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March 2021 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.
What Your Student Should Do If They Are Sick
All faculty, staff and students are expected to monitor for and report all symptoms of COVID-19 to the Protect Purdue Health Center.
First Steps
- If your student is sick, experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19, or if they have been exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, they should stay home and do not attend work or class. If they are at work or in class when symptoms begin, they should go home immediately.
- Students should inform their instructor and/or supervisor of their absence and contact the Protect Purdue Health Center 24/7 at 765-496-INFO (4636) or toll-free at 833-571-1043. (A call tree option is available after hours.) Students will be connected with a registered nurse case manager, who will help determine the appropriate course of care, which could include self-quarantine and a COVID-19 test.
Next Steps
- Students, faculty and staff are expected to follow the directions provided by the case manager from the Protect Purdue Health Center, including any testing, contact tracing and quarantine or isolation instructions.
- Do not return to work or class until you receive clearance to do so from the Protect Purdue Health Center.
- Information and resources for anyone in isolation or quarantine are available from the Protect Purdue Health Center.
Purdue testing lab able to detect UK variant of COVID-19 virus
Innovators at Purdue’s Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (ADDL) have used their expertise to make the on-campus testing facility one of the only labs in Indiana actively looking for and able to detect the UK variant of the COVID-19 virus. This ability, combined with the university’s data-driven testing approach, has enabled cases to be caught, thereby stopping any potential spread among the campus community. More.
Remember the Protect Purdue Pledge when participating in outdoor activities, traveling
Being a part of the Boilermaker community means that each of us must take steps to stay well and persistently protect each other, on campus and off campus. The Protect Purdue Pledge outlines these steps, which include proper and consistent wearing of face masks, social distancing, frequent hand-washing, and monitoring and reporting symptoms to the Protect Purdue Health Center. More.
The importance of surveillance testing
Spring 2021 events guidelines
The following guidelines for events remain in effect until further notice, are part of the Protect Purdue Plan, and were developed to help ensure the health and safety of the campus community. It is important to note that these guidelines may be modified as the COVID-19 situation and corresponding federal, state and local guidance continues to evolve. More.
The next giant leap in protecting Purdue: COVID-19 Vaccines
Three safe and highly effective COVID-19 vaccines are now available in the United States. All Boilermakers, especially the most vulnerable, are strongly encouraged to receive a vaccine as soon as they are eligible. Information on vaccine eligibility, the Purdue COVID-19 vaccine allocation task force and answers to common questions are available on a new Protect Purdue vaccine webpage.
Reminder: Face masks must be worn even if a you have received the COVID-19 vaccine
Anyone on campus, including students, staff, faculty, contractors, vendors, suppliers and visitors, is required to follow Protect Purdue protocols, including correctly and consistently wearing face masks. Those who have received the COVID-19 vaccine and/or been infected with the virus are still required to correctly wear a face mask and follow other Protect Purdue protocols. Read more.
Summer 2021 Campus Experience
Guided by current public health and safety recommendations, our plan for summer 2021 will look much like spring 2021. For example, mask wearing, social distancing and contact tracing will continue. Some important details are included below to help students plan for summer enrollment. More.
Featured Stories
Mental Health Action Week - March 1-5, 2021
Mental Health Action Week is about cultivating a community of care by equipping students with the tools they need to take action relating to mental health, empowering students to prioritize their well-being, and uniting as one university to destigmatize mental health. Families can learn more about MHAW by viewing last evening's virtual event.
Now's the time to Think Summer
According to data from the Center for Career Opportunities and Institutional Data Analytics + Assessment, students net an average of $52,000 by using summer courses to graduate one year early and $22,000 to graduate a semester early. Open registration for Summer 2021 began on March 1. Encourage your student to look through the list of summer classes, including over 400 fully online options, and talk with their academic advisor about registering before space fills. Questions about summer enrollment can be sent to thinksummer@purdue.edu.
ICYMI: Recording available of Presidential Lecture Series event
Purdue's Presidential lecture Series returned on Wednesday (Feb. 24) with a virtual discussion on "American Democracy: Where Do We Go From Here?" featuring former U.S. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan and former Sen. Heidi Heitkamp. A recording is available on Purdue's YouTube channel.
Office of the Dean of Students available to assist students in need of support
As the semester continues, the Office of the Dean of Students wants to remind the campus community that ODOS remains available to assist in providing support for students who are on campus as well as with students who are working remotely.
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.
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 the Office of the Dean of Students 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.
Reminder: CAPS is Open!
