Vice Rector’s Letter Towards the Return to On-Campus Studies After the Passover Break

updated: 25.03.2021

Dear Students,

 

The University is making preparations for the return to on-campus studies after the Passover break. We are investing our best efforts and resources in meeting this challenge and making all necessary adjustments and arrangements, under the Ministry of Health guidelines and the roadmap for the return to studies we published.

 

As I have stated in my previous letters, the first ones returning to on-campus studies after the Passover break are first-year students, students on international programs and students from other courses where the faculties have approved holding these courses on campus. Studies will be held according to the ‘green pass’ and participation in these lessons is only permitted to students who have been vaccinated and persons who have recovered from Covid-19 according to the green pass guidelines.

 

Practical lessons and laboratories will continue to take place without change, according to the ‘purple badge’ guidelines.

 

I would also like to update you that we intend completing this process and returning within a few weeks all studies to campus and to hold all courses on campus, without exception (and obviously in accordance with the Ministry of Health guidelines, and whilst making the study material accessible to those students who are unable to get to campus).

 

As stated below, the entry of students onto campus will be monitored (for this purpose special gates will be allocated for the entry of students who are green pass holders).

 

The permitted classroom capacity under the green pass guidelines is partial, and therefore lessons will be taught to students participating in the classroom lesson and will also simultaneously be transmitted to students watching the lesson online or by recording, as the faculty shall update from time to time. Lessons on campus will be given from classrooms equipped with the appropriate cameras and equipment.

 

Due to the restrictions on capacity in the classrooms, you will need to pre-register for a classroom place in those classes to be held on campus.

Registration will be open until no spare places are left.

Registration will take place on the course site on Moodle, by entering the registration component at the lecturer’s instruction. For example: “Registration for the lesson on DD/MM/YY”. The registration icon appears as follows:

 

[Lesson Registration]

 

Please check the appropriate box “I will attend the on-campus lesson”.

 

After registration, your choice will appear in the registration screen in the marked status.

If the number of places in the classroom is full, it will say “full” next to the group, and registration will be blocked.

A student wishing to cancel his or her registration must press the button “remove my membership from the group” and then the space will become available to other students.

 

Seating arrangements in the classroom according to the green pass guidelines:

  • Please sit according to the instructions in the classroom.
  • Please observe the rules on social distancing, including the distance of one empty chair between two students.
  • Masks must be worn.
  • There must be no eating during class.
  • The classroom capacity must not exceed 75% of the maximum capacity, and no more than 300 students.

 

During the lesson you will have to place the green pass certificates on the seat next to you:

  • The green pass certificate issued after completion of vaccination
  • The student declaration certificate on the green pass certificate – a permanent certificate will be sent by University email after you fill in just once the details in the following link: http://iapex.tau.ac.il/ords/prod/f?p=167:1

The certificates may be presented in printed form or on the app.

 

Coronavirus guards – the University will position security guards around the campus to enforce the procedures on campus and in the classrooms. They will check whether the guidelines are being observed and will also visit the classrooms to check whether the number of students in a classroom conforms with the permitted cap.

 

Entry onto campus –

 

Green pass – a green pass holder, after the one-time completion of the declaration on the University website at the link, will be able to enter the campus from all open gates without requiring a health declaration or having his or her temperature taken, and upon presentation of a permanent University green pass certificate to the guard.

Purple badge – anyone who is not a green pass holder will be able to enter the campus for a practical lesson or a teaching laboratory only, according to the purple badge instructions. Students

belonging to this group will be able to enter campus only from Gate 14 (on the road up from the Train Station opposite the Porter School) or from Gate 7 (at Entin Square opposite Einstein Street),

after having completed a daily health declaration and a declaration on the purpose of entry onto campus on the main University website, and presentation of a daily certificate to the guard at the gate.

 

Study areas (including also the libraries on campus) will be marked with the appropriate signs and will be available only to students who hold a green pass certificate, and they will facilitate self-study and online lessons. Students participating in online lessons from the study areas may use earphones and shall mute the microphone to keep the noise down for the benefit of all persons studying. Instead of speaking into the microphone, the student should use the chat function. In exceptional cases where use of a microphone is required, this should be done in remote areas wherever possible and speaking into the microphone should be kept to an absolute minimum.

 

All aspects of these arrangements are intended to protect our health and allow for optimal study despite the restrictions.

In the first two weeks of return to studies, a University operations room will operate to monitor the return to study process, in full compliance with the Ministry of Health guidelines.

 

If you have any questions or problems about observance of the green pass guidelines you may contact the person in charge of this matter at the University at coronasafety@tauex.tau.ac.il  and if necessary, he will pass the matter on to the operations room for handling.

 

Exceptional cases of breach of the guidelines (such as entry into a classroom operating under the green pass, without a green pass certificate) shall be brought before a committee to discuss the initiation of disciplinary proceedings to be taken against those in breach of the guidelines.

 

And let me once again take this opportunity to appeal to all those who have not yet been vaccinated to hurry and get vaccinated, so as to ensure that academic life returns to campus.

 

 

Pesach Sameach, Happy Easter and Ramadan Kareem

 

See you on campus after the Passover break!

 

 

Professor Eyal Zisser

Vice Rector

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