The date of the University’s 2022 Convocation will remain Saturday, June 4, 2022, despite the start of winter quarter 2022 being delayed in response to rising cases of the Omicron variant.
As a result, spring quarter exams for non-graduating students in the College will happen the week of May 30, 2022, while graduating fourth-years will finish their exams the week before, according to a University-wide email from Provost Ka Yee Lee and Executive Vice President Katie Callow-Wright on Friday, December 31, 2021.
The email follows an announcement on December 23 that winter quarter would start on January 10, 2022, instead of January 3. The first two weeks of classes will take place remotely, and in-person classes are scheduled to resume on January 24.
The decision to delay the winter quarter start date comes as UChicago Medicine has more patients in for COVID-19 than ever before and the Omicron variant has led to a record-high infection rate in Chicago. As of Friday, the current average daily positivity rate for COVID-19 is 17.2 percent, an increase from 8.9 percent last week, according to City of Chicago data.
Lee and Callow-Wright wrote that the University community will have passed the peak of the infection wave by January 24, though they expect infection rates to remain high after that date. “We will continue working to maximize in-person instruction while upholding the health and safety of our community and managing the challenges of the COVID-19 surge,” they wrote in the email.
Students who are currently eligible for a booster vaccine must show proof of receiving one by January 24 on their my.WellnessPortal, the day that in-person instruction is scheduled to resume. Those who are ineligible to receive a booster or who have an approved medical or religious exemption are subject to weekly mandatory testing requirements if they access University facilities, according to another email sent to all students by Lee and Callow-Wright on Thursday, December 30.
The University also emphasized that it is “temporarily expanding” the COVID-19 testing program on campus to include symptomatic and exposure testing. University students and staff who have been exposed to COVID-19 or are experiencing symptoms can schedule tests on my.WellnessPortal.
Two testing sites are available on campus by appointment. At the Hyde Park campus, Suite 309 of the Walker Museum will be open from Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. starting Monday, January 3. Chicago Booth’s downtown Gleacher Center will resume its testing operations on Friday, January 7.
UChicago Medicine patients can schedule a curbside or walk-up test at 901 East 58th Street using MyChart or by calling (773) 702–2800. However, the availability at UChicago Medicine is limited, and students are encouraged to schedule their surveillance tests through Student Wellness.
In addition, Howard Brown Health offers walk-up COVID-19 testing at three locations in Chicago, including its Hyde Park location at 1525 East 55th Street. The clinic operates from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday. It is closed on weekends except for the first Saturday of each month. The clinic will be closed on Saturday, January 1, 2022.
