A message from Chancellor Gaber

Dear Niner Nation,

Today many of you have returned for the start of in-person classes. Welcome back! I am looking forward to seeing you during my walks around campus. Please wave and say hello. I enjoy every opportunity to interact with my fellow Niners, even if it’s from a distance or virtually.

As we approach the one-year mark of embracing remote learning and working at UNC Charlotte, I hope we can all be proud of how we have persevered through the most unpredictable and trying of circumstances. With widespread vaccination in sight, we must not let down our guard this close to the finish line.

Continued and enhanced safety protocols

Please remember to wear your mask, maintain proper physical distancing and wash your hands frequently — no matter where you are. Your diligence in doing these things and consistently completing your daily Niner Health Checks contributed to our ability to have a successful fall semester. Let’s do the same this spring.

Additionally, we have expanded our COVID-19 testing program this semester. Thank you to everyone who participated in re-entry testing prior to the start of today’s classes. For those of us learning, teaching and working on campus, we will continue to be randomly selected for mitigation testing. Our wastewater testing program will also expand from residence halls to other high-traffic buildings on campus. Our testing protocols, combined with our daily Niner Health Check, are critical to understanding the health of our campus and keeping it safe.

COVID-19 vaccination

Vaccination is our path forward out of this pandemic — as a campus, as a community and as a country.

It is how we will be able to safely resume activities and return to a way of life that more closely resembles “normal.” It is our goal to open the campus as fully as possible this fall, which largely will be dependent on a significant percentage of our population receiving the vaccine.

The University is working closely with Mecklenburg County on the distribution of the vaccine to our employees and students, following the ordered groups the state has outlined. Right now, it is still unclear exactly when everyone will be able to receive the shot, but we will share more information with you as soon as we receive it.

In the meantime, if you qualify in earlier vaccination groups because of age or other criteria, I encourage you to work with your local health care provider or county health department to receive the shot. You can find more community resources on the Niner Nation Cares website.

As you receive your vaccine, please retain your vaccination record card. Similar to other colleges and universities, UNC Charlotte has no current plan to require the COVID-19 vaccine, but this documentation may have implications for the CDC’s quarantine/isolation protocols or future travel and activity restrictions.

I know some in our community may be hesitant to get the vaccine. I encourage you to review this information on the vaccine’s safety offered by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and to consider the guidance of our medical and scientific experts.

Support resources

I don’t have to explain all the ways the past 11 months have been challenging. You know all too well. But I do want to remind you that there are resources available to you. Students, your academic advisors, the Writing Resources Center, the University Center for Academic Excellence and the Graduate Life Center are all available to help you achieve success in your classes.

The Center for Counseling and Psychological Services, CAPS, offers in-person and virtual support for your mental and emotional health.

Faculty and staff can access a variety of resources through the Employee Assistance Program. This includes confidential counseling, legal support, financial planning and work-life solutions.

Never hesitate to reach out for help if you need it. We are here to support you.

Stay connected

Please also make sure you stay connected to one another and to Niner Nation. There is a variety of virtual programming taking place at the college level. Even though we can’t all be together physically, we can still enjoy being part of an active, creative, vibrant academic community.

Looking ahead and working together

I look forward to when we are all back on campus. If we work together, follow the directions of public health officials and get the vaccine when it is available to us, I am confident that day will be here soon.

Until then, please continue to take care of yourself and your fellow Niners.

Sincerely,

Sharon L. Gaber
Chancellor