Author: Alistair Berry

As part of the University’s commitment to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion, the University’s Cultural Calendar raises awareness of the diversity of our staff and student communities and recognises and celebrates a diverse range of religious & cultural festivals, EDI awareness days and holidays.

The Cultural Calendar is designed to celebrate the diversity and inclusion of students and staff across the University and the wider community of Lincoln, in line with the University’s One Community Values:

Equality
Understanding
Listening
Kindness
Acceptance

University schools and departments are encouraged to use this calendar as a resource when planning the academic year, including events, assignment submission, and exam dates. This is to ensure that students and staff are not negatively impacted, and that religious festivals and celebrations are taken into consideration where possible.

You can download the calendar here: http://eleanorglanvillecentre.lincoln.ac.uk/di-hub/cultural-calendar/

The University of Lincoln Cultural Calendar has been developed by the Joint Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) Partnership.

The Prime Minister announced last night a new national lockdown which has implications for many aspects of our lives, and for university activities.

As ever, at the University of Lincoln our priority is the safety of our students and staff. We encourage all members of our community to follow the national ‘stay at home’ advice to help reduce the risks from the new variant of Coronavirus and keep each other and our loved-ones safe.

The Government has reiterated the instruction to universities to teach the majority of their courses online for all but the following subjects:

• Medicine
• Subjects allied to medicine/health
• Education (initial teacher training)
• Social work
• Courses which require Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Body (PSRB) assessments and /or mandatory activity which is scheduled for January and which cannot be rescheduled.

Those students who are studying one of the above courses at Lincoln should return to face- to-face learning as previously advised and arrange an asymptomatic Covid-19 test upon arrival back in Lincoln. Your school will have been in touch if your course is included in this list. You can book your test here: https://lncn.ac/tct

Following last night’s announcement, the Government advises that “students who do not study these courses should remain where they are wherever possible, and start their term online, as facilitated by their university until at least Mid-February”. See: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/national-lockdown-stay-at-home#universities

If you are not studying on one of the courses listed above, please remain at your current location (whether at home or your term time address if these are different) and continue your studies online.

However, if you are unable to access online learning from your current location, for example because you do not have suitable study space, or access to essential equipment, or where you are currently living is not a safe place for you, or you require specific support such as support for your mental health; then you can move back to Lincoln to access these facilities. You must not move back and forward between your term time and home address after your arrival at University.

The University of Lincoln remains open. The Library, Student Support Centre and Student Wellbeing Centre and Health Centre are open, both on campus and online, and support continues to be available for students through personal tutors and the Students’ Union.

Any student returning to the University must be tested for coronavirus before attending face-to-face teaching sessions or accessing university facilities (excluding the Student Health Centre and emergency Wellbeing appointments). The University has an asymptomatic testing site on campus with capacity for 1,000 tests a day. Staff and students can book a test here: https://lncn.ac/tct

Anyone who has symptoms must, of course, self-isolate and book an NHS PCR test through https://www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test

For those students who are engaged in face-to-face teaching, you can meet in groups of more than your household as part of your formal education or training, where necessary but you cannot meet socially. Students should follow all Government guidance and restrictions: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/national-lockdown-stay-at-home

You should socially distance from anyone you do not live with wherever possible.

This is an uncertain and difficult time for everyone but, as the Prime Minister stated, the roll out of the vaccine provides hope for the future.

Please be assured University staff are working as hard as we possibly can to keep our students and staff safe and we hope to resume face-to-face teaching and other activities as soon as we are able to do so safely and in accordance with Government guidance.

For students in financial difficulties, our Student Support team can advise on access to support funds, and we offer comprehensive information and advice about all aspects of student finance, funding, and accommodation services. We advise students to get in touch with our Student Support team or the Students’ Union if they require assistance.

The most up-to-date information on the new national lockdown restrictions can be found at gov.uk. Latest updates and information from the University, plus links to useful resources and contacts, can be found at www.lincoln.ac.uk/coronavirus

The Government has set out guidance which allows for teaching to commence online for all courses and your online teaching will commence in line with the communication you received before Christmas.

The Government has also set out which courses can commence their face-to-face activities from next week and we set out important information for you about your teaching and testing below.  Please do read this carefully and please do follow the advice contained within this email to keep our community as safe as possible.

Courses Commencing in January as Planned
On 3^rd December, we wrote to all students to advise them of plans for the start of term in January and academic schools will have shared details of the first planned face-to-face teaching sessions for their subject area.

