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December 2020 Newsletter
COVID-19 Information from Purdue
Although we are continuing to keep families updates with information sent to the Purdue community, for the most up-to-date information and FAQ's please visit the Protect Purdue website, and the Purdue COVID-19 Dashboard.
Return-to-campus COVID-19 student testing planned for spring 2021
Purdue is making plans for return-to-campus COVID-19 testing for spring 2021, in a manner similar to the pre-arrival residential student testing conducted before the start of the fall 2020 semester. Specific details about available testing options, a timeline for testing and how students can be cleared for campus by the Protect Purdue Health Center will be shared by Nov. 15, 2020. Students planning to experience the spring 2021 semester in-person will be required to complete this process.
More information about Spring 2020 on-campus experience
More information about Spring 2020 online option experience
How to Get Tested
As of Saturday November 28, the testing center has moved to the gymnasiums (Gold & Black Gym 1 – 3) on the northwest side of the France A. Córdova Recreational Sports Center (Co-Rec). Please enter the gymnasiums directly from the outside (i.e., do not enter from the Co-Rec main doors). Outside signage will provide guidance to the appropriate exterior doors. This map also shows where to enter the building, and these pictures show the entrances to use if you are symptomatic or asymptomatic.
Available residential resources for students after Thanksgiving
As we transition to remote instruction and look ahead to winter break, many resources are still available virtually or with modified hours. More.
Office of the Dean of Students available to assist students in need of support as campus moves to remote instruction
As students transition into a remote working environment, the Office of the Dean of Students on the West Lafayette campus wants to remind the campus community that ODOS is available to assist in providing support for students.
ODOS can help students navigate challenges they are experiencing both personally and academically. Faculty and staff who recognize a student who may be in need of support or additional care are encouraged to share their concern with ODOS. A list of common reported concerns is available online.
As some students have opted to continue remote education, here are some examples of concerns in a remote learning environment:
- Concerning comments in electronic communication or social media.
- Change in behavior (lack of engagement in coursework; marked drop in performance).
- Stopped communication (no longer responding to academic outreach).
Additionally, students affected by COVID-19 (self or family diagnoses, financial insecurity, etc.) also can be referred to ODOS for support.
Student of Concern Reports prompt individualized outreach to students by members of the Office of the Dean of Students and can be submitted online.
Featured Stories
Purdue’s winter commencements to celebrate accomplishments of Class of 2020
Purdue University’s on-demand winter commencements will go live this week, complete with a guest speaker and student responders.
The commencements will celebrate the accomplishments of more than 2,800 students, who will hear their names called during the two ceremonies. This is the third set of commencement ceremonies that Purdue has offered on-demand due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. More.
Information for 1098T
Purdue now reports in Box 1 of the 1098T which represents the amount of Qualified Tuition & Related Expenses (QTRE) paid during the year.
Depending on the students’ income (or family income, if the student is a dependent), whether the student is considered full or half-time enrolled, and the amount of the qualified educational expenses for the year, the student maybe eligible for a federal education tax credit. (Detailed information about claiming education tax credits are available on the IRS website, publication 970.
The dollar amounts reported on the Form 1098-T may assist in completing IRS Form 8863 – the form used for calculating the education tax credits that a taxpayer may claim as part of their tax return.
Please note: due to the Winter Recess, any mailed payments including 529s must be received in our office by December 17th to be processed and included on the 2020 1098-T. Any payments made online electronically & posted by December 31, 2020 will be included.
Purdue University is unable to provide individual tax advice, but should you have questions, please seek the counsel of an informed tax preparer or adviser.
For your general reference, below is a blank sample of the 2020 Form 1098-T, that you will receive electronically via the student account in January 2021. For more information and additional resources about Form 1098-T, visit the Office of the Bursar website.
Purdue Convocations pivots to new forms of live performance
Due to the cancellation of university-sponsored on-campus events under the guidelines of Protect Purdue, the Purdue Convocations team has had to adapt to new forms of live powerful performance, illuminating discourse and learning experiences.
Normally, Convocations offers the region 30-40 performances of widely varying genres: Broadway-style shows, theater, dance, world music, and more. All of them share a vision for connecting artists and audiences in artistic dialogue and for drawing in academic discourse, exploring human cultural expression in a multitude of forms and media. More.
Parent & Family Virtual Events
Parent & Family Connections was excited to bring families virtual opportunities to learn more about resources at Purdue so you can best guide your student. If you missed any of the Fall Semester Virtual Events, you can find a list of previous events on the Parent & Family Connections website.
Your feedback is needed! We are in the planning stages for spring semester, but would appreciate your input from our fall virtual events as we move forward.
Winter Break Mental Health Resources
Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) will remain open, offering services remotely through December 18th. They will continue to provide ongoing treatment services remotely to students that are in the state of Indiana through December 18th. CAPS will continue to provide crisis and referral services to any student, regardless of location, through the 18th as well. To connect to services students will need to call CAPS directly at (765) 494-6995. Their brief screenings are available same day or next day to ensure that they connect with students as quickly as they can.
