Chancellor Robert J. Jones provides university updates, announcements and resources from the past week.

Campus Recreation will be operate the Activities and Recreation Center (ARC) on a limited basis during fall semster (Aug. 24-Nov. 20), opening from 7:30am-8pm (M-F) and from noon-8pm on Saturday and Sunday. CRCE will be closed this semester. There is limited building capacity. You can view live facility counts before attending. There are also several changes to the operations. Please read the re-opening plan before arriving.

The Illini Union will be open with altered hours (everyday from 7am-11pm) this fall semester. The restaurants (Starbucks, Qdoba, Einsteins, Blaze Pizza, Wendy's) will be open every day (hours vary). There will be limited seating so please plan to have your food to go. The Rec Room, Quad Shop, CLASS, and Tech Zone will also be open throughout the semester. All rooms and furniture have been preset with social distancing requirements. Please follow all directional signage.

The enrollment/change period will run August 21-September 25. This is the time to enroll/add your dependents to the plan, which include spouses/partners and children. Students can opt-out of the student insurance with a US state-based comparable coverage. Continuation of coverage up to 90 days will be possible for graduating students not returning in the fall. Extensions are available for a non-registered semester if the student is returning in the spring. 

Current and aspiring undergraduate researchers, please take advantage of the support and resources offered by the Office of Undergraduate Research. We have online workshops beginning on Aug. 27, including our popular Value of Undergraduate Research, Getting Started in Undergraduate Research and Proposal Writing for Undergraduate Researchers Workshops. Students can schedule an online appointment with us at any time. We encourage you to sign up for our email mailing list for regular updates and opportunities. Much more on our website.

The Illini Union has great virtual and in-person events planned for the first week of classes. Start off on Mon., Aug. 24 with First Day of School (virtual) photos, tune into Facebook for information. All week will be a Poster Sale at the Union (room 104). There will be a Trivia Tuesday event, a Wednesday Super Smash Bros. esports tournament, and FREE bowling and billiards in the Rec Room on Wed. and Thurs. night. The week will be capped off with a FREE movie featuring Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker on Friday, Aug. 28. All in-person events require a mask worn and social distancing guidelines.

Need help with Stata, SAS, ATLAS.ti, SPSS, R, or other data software programs? Schedule a consultation or join the drop-in consulting room Monday-Friday. All services are free and offered in partnership with CITL, Library's Scholarly Commons, and Tech Services. http://go.illinois.edu/Surveystatsdata

Get one-on-one help from a campus IT expert over Zoom from Aug 24-26 at Tech Points 2020. Join our Zoom session to get help with your NetID/password, email, Campus Wi-Fi, Illinois Compass 2g, the Safer Illinois App, and more! UIUC AnyWare provides virtual access to desktop computers and over 100 software applications for students whether working on campus, remotely, or in class: go.illinois.edu/UIUCAnyWare.

Beginning Aug 24, all campus community members (faculty, staff, and students) who come to Library-managed buildings or spaces to retrieve books or technology from locker pick-up, or to meet individuals in the Library for appointment-based services, must show their building entry status as “Granted” on the Safer Illinois app (or via the COVID-19 Boarding Pass option) in order to gain access. 

You can still order your textbooks or course materials online at the Illini Union Bookstore. The in-store textbook location is closed, but you can order online and pick up at the Illini Union or have them shipped to your residence. 

We know current and prospective students continue to have questions about the upcoming semester, including questions about access to virtual and safe in-person research opportunities. The Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) has assembled two online resources to provide undergraduate researchers and their mentors: 1) a curated list of guidelines for safe research practices; and 2) information about OUR’s programming for the fall semester.