The Government has now determined that all universities restrict the return of students from 4^th January 2021 to those who are reading subjects in the following areas:

• Medicine & dentistry
• Subjects allied to medicine/health
• Education (initial teacher training)
• Social work
• Courses which require Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Body (PSRB) assessments and /or mandatory activity which is scheduled for January and which cannot be rescheduled.

For these courses listed above at Lincoln, face-to-face teaching will resume as previously indicated before Christmas. For all other programmes teaching will be online for the first three weeks. Government will determine when students can return to face-to-face teaching after a review but they have indicated their hope that face-to-face teaching can resume in a phased way from the 25^th January.

As soon as we hear from Government, we will be updating you. If you are in Lincoln already you can access the campus facilities such as the library and student support but you are strongly advised to book and take a test before you access facilities on campus. If you are not in Lincoln you can travel to the university if you do not have appropriate study space or facilities you need for your online learning or for your assignments or assessments or if you require additional support such as for your mental or physical wellbeing. If you do have a placement planned you can take that placement up as long as the provider has Covid-secure facilities. If you are due to return but are unable to, please contact your Personal Tutor to discuss.

Testing
The University of Lincoln expects all students to be tested for Covid-19 before they access and use University facilities and asymptomatic testing arrangements are in place and available for all students, as well as staff. Testing capacity at Lincoln is for 1,000 tests a day, so please do book your test slot as soon as you can.

Asymptomatic testing commences from Sunday 3^rd January 2021 and you can book a test slot here: https://lncn.ac/tct. Students are advised to aim to be tested on arrival and to minimise social contact until a negative test result has been confirmed. Testing is available for students who have stayed on campus over the winter break.

Students are asked to bring evidence of a negative test result (eg. text message or email confirmation) if they wish to access and use any University facilities.

Travelling to or from Lincoln
If students are here in Lincoln, in line with Government guidance for areas in Tier 4, they should not travel outside of the Tier 4 area.

The Government advice is that all students are encouraged to remain in their current location until the resumption of their face-to-face teaching, wherever possible, except for the exemptions above to minimise travel over the next few crucial weeks. International students who are in the UK are encouraged to remain in the UK where possible.

If students are not currently in Lincoln and are planning their return to university, to minimise the risk to themselves and others, they should act responsibly before they travel and follow local restriction tier guidance on social contact. Students who are living in an area which is offering the use of local community testing programmes should seek to get tested before their return, where this fits in with locally targeted programmes led by the Director of Public Health.

Government advice for international students travelling from overseas for the spring term is to consider whether they in fact need to travel to the UK at this time, particularly if their course does not require them to be on campus from 4^th January.

The University of Lincoln Campus is Open  

At Lincoln we are doing all we can to keep our campus as safe as possible and to keep our facilities Covid-secure. Our campus is open in line with Government restrictions, including our library and collaborative study spaces. Health, welfare and support services are available and some of our cafes and coffee shops are continuing to provide a takeaway service. Our ICT and accommodation teams are on hand to support and advise as required to ensure that if students are in Lincoln they have appropriate support and access to study space.
Students on Placements

Where the placement provider has Covid-secure measures in place, is permitted to open based on the relevant local restrictions, and is content for placements to continue, then students can continue on their placement. Placement students should ensure they inform their tutor.

Commuter Students

Students who previously commuted to the campus on a daily basis should only access campus facilities if they are studying on one of the courses indicated in the above exemptions. If they are not studying a listed course they should not travel to campus.

Researchers and Research Students
The Government has advised that research students are to be treated on the same basis as employees. So, where you are able to work from home, you should do so; but those who require access to specialist facilities for their work should be able to do so.

Protecting our Community 

At the University of Lincoln, we are doing all we can to support our students in line with the Government guidance. Government believes that these measures are necessary given the rates of transmission of the virus across England and the emergence of this new strain and in particular the Government wishes to minimise travel across the country. At Lincoln we will all do our bit to protect our loved ones, our students and staff, our NHS and to save lives.

With this in mind, please see in the New Year safely in your current home and avoid large gatherings of any kind. This has been an incredibly challenging year for students and staff, we hope that when we meet again in 2021 that the future will be brighter.

The window for applications is now open.

£1000 bursaries are available to support collaborative research projects between students and staff over summer 2021.

For more information including full guidance notes and how to apply, please visit https://lncn.ac/uros

Applications close 12noon on the 31st January 2021.

The final votes are in and the results of the UROS Project Showcase can be found below.

The application window for UROS 2021 will remain open until 31 January 2021.

To find out more information, please visit https://lncn.ac/uros or contact Nguyen Grace on uros@lincoln.ac.uk.