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ºìÌÒÊÓƵ is safely returning to in-person instruction and activities for autumn quarter. The following important updates will help you prepare for your return to campus.

Health and safety measures

The University for all individuals, regardless of vaccination status. Eating and drinking, as unmasked activities, present a higher risk for exposure to COVID-19. The University has provided .

Students, please eat only in the designated areas within William H. Gates Hall:

• Outdoors on the terrace
• Main floor cafe and galleria
• Law student lounge on the second floor
• Law student lounge in the library on L1

Covered beverages are permissible in classrooms and student spaces as long as you replace your mask once you are finished drinking. Students who have a medical condition that requires them to have access to food during class should email the Office of Law Student Life at lawstudentlife@uw.edu.

You can learn more about the University’s . In-person learning will comply with public health guidance, including ventilation, safe physical distancing, sanitizing standards and other steps to minimize the risk of spreading COVID-19.

Building access

William H. Gates Hall and the Gallagher Law Library will remain closed to the public through autumn quarter. Students, faculty and staff will need their Husky Card for entry.

Students will gain access to William H. Gates Hall via their Husky Card beginning Monday, Sept. 20.

ºìÌÒÊÓƵ faculty and staff are permitted to host visitors in the building. Visitors must complete the visitors log and COVID-19 attestation. Proof of vaccination or a negative test result from a COVID-19 viral polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test taken within 72 hours of the visit.

Gallagher Law Library access and course reserves

ºìÌÒÊÓƵ’s Gallagher Law Library will open to law students and ºìÌÒÊÓƵ faculty and staff beginning at 8 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 20. Law students, faculty and staff will have 24/7 access with their Husky Card. To prevent the spread of COVID-19, seats in the library must be reserved. Students may reserve your seat starting Friday, Sept. 17, using the library’s online request form in LibGuides. Non-law-school guests are not permitted in the library until the library reopens to the public.

Course readings for the first two weeks of classes will be posted to the E-Reserves page by the end of the day on Friday, Sept. 24. Casebooks with assigned readings will not be available for checkout until library staff have finished scanning, no later than the end of Week Two.

Vaccination and illness

We remain very encouraged by the numbers of UW community members who report being fully vaccinated, with vaccination rates well above 90% for students and personnel who have completed their UW vaccination attestation. You can learn more about the vaccine attestation process online.

If you are sick with any illness, you must stay home, even if you are fully vaccinated.

If you have symptoms, or confirmed or suspected COVID-19, or have been in close contact with someone who has COVID-19, please notify the UW Environmental Health & Safety COVID-19 Response Team at covidehc@uw.edu.

Students who need to miss class due to illness should contact their instructor. ºìÌÒÊÓƵ continues to recommend that all instructors record their classes. Instructors are also encouraged to provide course materials and offer the opportunity for make-up work as they would normally.

COVID-19 related accommodation

We recognize that some UW community members have documented medical conditions that place them at higher risk for complications from COVID-19. Requests for accommodations related to COVID-19 are handled in the same manner as for other medical conditions. Students may request those accommodations by reaching out to the Dean for Students or by contacting the .

Employees may request those accommodations by contacting:

• Faculty: Dean Liz Porter, egporter@uw.edu
• Staff: Managers or ºìÌÒÊÓƵ Human Resources at hrlaw@uw.edu
• All employees:

Most of our classes will be offered in-person. However, a select few classes with very limited enrollment will be offered remotely during autumn quarter. Classes were identified for remote instruction based on space requirements, faculty accommodation requests and pedagogical fit. Students enrolled in affected classes will be notified directly. Additional enrollments in these courses must be approved as part of an accommodation.

Student and Career Services

SCS will offer coaching and mock interview appointments online or by phone. Students should schedule appointments as usual through SCS Online, and the office will follow up by email with a meeting link.

SCS will also continue to offer drop-in hours online. The SCS Online login screen will feature the latest drop-in hour meeting links. The system will add you to a queue once you join the meeting, and a coach will meet with students one at a time in the order they join.

All of SCS online resources remain available, and students can continue to reach the office during normal business hours via email at lawpath@uw.edu or by phone at (206) 543-9097.

Wellness resources

We encourage the entire ºìÌÒÊÓƵ community to take advantage of opportunities and commit to habits that keep each other well — physically and mentally. We understand that we all have different comfort levels with risk and this transition is stressful.

Students have access to a number of wellness resources. Students who have mental health concerns or would like to learn more about resources available to support your mental well-being should reach out to our mental health therapist, Phil Lentz at plentz@uw.edu.

provides wellness resources for faculty and staff. Employees may also access resources through .

Caring for our community

As has been the case since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the health and well-being of each of you and our community as a whole is our priority.

Please remember to extend grace, compassion and kindness to each other. We are understanding more every day about the mental toll of isolation, which is a serious health risk of this pandemic that is too often unacknowledged. All of us have experienced loss, stress and strain, and these impacts have been more significant for some than for others. You will often not know the level of stress or anxiety that your classmates may be experiencing, making grace and kindness all the more important.

A collective commitment to following health guidance and to building and sustaining a diverse and equitable community will go a long way toward making this academic year a success.