Tuesday, January 12, 2021
• Program start for the first period: November 2, 2020
• Program start for the second period: January 25, 2021

Registration starts at different times depending on the offer.

• From 4pm: all offers except games and fitness are open for registration
• From 4:30pm: all ball sports and games offers open for registration
• From 5:00pm: all fitness-oriented offers open for registration

According to the RWTH Crisis Management Team, exams and exam review sessions will continue to be held. The hygiene regulations are to be observed at all times. During exam review sessions, face coverings must be worn.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting cancellation of most in-person events, our students – in particular, our new Bachelor’s students, who may have just moved to Aachen – have significantly fewer opportunities to get to know each other, share information about their studies, or meet privately.

In order to address this situation and provide support, the IT Center and the Center for Learning and Teaching Services (CLS) have now made the Microsoft 365 service available to all RWTH students.

The service provides the familiar Office applications – Word, Excel, and PowerPoint – but also makes it possible for students to use Outlook, OneNote, OneDrive, SharePoint, Sway, Forms, Flow, and PowerApps. Importantly, they can now use Microsoft Teams as a communication tool.

Please note that for licensing reasons, the Microsoft Office applications cannot be installed locally on the user’s computer.

Further information: Microsoft 365 for Students

Due to the increasing rate of infection in the City of Aachen and the Städteregion – the number of new infections per 100,000 inhabitants in the past seven days has exceeded 100 – the Crisis Management Team and the RWTH Rectorate have therefore agreed on the following additional measures to reduce the risk of infection at RWTH and thus slow down the spread of coronavirus:

• The Rectorate and the Crisis Management Team urgently recommend the management of all university institutions to let their employees work from home as comprehensively as possible (i.e. up to 100%), wherever such an arrangement is feasible. If this is not the case, shift systems or other solutions that reduce the risk of infection in the long term should be implemented.
• All teaching activities – with the exception of courses and events that require in-person attendance (lab practicals and excursions) – are to be held remotely until further notice. Courses and events for first-semester Bachelor’s students will initially begin virtually. The existing obligation to wear masks during all in-person teaching and exam sessions – with the exception of written exams – continues to apply.
• Students now also have to wear masks at their desk in study spaces.
• Work meetings may now only be held in person if absolutely necessary and only absolutely necessary participants may attend. All attendees must wear their masks and adhere to the known hygiene regulations throughout.
• With regard to public events offered by RWTH or held on the RWTH premises that third parties are granted access to, the current regulations of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, City of Aachen, and Städteregion Aachen (compulsory mask-wearing, extended minimum distance of 2 m…) continue to apply.

The above restrictions shall be lifted again as soon as the rate of infection in the City of Aachen and Städteregion Aachen has fallen below 100 in a one-week period. The announcements of the City of Aachen and Städteregion Aachen provide the basis for these measures.

The university management urges all employees to support and consistently adhere to all the required measures for the sake of their own health and that of those around them. Thomas Trännapp, the head of the crisis management team, would like to thank all employees and students for their cooperation.

The guidelines on holding exams, courses, and exam reviews will be revised in due course and published on the respective websites.

The Center for Learning and Teaching would like to announce that they recently procured Zoom licenses for all employees in technology and administration. This means that these employees can now host events (meetings) for up to 300 attendees using Zoom.  The CLS website at https://video.cls.rwth-aachen.de/en/ provides further information on how to do so.

Employees will receive their license automatically by logging on to Zoom via Single Sign On (SSO), therefore, they should make sure that they have specified the corresponding email address in the Identity Management system (IdM). They can check or change this setting at https://www.rwth-aachen.de/selfservice.

The RWTH Crisis Management Team would like to remind its members that they must wear masks during all in-person meetings, including in break and social areas. While they may temporarily remove their masks in order to consume food and beverages in such areas, this is only permitted if the appropriate minimum distance is maintained, windows are ideally kept open, and the hygiene regulations are observed. The possibility of eating and drinking in break and social areas should in no way lead to social gatherings. Ideally, employees would go on their breaks separately, one after the other. The RWTH Crisis Management Team urges all RWTH members to be responsible in the interest of everyone’s health and wellbeing.