COVID-19 expectations for our return in January

Dear students, 

Congratulations on your accomplishments during Fall Quarter! We hope you take some time to rest your mind and body over the next few weeks in order to return refreshed and rejuvenated.

As you begin a well-deserved break, we want to provide an update on Northwestern’s plans through the rest of December and into January, designed to maintain the health of our University community. 

Here is what you need to know before Winter Quarter begins on Jan. 3: 

• As previously communicated, all students must take an in-person COVID-19 test during the first week of classes.
  • The Jacobs Center will have a special opening from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 2. Students who are back in Evanston, and who have classes early in the week, are encouraged to test on Sunday to avoid long lines Monday and Tuesday.
  • Both Evanston and Chicago testing centers will offer extended hours from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, from Jan. 3 through Jan. 14.
• Additionally, students should take an at-home COVID-19 test and submit the result the day before returning to campus or before attending their first class.
  • Any students still in Evanston or Chicago should pick up at-home tests before they leave for break. Free at-home test kits are available in our testing centers in Evanston and Chicago from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday to Friday through Dec. 21. Both testing sites will be closed for the break starting Wednesday, Dec. 22.
  • Students who were unable to pick up at-home tests before they left should plan to do so as soon as possible following their return. Tests will be available in Norris University Center from 10 a.m. to midnight Jan. 2, and 8 a.m. to midnight Jan. 3 and 4. Students living in residence halls will have tests available in their rooms when they return.
  • To submit test results, click on “Report COVID-19 Test Results” at the link provided and follow the prompts.
• Northwestern will continue all of the COVID-19 precautions that we successfully used during the Fall Quarter, including vaccinations, testing, masking and symptom tracking. Students who already have submitted proof of vaccination or who have received a permanent exception to the vaccination requirement do not need to resubmit their information. Students who have approved exceptions must resume their testing and symptom-tracking requirements. New students must comply with the vaccination requirement and register for Winter Quarter classes no later than Jan. 7 to begin their studies at Northwestern.
• Classes will meet predominantly in person. Please note that faculty who teach in person can opt to hold class remotely a few times each term. Students should monitor Canvas and look for emails from instructors in case they choose to meet remotely at some point during the quarter.
• Get COVID-19 booster shots over break. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now recommend boosters six months after completion of a Moderna/Pfizer vaccination, and two months after Johnson & Johnson. Boosters will help campus remain a safe environment when we return in January.

Thank you for your commitment to preserving the health of our community. We continue to monitor developments with COVID-19 and the omicron variant. In the event that our plans or guidance for January shift, we will send an update as quickly as possible. 

We wish you a happy and healthy break, and we look forward to seeing you again in January. 

Sincerely,

Luke Figora
Vice President for Operations

Kathleen Hagerty
Provost and Professor

Julie Payne-Kirchmeier
Vice President for Student Affairs

Dear faculty, 

As fall term draws to a close, we want to thank you for your commitment to Northwestern’s mission of excellent teaching and innovative research through the challenges of an unpredictable pandemic. We hope you take time during the upcoming Winter Recess to rest your mind and body for the new year.

We are pleased with our successful return to campus. Most notably, Northwestern maintained a healthy community due in large part to your individual and collective efforts to protect your health and the health of others.

Northwestern will continue to rely on our health guidelines—including vaccinations, testing, masking and symptom tracking—when we return Jan. 3 with in-person classes, laboratory work and events. Please remember that instructors teaching an in-person class may teach up to 10% of their class sessions remotely. For more information on classroom expectations, syllabus statements and more, please visit our Instructor FAQs on the University’s COVID-19 website. The Searle Center for Advancing Teaching and Learning provides additional resources for teaching during the pandemic.

In January, students are expected to submit the results of an at-home test before returning to campus and are required take an in-person test during their first week back. Staff are reminded that schools and units should continue their flexible Alternative Work Strategy plans as long as they support academic, research and administrative needs. The Winter Summary details Northwestern’s new and continued guidance and protocols.

We continue to monitor developments with COVID-19 and the omicron variant. In the event that our plans or guidance for January shift, we will send an update as quickly as possible.

We encourage everyone to pick up a free at-home test kit from one of our testing centers in Evanston or Chicago before Winter Recess to use immediately before your return. The centers will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday to Friday through Dec. 21. During the first two weeks of January, testing centers will offer extended hours from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

We wish you a happy and healthy break, and we look forward to seeing you again in January.

Sincerely,

Luke Figora
Vice President for Operations

Kathleen Hagerty
Provost and Professor  

Dear staff,

As students wrap up final exams and we approach Winter Recess, we want to thank you for your commitment to Northwestern’s mission through the physical and mental challenges of an unpredictable pandemic. We hope you take time to rest your mind and body for the new year.

We are pleased with our successful return to campus. Most notably, Northwestern maintained a healthy community due in large part to your individual and collective efforts to protect your health and the health of others.

We commend you for your flexibility as we returned to campus in the fall and adapted to our new ways of working. Northwestern continued to seamlessly meet our academic and business needs as we implemented the Alternative Work Strategies Policy, which granted flexibility in remote work. Schools and units should continue their Alternative Work Strategy plans through the end of the academic year as long as they support academic, research and administrative needs. If you have questions, please contact Human Resources.

Northwestern will continue to rely on our health guidelines—including vaccinations, testing, masking and symptom tracking—when we return Jan. 3 with in-person classes, laboratory work and events. Students are expected to submit the results of an at-home test before returning to campus and are required take an in-person test during their first week back. Faculty are reminded of their ability to teach up to 10% of their classes remotely during the term. The Northwestern’s new and continued guidance and protocols.

We continue to monitor developments with COVID-19 and the omicron variant. In the event that our plans or guidance for January shift, we will send an update as quickly as possible.

We encourage everyone to pick up a free at-home test kit from one of our testing centers in Evanston or Chicago before Winter Recess to use immediately before your return. The centers will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday to Friday through Dec. 21. During the first two weeks of January, testing centers will offer extended hours from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

We wish you a happy and healthy break, and we look forward to seeing you again in January.

Sincerely,

Luke Figora
Vice President for Operations

Kathleen Hagerty
Provost and Professor 

Priya Harjani
Interim Vice President for Human Resources