CAPS will be closed from December 18th through January 3rd. Their after-hours mental health crisis services will be available 24 hours a day during the entire winter break. To connect to this service, students will need to call (765) 494-6995, then press 1.
Given the longer winter break this year, CAPS also wanted to remind students and families of other resources that may be helpful when not meeting with a CAPS provider.
Welltrack is an interactive self-help therapy tool that is free of cost and available to ALL Purdue students. This tool offers a mood tracker to help record information about mood, activities, places, and relationships that can help you notice patterns between moods and other variables. It offers brief video courses to address concerns with anxiety, depression, resiliency, and public speaking. It also offers the Zen Room for mindfulness opportunities and other tools to help you learn more about your mental health.
If students are hoping to connect to a mental health provider closer to their hometown over the break, we encourage them to utilize Thriving Campus. This provider search tool is also completely free and available to ALL Purdue students. This service has a direct button on the CAPS homepage so that students can easily access it. This tool allows students to search for a mental health provider by location and offers opportunities to narrow that search by filtering other important variables such as insurance, presenting concerns, therapy approaches, and other demographic variables. It offers a help guide that can walk students through finding a provider, how to contact, and how insurance and paying for services tends to work. It also indicates which providers are offering video sessions to ensure that your physical health is protected.
Other apps and digital resources are available on the CAPS website under the services tab.
On this page, students will find links for information on relaxation, mindfulness, mood trackers, issues with stress and anxiety, addressing negative thoughts, difficulties with OCD and even brain/emotional fitness games. CAPS also has a self-help page with guided imagery and progressive muscle relaxation audio clips to help with stress and anxiety.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact CAPS to consult further. Please see our website for more information.
Three students honored with Purdue Homecoming Pillars of Excellency
On Saturday (Nov. 14) Purdue announced three recipients of the merit-based Homecoming Pillars of Excellency during halftime of the Homecoming football game against Northwestern.
The Purdue Student Union Board created the honor to recognize students who exemplify education and scholarship, service and leadership, and research and innovation. It is open to juniors and seniors, and each awardee received a $1,000 scholarship.
Emma Rogers, a junior majoring in geology and geophysics with a double major in planetary science, and a student in the Honor College, from Murrieta, California, received the Teaching and Scholarship pillar.
Alexandra Kipnis, a senior majoring in computer science from Cupertino, California, was the recipient of the Service and Leadership pillar.
The recipient of the Research and Innovation pillar is Marina Mehling, a senior majoring in biological engineering from Phoenix. Mehling is in the Honors College.
Sponsors for the Homecoming Pillars of Excellency are the Purdue Student Union Board and Office of the Vice Provost for Student Life.
Purdue Libraries and School of Information Studies News
Purdue University Press is offering a 40% discount on ALL TITLES through the end of 2020, ending at 11:59 p.m. ET on December 31. All you need to do is enter code 21GIFT40 when ordering directly from our website.
From gorgeous coffee-table books on Purdue & Indiana to stirring biographies on some of the most important figures in the space race; books for green thumbs and naturalists to stories of survival in times of war, persecution, or health crisises; Purdue University Press has plenty of books that would make wonderful gifts for your loved ones or yourself! More.
Purdue WL community: Adverse winter weather procedures
If adverse weather conditions necessitate that a wind chill, snow or ice emergency be declared for the West Lafayette campus, special procedures pertaining to classes, operations, parking, pay and/or attendance will become effective. Carol Shelby, senior director of environmental health and public safety, describes procedures for adverse winter weather in this memo.
New Learning Online 101 course for all undergraduates launches Jan. 11 to support hybrid/online learning, navigating Brightspace
All Purdue West Lafayette undergraduate students will have access on Jan. 11 to a new resource to assist them in preparing for hybrid and online learning in the Brightspace learning management system. Undergraduate students will automatically be enrolled in Learning Online 101, which will appear alongside their other courses in Brightspace and remain available while they are at Purdue.
Students are encouraged to engage with Learning Online 101 as a way to get a jump on spring 2021 courses, which begin Jan. 19. The self-paced, elective course features a range of materials developed specifically for students and from the student perspective. These include video tutorials, simple document guides, and links to key Purdue resources, organized into four modules that can be completed conveniently and quickly (15 to 30 minutes for each module):
- The Mindset and Readiness module is designed to help students feel more confident and prepared to learn online.
- Foundations for Academic Success offers a variety of learning best practices.
- The Navigating Brightspace module helps students operate the tools and functionality inside of Brightspace, and recognize the structure and organization in other Brightspace courses.
- Connecting in Your Online Classroom explores how students can develop connections with peers and course facilitators in virtual environments.
Students who were part of the Learning Online 101 review found the course well-designed and informative, even as they were taking other courses using Brightspace. Further details are available on the Innovative Learning News webpage.
University Residences
Winter Break Housing
Student interested in staying over Winter Break (December 21, 12:00pm – January 11, 8:00am) may register for winter break housing in the housing portal:
- Students living in traditional University Residences Halls will be charged $500 to stay over break. Unfortunately, we are unable to prorate this fee.
