As of this date, it is the intent of UW-Stevens Point to fulfill the existing Spring 2021 calendar – including the currently scheduled spring break.

However, uncertainties that could change this are numerous and include possible future directives from Governor Evers, University of Wisconsin System or other entities.  

Spring break is a welcome break for students, faculty and staff. Use the time to rest and rejuvenate, but please reconsider traveling. With the possibility that spring break may change, it's wise to avoid extensive travel plans.

Travel increases your chance of getting and spreading the virus that causes COVID-19. If you must travel in Wisconsin or beyond, be sure to wear a face covering in any place with people outside of your household. Avoiding gatherings and staying home are the best ways to protect yourself and others. Check travel advisories for the state you are traveling to at this Centers for Disease Control and Prevention site. International travel requires a 14-day quarantine, and many states advise quarantines for travelers entering or returning to the state.

The best advice we can give at this point is to plan your spring break activities cautiously.  If you have flights or other travel arrangements you will be making, look into trip insurance in case these must be cancelled.  Finally, please know that in the event spring break is somehow cancelled or modified – students, faculty, and staff will be immediately notified of this change."

STEVENS POINT CAMPUS

Spring 2021 rental:

In order to provide excellent service to our students while keeping safety as a top priority, the University Store & Text Rental, operated by Barnes & Noble College, will have multiple service options available to obtain course materials. 

If you are a student living on campus, off campus or commuting, the following options are available to you for textbook rental check-out at the UWSP main campus:

• OPTION 1
  In-Person Pickup: The University Store & Text Rental will offer additional store hours to provide in-person service while accommodating for occupancy restrictions. Students picking up their books in-person will need to bring their student ID and their book list.
  
  Book lists for the semester can be found on the UWSP accesSPoint system (https://accesspoint.uwsp.edu/my.policy). Once logged into the system with your student login, click on the My Classes tile. On the left-hand column click on My Book List, then Main Campus.  Then log in one more time and choose the correct semester (spring 2021) at the top drop-down listing. 
  
  Those who choose to pick up their textbooks in-person will need to shop for their books on the shelves.  Masks are required and social distancing must be observed. 
  

• OPTION 2
  Shipping: Students may choose to order their books through the University Store's website and have them shipped to their address. Please note, shipping is the recommended option if you commute or live off campus in the surrounding communities greater than 10 miles from campus. Due to the volume of orders placed through the website and shipping timelines, students living within reasonable driving distance from campus will get their books faster by picking them up in person.
  
  To have your books shipped, please visit https://uwsp.bncollege.com and select "find textbooks" under the textbooks tab. You will need your course schedule available to select the courses in which you are enrolled. Once you have entered your course information, click "find materials" to be shown the textbooks for your course. Simply add them to your cart and complete the checkout process. Books listed as "prepaid" are part of our Textbook Rental program and included as part of your tuition. Materials that show a "new" or "used" option with a price are available for purchase and designated as required, recommended, etc. at the direction of your professor. These materials need to be purchased but can be shipped with your rental textbooks. Please allow seven to 10 business days for shipping to ensure that your course materials arrive prior to the start of your courses.  
  

Safety precautions in place:

• Masks are required for both staff and customers
• Staff will be monitoring the number of guests in the store at all times and limiting that number based on campus recommendations and social distancing
• Frequent cleaning of all high-contact areas, including but not limited to service counters, card readers and door handles
• Hand sanitizing stations throughout the store
  
• Designated entry and exit doors
  
• Markings on the floor to direct traffic and maintain social distancing in lines
  
• Sneeze guards at registers
• Shipping option to encourage students to order books online and limit traffic in store, as well as to service those students taking courses remotely
• Extended hours to accommodate for limited store occupancy restrictions
  

STORE HOURS:
To better accommodate for the safety precautions in place, the University Store & Text Rental will be open the following hours:

Tuesday, Jan. 19 – Friday, Jan. 22             8 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 23 – Sunday, Jan. 24          Noon – 4 p.m.

Monday, Jan. 25 – Thursday, Jan. 28         9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 29                                            9 a.m. – 4 p.m. 

