Safety and COVID-19 Related Questions
• An easy to access web application is used to show that you are healthy in order to enter buildings.
• Please visit covidscreening.tufts.edu on your mobile phone. Upon successful completion you will get an e-mail to show the security guard upon entrance.
• Masks are required in all Boston campus buildings.
• Social distancing must be practiced.
• A testing protocol is in place and will occur regardless of symptoms to prevent outbreaks of COVID-19 from those who are asymptomatic.
• Contact tracing is being conducted.
• Quarantine is required for those who are infected or have been exposed.
• At this time housing is not available under these circumstances.
• We are prepared to finish the fall semester completely online if necessary.
• Flexibility in degree requirements, e.g., for courses and lab rotations, will be offered.
Activities and Other Courses
Students can decide to wait until it is safe to engage in an on-site internship or can choose to participate in a remote internship. We will continue to identify remote internship opportunities as available and will resume identifying on-site opportunities when safe to do so.
• Yes, this often takes place in the fall after a summer internship experience, especially if the internship was associated with some concrete deliverables.
• To enroll in a Friedman School Directed Study Course you cannot use SIS, but instead need to complete this form.
Students may work with a Friedman School faculty sponsor on development of a directed study course as usual (and enroll via the directed study course form). Also, as usual, directed studies are not recommended for students in their first semester.
• The Wednesday Speaker Series will continue as usual. Local speakers may have the option to be in the auditorium in-person, but most speakers will be remote since they are often from out of town.
• Students may choose to gather in the auditorium (up to a safe capacity) to listen to on-site speakers as well as to watch live streams of out of town speakers.
The Ellen H. Block Career Services Center is now open!
We will do all we can to maintain continuity of student groups, whether virtually or in limited onsite groups. Lori Ioannone Rodriguez is communicating with student organization leadership to see how the Office of Student Affairs can help.
We are hopeful that there will be a conference in the upcoming academic year.
We will hold remote exams until we are fully back on campus. However, there may be on campus options if the examinee and examiners are willing.
New Student Orientation and Advising
• Yes, there will be smaller meetings within your cohort that will take place this summer.
• Program Directors & Division Chairs will start meeting with new students online in late June-early July and with returning students throughout the month of July.
• However, as always, feel free to reach out to your Program Director/Division Chair or other staff members to help assist you with any questions.
Orientation will be conducted virtually. In addition, the Office of Student Affairs will plan small group sessions to help fellow classmates get to know each other better before the start of the fall semester.
Tufts has partnered with an organization that will provide resources to help students find housing opportunities: www.offcampus.tufts.edu
• Federal reporting requirements state that Tufts University must be able to identify the location (in-state, out of state, outside the U.S.) of students who are taking all or part of their courses online. Therefore, confirming your “Current” address information in SIS (the Student Information System) is especially important for all students this fall. This information will also help our faculty best accommodate your flexible learning needs for the Fall 2021 semester.
• The University has placed a “Current” Address Holds on all students’ accounts in SIS to prompt you to indicate the “Current” address where you anticipate you will be living in September (which in SIS is referred to as “Current” and not “Home” or “Mailing” which you may have already entered in SIS). Here are directions how to enter your “Current Address” in SIS. It's ok to have the same address entered for multiple address types (e.g., Current, Home, and Mailing) however, you must have an address entered in the Current Address field in SIS. This can always be updated in SIS if your location changes.
• Once you self-remove the “Current” Address Hold on your account in SIS, and as long as you also have added your Emergency Contact in SIS, you will no longer be blocked from enrolling in your Fall 2021 courses, adjusting your fall course schedule, downloading unofficial transcripts or requesting official transcripts via SIS.
Library and Library Resources
• The library is following the University’s mandate to de-densify the campus. There will be limited open floors and study spaces. Exact procedures, such as the need to register upon entering the library, are still in development.
• Once we have the information, we will share with you through a school-wide e-mail and also update these FAQs.
• The Hirsch Library is acquiring as many electronic books as possible.
• There may also be scanned textbook chapters etc. (if in line with copywrite laws) that will be available via a Box folder or other shared drive.
Other Questions
• The library will be open; however, the study spaces will be limited as the full capacity has been decreased to adhere to physical distancing guidance.
