Health Order Implications for KU Lawrence and Edwards Campuses
Dear students, faculty and staff,
Thank you for your patience, understanding and cooperation as we navigate our changing circumstances.
Sunday evening, Lawrence Douglas County Public Health joined with Wyandotte, Johnson and Leavenworth counties in issuing stay-at-home orders. These orders, effective, today, March 24, require people to stay in their residences over the next 30 days, except to perform essential activities. The mandate drives home the important responsibility each one of us has in controlling the spread of COVID-19. We simply must stay in our residences and limit our trips outside and our in-person interactions as much as possible.
These orders appear to have different implications for University of Kansas employees and students. As a government agency, faculty and staff at the KU Lawrence and KU Edward campuses are allowed to travel to campus to perform tasks that support distance learning or to perform mission-essential research and operations-critical tasks. If faculty and staff can perform these activities remotely, they should do so to the greatest extent possible.
Students are also encouraged to stay in their residences as much as possible. Emergency health orders are in effect, and it is important that all students – and faculty and staff – read and follow them.
- Douglas County
- Johnson County
- Leavenworth County
- Wyandotte County
Students, we are committed to supporting you and helping you further your educational goals during this time of change. Students, it is ideal for you to participate in distance learning from your residence. Students are allowed to access university Wi-Fi if you are in a personal vehicle parked on campus provided you still meet the social distancing requirements at the root of the health orders. Students who need access to Internet service or computer hardware should reach out to KU Information Technology on the Lawrence campus and kuecservices@ku.edu on the KU Edwards Campus for guidance and assistance. Several internet service providers are also offering service at no-cost, low-cost or with waived fees. As a last resort, students who need computer access will be allowed access to the Watson Library computer lab, which has been reconfigured to support appropriate physical distancing and frequent cleanings.
Students who need to check out of KU Student Housing will be allowed to continue moving out and should follow the process KU Student Housing has developed to accomplish this in a safe and orderly manner.
With reduced campus presence in at the Lawrence, Edwards and the Leavenworth campuses, we have also adopted new security measures. Buildings are locked 24-hours a day to protect equipment and work in progress and should only be occupied by mission-essential employees. If you have been identified as mission-essential and do not have access to your structure, please talk with your supervisor or unit director.
Jayhawks, the COVID-19 pandemic has challenged all of us at KU to be creative problem solvers as we work together to ensure our students continue to learn and faculty and staff continue to serve our students, stakeholders and constituents.
We recognize all you have endured so far and we greatly appreciate your resilience, your stewardship of the university and your spirit of community service in this continually evolving situation.
Please be well.
Respectfully,
Doug, Barb, and Dave
Douglas A. Girod
Chancellor
Barbara A. Bichelmeyer
Provost & Executive Vice Chancellor
Dave Cook
Vice Chancellor, KU Edwards Campus