CAPS is available to assist students in addressing their mental health concerns, which may have been affected by the global pandemic and civil unrest. The CAPS staff is happy to serve currently enrolled, degree-seeking Purdue students. As the campus mental health providers, CAPS is strongly committed to serving a diverse student body including students of all racial, ethnic, and national backgrounds, sexual/affectional orientations, gender identities, mental and physical abilities, languages, classes, ages, religion and spirituality, socioeconomic backgrounds, and more.
CAPS is currently offering remote services which includes Brief Individual Therapy, Group Therapy, Workshops, Psychiatric Services, Care Management, Crisis and Emergency Services, and Outreach and Consultation. If your student is seeking CAPS services, they should call 765-494-6995 to schedule a brief phone screening with a counselor. CAPS brief screenings are available within 1-2 business days to ensure staff can be connected as quickly as possible. At the end of the screening, the counselor will provide the student with services that best meet their mental health needs at CAPS, other Purdue services or in the community.
Want to learn more about CAPS? Visit the CAPS website, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube accounts for more information.
Did you know CAPS also offers self-help resources? WellTrack is an online, self-help resource that is available to all Purdue students.
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.
Reminder: due to the Winter Recess, any mailed payments including 529s had to 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 were 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 our events thus far, you can find a list of previous events on the Parent & Family Connections website. Watch your inbox for additional Spring 2021 events!
University Residences Summer Housing
The summer housing portal is now open! Undergraduate students (who are NOT participants of the Summer Start, EL Science Scholars or Early Start programs) and are taking summer session classes or who will be completing summer research for an academic department at Purdue University during the 2021 Summer Session will be housed at Earhart Hall (co-ed). Due to the increased demand for summer session housing, double room occupancy only will be offered at Earhart Hall. Learn more about rates, amenities, roommate requests and more on the University Residences housing website.
Commencement News
Greetings from the commencement team! We wanted to take a minute to update students and families on upcoming deadlines.
After meeting with their advisor to confirm degree requirements, undergraduate students (along with Vet-Med/Pharmacy students) should be applying to graduate in their myPurdue page. This process is to indicate that the student believes they will meet all necessary degree requirements for the semester they have selected. This does NOT indicate their participation in the commencement ceremony (that process is covered below). Students applying to graduate Spring 2021 have until March 12th to do so.
Once the student has applied to graduate, they will need to indicate their participation in the commencement ceremony through the Commencement Task List. Students were able to log into their myPurdue page and access the tab beginning February 26th. The task list will only be available to those students that have applied to graduate. There are several important pieces of information collected through the Commencement Task List regardless of whether or not your student will be attending. Information gathered includes:- Commencement participation
- Guest tickets - Each student is allotted 2 guest tickets each. Due to State and County COVID constraints, we are unable to guarantee any more than 2 tickets at this time. While the Commencement Task List does allow candidates to request up to 2 additional guest tickets, the chance any extra guest tickets being dispursed should be considered a rare chance. Un-ticketed guests' best option remains planning to watch via live webcast.
- Cap & gown - Students are required to to wear appropriate academic attire. Please note - the last day to order cap and gown at the discounted price is April 16th.
- Diploma name - The student can indicate their name as they would like it to appear on the diploma.
- Diploma mailing address - If the student does not receive their diploma on the day of their ceremony, this is the address we will use to mail it. It is important this information is updated so that we can ensure the student receives their diploma in a timely fashion.
For the most up-to-date information, please follow Purdue Commencement on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. For any questions not answered, please visit https://www.purdue.edu/commencement/
The Commencement Tab will close on March 29th at 10:00 p.m. Eastern. It is vitally important that your student complete the steps on the Commencement task list to ensure they have the best commencement experience possible.
Students whose parents are unable to attend commencement ceremonies because they are in a country with a travel restriction can livestream the ceremony (link to come) or the graduate can request to walk at a future ceremony at commencement@purdue.edu
Students who miss the participation deadline may contact the Office of the Registrar for information regarding participating in a future ceremony at commencement@purdue.edu
Dates
March 15, Second 8-week Courses Begin
March 15, Schedule of Classes Published for Fall 2021
March 18, Reading Day
March 22, Last Day to Withdraw from a Course with a W or WF grade
March 22, Last Day to Add/Modify a Course with Instructor, Advisor, and Department Head Signature
April 13, Reading Day
May 1, Classes End
May 3-8, Final Exams
May 8, Semester Ends
May 8, Deadline for Pending Spring 2020 Incomplete Grades to Become Failing Grades
May 15, Commencement
May 16, Commencement
Four Purdue Memorial Union businesses to permanently relocate
2021 New Football Season Tickets On Sale
Purdue police urge students to be aware of WL snow emergency route city ordinance
Asian American and Asian Resource and Cultural Center hosting several virtual spring events
Latino Cultural Center releases schedule of spring virtual events