Regular academic year hours after Friday, Jan. 29

Monday – Thursday        9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Friday                              9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Saturday – Sunday          Closed   

If you are taking classes online this spring:

The University Store & Text Rental encourages online students to utilize shipping via our website to obtain their course materials. Though this is the safest and most convenient option for our students not living on campus or in the surrounding communities, online students will also have the option to shop in person for their course materials if they so choose. As noted in our safety precautions above, students wishing to obtain course materials in person will be required to wear a mask, observe social distancing and adhere to occupancy restrictions. Store hours are listed above.

Questions regarding the Text Rental return process can be emailed to the Text Rental Manager at text.rental.mgr@uwsp.edu. Remember to include your name and student ID number along with the course or textbook that you have a question about in the main body of the email. Please do not call since there are limited staff to handle the volume of questions.

MARSHFIELD CAMPUS

Spring 2021 textbook rental:

There are three ways you can get your textbooks and course materials for the upcoming semester:

• Visit Follett's UW-Stevens Point at Marshfield Bookstore site to purchase or rent books, clothing and merchandise online. Items will be shipped directly to your home address.
• Order your textbooks online but pick them up within the store on campus.  
• Rent or buy textbooks in-person: Bring your course schedule, driver's license or PointCard and a debit/credit card. (You don't have to pay for your textbooks with the debit/credit card; it is to secure the rental.)

Please check the campus website at https://www.uwsp.edu/marshfield/campus/Pages/bookstore.aspx to see current bookstore hours of operation, or call 715-389-6556.

WAUSAU CAMPUS 

Spring 2021 text rental:

There are three ways you can get your textbooks and course materials for the upcoming semester:

• Visit Follett's UW-Stevens Point at Wausau Bookstore site to purchase or rent books, clothing and merchandise online. Items will be shipped directly to your home address.
• Order your textbooks online but pick them up within the bookstore on campus.  
• Rent or buy textbooks in-person: Bring your course schedule, driver's license or PointCard and a debit/credit card. (You don't have to pay for your textbooks with the debit/credit card; it is to secure the rental.)

Please check the campus website at https://www.uwsp.edu/wausau/campus/Pages/bookstore.aspx to see current bookstore hours of operation, or call 715-261-6217.

The distance education fee isn't new, as UW-Stevens Point has charged a distance education fee for several years now. The fee was $50 per credit for all fully online courses. That fee has always applied to fully online courses regardless of whether the student was living on campus or not. 

The fee helps cover the cost of instructional design, instructor training, technology needs and support, as well as other instructional resource support for students in online programs that regular tuition does not cover. This includes:

• Salaries for two instructional designers and our technology expert who manages the online learning platform, which we call CANVAS.

• Wages for student workers who work with professors to design good online courses

• Professional development for faculty who are designing quality online courses 

• Captioning services for online courses

• An online test-proctoring service
  

• The addition of several more online library resources

• Special technology, software and licensing fees that we're required to purchase for faculty to use to create online learning materials
  

With the COVID-19 pandemic, there are more fully online courses than usual. The university reduced this fee from $50 per credit to $25 per credit, as we understand that students did not have a choice in enrolling in online classes. UW-Stevens Point has no intention of making additional revenue because of the pandemic. Instead, we lowered the fee so that we can continue to balance the revenue we generate with the actual expenses we need to pay to support online learning. Unfortunately, online learning is not less expensive than in-person courses.

According to the UW System, whether we provide online, hybrid, or in-person classes, we will continue to deliver a high-quality learning experience for our students in accordance with the tuition set by the legislature. 

Also per the UW System, there are no across-the-board plans to refund segregated fees, as there continue to be structural costs required to maintain fee-funded student services and facilities, including health care and child care, student organizations and fixed costs such as building construction.

The current policy states:

Prior to August 14 permit mailing date:  If students want to cancel their permits they can send an email to parking services with their name, student ID and a brief message stating why they want to cancel.  This email will prompt us to issue the refund.

After August 14 permit mailing date:  If permits have been mailed, the students can send an email to parking services requesting a refund.  We will send them a Return Permit Form for them to complete and send back with the physical permit.  Once we receive the permit back, we will issue the refund based on the following refund schedule:

• Permit returned within the first two weeks of semester - 100% refund

• Permit returned in the third and fourth weeks of semester - 50% refund

• Permit returned in the fifth week through the end of 1st semester - 40% refund

The Allen Fitness Center is open, with restrictions. Visit https://www.uwsp.edu/centers/healthwellness/Pages/Allen_Fitness_Center/About.aspx for hours and more details. Champions Hall Fitness Center is limiting membership to student-athletes and Athletics staff for the 2020-2021 academic year.

