Corona-News

On October 10, 1870, the first lecture was held in Aachen. To commemorate this historic day, RWTH had originally planned a big show and ceremony in C.A.R.L. lecture hall complex – now, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the University is instead presenting an online show at 8:15pm on its birthday featuring Ralph Caspers and Shary Reeves.

When teaching first began at RWTH Aachen University, it was still known as “Königliche Rheinisch-Westphälische Polytechnische Schule.” In his inaugural speech, founding director August von Kaven promised to aim for “rapid, wonderful progress in the application of science.” 150 years later, RWTH Aachen University is ready to show the world what it stands for today through the medium of film.

“The Show” at the C.A.R.L. was supposed to have been the highlight of a series of celebrations – however, in light of the pandemic, these events, unfortunately, had to be canceled. Instead, RWTH now invites you to join us for a prime-time anniversary show, which can be experienced together and yet spatially separated. It will be broadcast on October 10, 2020 at 8:15pm via the video platform YouTube.

Full Press Release: Special RWTH Anniversary Show

The library of the Department of History will resume part of its services on July 21. Students will then have the opportunity to book one-hour or two-hour sessions for research purposes. The physical distancing and hygiene regulations in place at RWTH must be adhered to.

For further information, please visit the website of the Department Library (de).

The regulations for oral examinations using Zoom have been updated. It is now no longer necessary for students to consent in writing to taking the oral examination via Zoom. However, students must be informed about their rights during the examination. The mandatory data protection declaration can be found at: CLS Digital Teaching & Learning. Please always use the most recent version.

Read the rest of this entry »

As announced by Hochschulradio Aachen, on July 17, six university radio stations from North Rhine-Westphalia will review and take stock of the summer semester in a joint broadcast. This is the second collaborative project between the university radio stations from Aachen, Bochum, Bonn, Dortmund, Duisburg/Essen, and Siegen. The first joint broadcast in April 2020 focused on the start of the “digital semester.” A recording of the broadcast is available at: Campus NRW: Semesterstart. Read the rest of this entry »

As announced by Studierendenwerk, Aachen students in financial distress due to the coronavirus crisis are now offered a daily free meal in the Mensa Academica and Mensa Vita dining halls. The project was launched on July 13.

The pandemic has hit many students hard. As some of them have lost their jobs, they are now facing financial hardship, according to a statement from Studierendenwerk. To support students in need, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research is now providing grants to help cover the months June to August 2020: Financial Aid from the BMBF.  Furthermore, Studierendenwerk Aachen has alleviated student hardship since the beginning of the pandemic by adjusting the rental conditions for residence halls. As Dirk Reitz, managing director of Studierendenwerk Aachen, explains: “Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have been supporting students in need with various initiatives. Now we are pleased to be able to make an important contribution by offering a free take away lunch in the dining halls!”

Free meals are offered to students who can prove that they have received an interim grant from the BMBF or who have been granted hardship support according to the rules defined by their student representative bodies. Such support includes, for example, a  loan from AStA or a bridging grant from the proRWTH association. In addition, all students who have had their semester ticket refunded due to social hardship can benefit from the free lunch initiative.

The AStA Student Committee will provide students in need with a certificate of eligibility for the free lunch initiative. For information on criteria of eligibility and the application process, please refer to the AStA website.

Source: Studierendenwerk Aachen: Free Take Away Lunch

Studierendenwerk Aachen has announced that Mensa Vita has changed opening times for lunch (take away). Lunch is now available between 11:30am and 2:30pm.

In close coordination with the University Management, the University Sports Center has decided to further expand its interim program of sports activities. The expanded interim program, starting July 20, will offer 80 different sports. For an overview, please visit the HSZ website.

You can book courses starting July 14, 4pm. The expanded program is scheduled to start July 20.

The HSZ points out that the distancing and hygiene regulations under the Corona Protection Ordinance will continue to apply.

The outdoor fitness facilities, changing rooms, and sanitary facilities will still be closed. The Wildenhof water sports facility is only open during the interim program and only for sport courses. The current measures are based on the recommendations of the German Federal Ministry of Health and the Robert Koch Institute, the regulations of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, and the Crisis Management Team of the Aachen City Region and have been agreed upon with University Management.

The HSZ urgently requests all sportspersons to comply with the rules. If these rules are not followed, the HSZ will be forced to revoke individual measures or suspend sports operations again. Non-compliance may result in sanctions and fines.

A pilot operation for study spaces started in the University Library (UB) on July 1. Since only 75 workstations per day will initially be available in this pilot operation, AStA and the Crisis Management Team are appealing to all students to only use these places where truly necessary. The University will see how the situation develops and expects to be able to provide more study places in the next few weeks.

To book available workstations, please go to:

https://www.ub.rwth-aachen.de/cms/~hame/UB/?lidx=1

The SuperC service institutions are now starting up a limited on-site service again upon prior appointment. Students should contact the respective department to make an appointment.

The Guidelines on Holding Exams, Courses, and Exam Reviews in Summer Semester 2020 have been adapted to meet the current requirements. You can find the updated version here:

https://download.cms.rwth-aachen.de/WebDAV_5.2/konsolidierte_Handreichungen_Lehre_EN.pdf