Rutgers University Parent & Family Newsletter

Please see an important message from Chancellor Molloy regarding Fall 2021:

Dear Scarlet Knights,

As President Holloway announced last week, Rutgers is preparing for a full return to campus for Fall 2021, with robust plans to protect the safety and health of our students, faculty, staff and host communities.

Our safe return is predicated on the vaccination of students, accessibility of vaccinations for faculty and staff, a strong COVID-19 testing program, social distancing, mask wearing, and cleaning protocols in place.  Our classrooms, student housing, and in-person events and activities will be occupied to the capacity levels allowed by state and federal guidelines and our community’s adherence to health and safety protocols.  Of course, our return-to-campus plans may need to change based on factors like the progress of the pandemic and guidance from governmental authorities.

While the administration is planning for a safe return to Rutgers, we encourage you to begin planning as well.  Many of the answers to your questions can be found here.  Below you will find information on housing and registration to help in planning your return to campus this fall.

Academics

For Fall 2021, the large majority of course sections will offer in-person instruction.  There will also be some offerings delivered remotely/online, depending on the specific course and school.   Students should check with the academic programs’ course scheduling module to determine their course of study for the fall.

To allow for greater spacing between students in Fall 2021, classrooms have been assigned reduced capacities of their usual number of seats, depending on room size and configuration, in accordance with public health guidelines.  Student study spaces, including library study spaces, will also operate at reduced capacity to allow for distancing.

Course Registration

Pre-Registration for the Fall 2021 semester begins on Monday, April 19^th at 9:00 a.m. and continues through Tuesday, April 27^th.  Registration continues online through Tuesday, August 31, 2021.  More information on registering for classes can be found here.

On-Campus Housing

The undergraduate housing application for fall is now open.  Continuing students who would like to live on campus for 2021-2022 are required to apply for a Housing Selection number by April 19, 2021.  The application and timeline are available here.  Residence Life will also be sending an email with more detail about the application process.

Graduate student housing is available and information from Residence Life is forthcoming.

Off-Campus Housing and Living Support

Students planning to live off-campus are encouraged to contact the Office of Off-Campus Living and Community Partnerships.  In addition to connecting you with local community partners reflective of your interests and needs, they also prepare students for life off campus by assisting with the housing search, including educational workshops focused on legal issues, safety, security, and respects.

 One Stop Student Services Center

One Stop Student Services Center on the Busch campus is on track to open this fall. This center will allow you to easily manage the non-academic, educational business side of student life, and will remove many of the barriers involved in navigating multiple offices across Rutgers–News Brunswick.  It represents a single point of service integrating the areas of financial aid, student accounts, and registration.

Over the coming weeks Student Affairs will share additional details about what the transition will look like for students, including information on how to register for vaccinations, plan on-campus programs for your organizations and clubs, engage in Greek life, and other activities that encompass the collegiate experience.

Finally, as your Chancellor, a Rutgers parent, and an alumnus, I want to thank you and your families for your commitment to a Rutgers education.  Your resilience during a difficult chapter in our 254-year history has been inspiring.  I am confident that our community will continue to navigate the pandemic, and I look forward to a Fall semester much closer to normal for our campus with the strongest commitment to the safety and well-being of our students, faculty, and staff.
Sincerely,

Christopher J. Molloy, Ph.D.
Chancellor, Rutgers–New Brunswick

All students living in campus housing, living off-campus in the New Brunswick/Piscataway area, and students in groups required to receive testing can access testing through Rutgers Student Health. Details about testing can be found here.

• Off-campus students must register their local address here. Local addresses are needed in order for public health officials to properly track and respond to the pandemic.
• There is no cost for testing through Rutgers Student Health.
• Students who experience symptoms, had contact with someone who tested positive, are worried, or are unsure about getting tested, should call Rutgers Student Health at 848-932-7402. Student Health will schedule a same-day appointment time to speak with a clinician, answer questions, and provide a test that day.
• Students who are contacted by a Contact Tracer are highly encouraged to speak with them. Contact Tracers provide valuable information and resources to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

Rutgers Giving Day – Thank You!

A message from the Rutgers Giving Day Team:

Thank you for going above and beyond on Rutgers Giving Day 2021! After a year that changed everything for us all, you inspired those around us to shape a brighter future.  

Because of your partnership and dedication, Rutgers donors came together to support innovation, discovery, education, and equality. With your help, we raised critical funds that will help Rutgers better the world, when the world needs it most. 

We’re still counting, but we can report that more than 6,800 generous donors came together to give over $3.6M to areas throughout Rutgers. If you joined in, thank you for your generosity, and thank you for encouraging others to join in as well. You are an integral part of the day’s success.  

Over the next month, please look out for finalized numbers of donors and dollars raised on this year’s Rutgers Giving Day.  

Thank you again for uniting as one Rutgers community for #RUGivingDay. 

Scarlet Forever, 
Melissa Halpin and the Rutgers Giving Day Team 

RUPA Presents: The Art Heist Escape Room

Spring Series at Zimmerli Art Museum Wrap Up in April

The final Art After Hours of the 2020-21 academic year meets on Zoom, on April 6, at 7pm (eastern). The program spotlights the online exhibition Musings by Moonlight: The Moon from Japanese Art to Japonism, which museum staff created with students in the course “From Text to Image in Japanese Art,” taught by Professor Haruko Wakabayashi. The evening also includes a talk about the appearance of the moon in manga, with Kay Clopton from The Ohio State University Libraries, and an origami demonstration by Jamie Orendain, a Rutgers student and museum intern. Register at go.rutgers.edu/artafterhours. Free and open to the public. Activities are presented with the support of Rutgers Global, Rutgers Asian American Cultural Center, and the Rutgers Department of Asian Languages and Cultures, in conjunction with its Rutgers Meets Japan initiative marking 150 years of special friendship.

On April 10, BLOOM: Explore Growth and Self-Expression Through Art features “Thrive: Sketch Your Growth through Botany.” A partnership between the Zimmerli and the New Brunswick start-up Sisterwork, the final spring session of BLOOM envisions the growth and power in our life journeys through sketching. Learn about the resilient stories behind Sisterwork's floral logo and view highlights of botany-inspired works in the Zimmerli's collections. Visit Zimmerli at Home Virtual Events for details and Zoom link (registration not required; free and open to the public). Workshop is conducted with English and Spanish instruction.

The Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers remains closed to the public and in-person events are suspended until further notice. Visit our home page for updates, as well as to reach staff by email. We also post a variety of content on Zimmerli At Home, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Thank you, for your understanding and support!

RCSA 2021-2022 E-Board Chair Applications