• The café, student lounges, hallways, etc. are open, but with distancing precautions in place.
Yes. We are happy to have individual conversations with students to discuss their specific situation and circumstances.
• Our kitchenettes are open in limited capacity (one person at a time usage). This includes use of all appliances such as the microwave, toaster and refrigerator. All food be labeled and in a closed container. Water filter dispensers are available for use.
• Food for Thought café (4th floor of MedEd building) is expected to be open with limited capacity and will require students to order ahead and pick-up only.
• The financial aid office can talk to students about all of the necessary paperwork and student eligibility.
• Contact the Office of Student Affairs to discuss if you may be eligible for CARES funding.
Courses
At this time approximately 40% of Friedman School’s courses plan to have an optional in-person component. Even if courses have an on-campus component, students may still choose to participate online (what is called the “hybrid” format). The remainder of courses will be offered online, with most employing both asynchronous and synchronous content. Descriptions with details of how courses will be delivered will be available in mid-July.
• The International Center and other University offices have been analyzing the guidance and have been engaged in extensive consultation with our professional and legal associations, other Boston-area schools, and our University counsel to devise solutions and strategies that will help us to address the issues raised by the guidance.
• For the most up to date information, please visit the “Frequently Asked Questions” page at the following link. This page is being updated regularly and frequently as more information becomes available.
• Based on current information (but subject to change), the in-person environment in the fall will look like this:
o Physical distancing continues to reduce the number of students who can populate each classroom.
o Everyone is required to wear masks and maintain a safe physical distance throughout the buildings.
o Some students may participate online simultaneous to in-class activities. A TA will be monitoring the online participants to ensure they are able to participate.
o Classrooms are equipped with cleaning supplies so that every occupant is able to clean her/his space before and after each class.
• We will do our best to find classrooms capable of safely holding all who wish to be in class.
• Some options include, but are not limited to, alternating between online and on-campus participation, or holding class in two rooms with a TA in one for half of the time and instructor half of the time.
• Students online will be able to be live streamed into the classroom to participate and for those students who are in extremely different time zones, instructors will provide an asynchronous option as needed.
Students should make the decisions that are right for them. At this point in time we do not share any information about numbers of students choosing to participate on campus or online. This of course will become known to students when the semester begins.
• Most of Tufts Schools plan to offer their Fall 2021 courses on-campus if safe and possible. It's best to check in SIS to review a school's courses' instruction mode.
• Yes, cross registration will continue to be possible for all Friedman School students and you may visit the Registrar’s Cross Registration site for more information.
• If you are interested in cross-registering with PHPD, GSBS, and AS&E you will need to submit a request for cross registration through SIS.
• If you are interested in cross-registering in Fletcher courses, you will need to wait to submit your request(s) via SIS until the first week in August.
Yes, cross registration at the Boston Consortium schools (Boston University, Boston College, and Brandeis), as well as at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health will continue to be possible for all Friedman School students; you may visit the Registrar’s Cross-Registration site for more information.
Prior to the last day of classes it's at a Friedman instructor's discretion to offer ALL enrolled students in their course (not just individual students) the option of changing their grading basis for the course.
Friedman’s Fall 202 Add deadline will remain September 22 and the Drop deadline without record of enrollment will remain October 13. The Late Drop deadline for Friedman is the last day of classes (December 14) and a “W” (Withdraw) is automatically posted to your transcript indicating the late drop. Click here to review the Fall 2021 academic calendar.
Yes, there are courses (especially those with labs) that were previously constrained and will have the enrollment caps removed.
• In some courses, there will be use of online computer labs.
• We are also working on arranging separate licenses for students to download on their own devices.
• There will be limited computer labs in the library and in student lounges.
Yes, and we will offer a combination of online classes and individual tutoring sessions.
• For any students that will not be able to be in-person in the fall, we will ensure that an online course component is available so that you do not have to delay your academic progress.
Students in the Fall 2021 class may begin enrolling in their courses via SIS beginning July 19. Please review (and bookmark) Friedman School’s Registration information webpage for more details and instructions: here. If you are a continuing student, please connect with your academic advisor to finalize your Fall 2021 course schedule plans and log in to SIS here and adjust your course schedule as needed.