- Students living in University Residences Boiler Apartments, Hilltop Apartments and Purdue Village Apartments should register to stay over Winter Break Housing but WILL NOT be billed, as this fee is already included in their rates.
- An optional meal plan is available for an additional $450. This meal plan includes 13 meals per week and $25 Dining Dollars per week.
- The deadline to sign up for Winter Break Housing is December 14, 2020 and no refunds will be offered after November 24, 2020.
- Winter Break Housing fees will be assess to the student’s MyPurdue in January, 2021 after Winter Break.
Additional Information may be found on the Winter Break Housing page.
Meal Plan Changes
- Meal plan changes effective for the 2021 Spring Semester may be submitted beginning Monday, January 4, 2021 at noon. Meal plan changes should be made in the housing contract portal.
- The deadline to submit a request to lower the number of meal swipes is Sunday, January 10, 2021 at 11:55 p.m. Eastern Time
- Students may increase the number of meal swipes at any time.
- Current residents of Hawkins Hall or Hilltop Apartments who currently have a room-only plan may also add a meal plan.
Extended Spring Check-in Times Announced!
You asked, we listened! Extended move-in hours for Spring 2021 are now open and available. Visit the link below to book your move-in time.
Contracting for 2021-2022 Academic Year
Contract Renewal is a phased process – based upon where the resident currently lives and their current University classification. With the exception of November 3, 2020, each phase becomes active at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time and remains active until the end of the contract renewal process, which is February 28, 2021, at 11:55 p.m. Eastern Time.
For the 2021-2022 academic year:
- Aspire and Salisbury Campus Apartments will no longer be master leased through University Residences for the upcoming academic year. Students living in these locations will receive an email regarding being in a displaced status for contract renewal.
- Several rooms in various halls will be unavailable for returners due to changes in Learning Community usage, gender reconfiguration, or other repurposing. These residents and all Honor College and Residences spaces will be displaced. Current residents in these rooms will have priority as a displaced resident for choosing a different space.
2021-2022 Contract Renewal Phase Dates
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Return to Your Same Room |
November 3 (noon) – November 6, 2020 |
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Renew Your Contract for a Different Room |
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Current Seniors, Senior Specials1 and HACs2 |
November 11, 2020 |
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Current Juniors and Junior Specials1 |
November 13, 2020 |
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Displaced Residents3 |
November 16, 2020 |
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Current Sophomores and Sophomore Specials1 |
November 19, 2020 |
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Current Freshmen and Freshmen Specials1 |
November 23, 2020 |
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New Spring Semester Residents4 |
January 19, 2021 |
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Deadline To Renew Your Contract |
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All Students Eligible for Contract Renewal |
February 28, 2021 |
1. Specials are students who left University Residences for Industrial Co-op, Study Abroad, called to Military Duty, or for a medical reason and plan to return to University Residences for the 2021-2022 Academic Year. For the 2021-2022 Academic Year specials will also include those students who had signed a 2020-2021 academic year housing contract but canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
2. HACs are students with approved housing accommodations.
3. A displaced resident is one whose room will not be available during the contract period. Most rooms become unavailable due to requirements for Honors College, Learning/Living Communities, or a change in space management.
4. New spring semester residents are all students, regardless of classification, who have a signed housing contract for the spring semester online
- Current Honors College residents who want to live in one of the designated returning Honors College spaces will be required to have a roommate from Honors College.
- Your student will have the opportunity to request a roommate in Contract Renewal – after the “Return to Your Same Room” phase. Very Important! If your student's roommate request is accepted, your student will also need to assign their accepted roommate request to a space with you beginning with the start date of your students current University classification phase date (see priority phase dates above).
- If your student wants to request a new incoming beginner freshman to University Residences for the 2021-2022 Academic Year, their friend must have already started a housing contract in the new student housing contract portal for the 2021-2022 Academic Year. The new student housing contract portal will open around January 15, 2021 at noon Eastern Time. (Note: Your student will not be able to request a current student presently living off campus or an incoming Transfer student for their roommate as these students will be required to place their name on a waiting list to sign a housing contract – if space is available after May 5, 2021.)
- Your student may make changes to or cancel their signed housing contract at any time during the Contract Renewal process. Contract Renewal closes February 28, 2021, at 11:55 p.m. Eastern Time, at which time all signed contracts in the system become legally binding. Beginning February 28, 2021, at 11:56 p.m. your student's signed contract for the 2021-2022 Academic Year may only be canceled if they will NOT be attending Purdue University during the 2021-2022 Academic Year contract term.
- As a displaced resident, students will have opportunity to select an available space in Contract Renewal on November 16, 2020 at 8:30 a.m. unless they are a senior or junior, in which they will be eligible to select a different space beginning November 11, 2020 or November 13, 2020 at 8:30 a.m. respectively.
Dates
December 5, Classes end
December 7-12, Final Exams
December 12, Semester Ends
December 21- January 1, University Closed
January 19, Spring Semester Begins