• If students have spring housing, they can keep their belongings in their room
• Students will need to follow a simple break check-out process that includes turning off room lights, turning on heat, taking out garbage, etc. (if they are leaving campus for extended periods of time during the break)
• Students should take belongings that they will need for the extended time away from the residence halls 
• There will be a registration process for students staying during this time 
• More details about the registration process will be sent to their UWSP email in late October/early November regarding break registration
• Students who do not have spring housing and who will be moving out will need to arrange a check-out time following our check-out process 
• More details will be sent to the student's UWSP email in late October/early November regarding that process. 
  

Students can live on campus during the spring semester, even if they canceled their housing contract for the 2020-21 academic school year. The application process to apply for spring housing will not be available until later in the fall semester. 

The decision to move all students staying in the residence halls to The Suites@201 Reserve was made in direct consultation with the medical director of Student Health Service and the Portage County Division of Public Health, with additional guidance from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, the CDC and UW System.

The Suites are the safest option for a number of reasons:

• With fewer students living on campus, each suite will house two or three students rather than the usual four. Each apartment offers residents their own bedroom, as well as a bathroom shared by only two students rather than sharing a bathroom with a full floor as in the traditional residence halls.
• Similar recommendations are made for ill people living in the community who need to self-isolate in their home to limit people sharing bathroom spaces.
• If a student reaches out to Student Health Service to say they are not feeling well, it is easier and safer to have the student self-isolate in a suite as there are no shared bathroom or other facilities. We would then begin delivering food to the student(s) in the suite and arrange to check in daily.
  
• Dining remains open so students won't need to be in the suite common area/kitchen if they don't want to be. Students simply pick up a meal or have it delivered if isolating.
• Having students in one residence hall allows for a reduced number of custodial staff to concentrate their efforts in one location to make sure all public spaces are thoroughly cleaned and sanitized daily.
• Custodians will provide, and restock as needed, six cleaning kits in each floor lounge for students to regularly clean their suite. This kit will include:
• Oxyvir spray (effective against coronavirus)
• Glass cleaner
• Paper towels
• gloves
• Instructions on how to use these materials daily for shared spaces, such as doorknobs, bathroom sinks, counters, toilets, and kitchen areas.
• Four vacuums will be available for each floor
• A hand sanitizer stand will be available in each floor lounge
• Custodial staff will daily clean all common areas including public restrooms, stairwells, elevators, laundry room, computer lab and lounge areas. All touch points will be wiped down daily.
• Clorox 360, a special disinfectant, will be used in all public areas once a week in addition to the daily cleaning.
• Health information will be posted in each suite about self-care, cleaning and how to contact Student Health Service, which remains available to all our enrolled students.
  

Please change your permanent address in accesSPoint. Only first-class mail will be forwarded. It may take several days for mail to be forwarded to you. You should also contact delivery companies (UPS, FedEx, etc.) to change the delivery location of items ordered. 

Students may reach out to the IT Service Desk (https://www.uwsp.edu/infotech/Pages/ServiceDesk) for assistance or to request a laptop checkout for the semester.  The IT Service Desk also offers a limited number of mobile hotspots for students without reliable internet connections (there is a monthly charge for this, but grant funds from the Dean of Students Office covers this expense).

Charter Communication announced it will offer free Spectrum broadband and Wi-Fi access for 60 days to households with K-12 and/or college students who do not already have a subscription. Learn more here. 

While the libraries encourage the use of our online resources, our campuses libraries are open to students to access computer resources. We ask these only be used if you have no other option. Guidelines such as “no more than 10 people” and “6 feet apart” will be enforced. 

Main campus: Albertson Hall will be closed to the public except for Computer Lab 110 for current students, faculty, and staff. Access to the Computer Lab is located on the west side (Sundial side) of the building (entrance A8).

Wausau campus: The Wausau library is open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday and closed Friday. Students should use the east entrance to the Main Academic Building.

Marshfield campus: The Marshfield library is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Thursday. It is closed on Friday, but students who need computer access may come to the Solution Center. Students should use the main entrance to the Main Building.