A semester with students present, not online: Münster University sets out rules and processes

Winter semester begins on October 11 / Offer to students: badge denoting “vaccinated“ or “recovered“

In the summer the management of the University of Münster had already provided clarity for its staff with regard to the winter semester 2021/22, thus giving students a basis for planning at an early stage. The coming semester, in which lectures begin on October 11, will again entail personal attendance by students after three semesters of online learning. To ensure the best possible success for this, the University has drawn up some rules for the lecture period and developed a system which makes the processes as simple and as safe as possible for everyone involved. “Our primary aim,“ says Prof. Johannes Wessels, the University Rector, “is to be able to offer almost completely normal teaching again at last and, at the same time, ensure the greatest possible protection for people’s health. We are all very much looking forward to what we hope will be a normal semester.

The new rules allow access to Münster University buildings only to people who can demonstrate that they have recovered from Covid, have been vaccinated against it or have been very recently tested. This applies equally to students, teachers, University staff or anyone in coming from outside. The University of Münster offers immunised students (i.e. vaccinated or recovered) a simple and safe opportunity to show their status by means of a badge on their student ID. These badges, which will be issued from October 4 to 15 at 14 “Info Points“, will initially be valid for October and November. Non-immunised students will need to provide evidence of a current negative test (no self-tests) to attend any teaching session. Students who cannot provide evidence of vaccination, recovery or a very recent test cannot attend either teaching sessions or any examinations. An external cooperation partner (“studenta worx“) and teaching staff will check students' certification before any teaching session – at the entrance to the building or in front of the lecture halls.

In order for studies to run as smoothly, safely and normally as possible, the University has checked all teaching rooms and the air in all the rooms. Around 85% of almost 500 rooms used can be used without any restrictions. In order to be able to use as many of the remaining rooms as possible, the University has reduced the numbers of people there, installed air filters and set up seminar room portakabins. As current Corona protection regulations do not stipulate track-and-trace processes, the Rectorate recommends using the Corona alert app.

In all buildings and teaching sessions at Münster University it is still mandatory to wear a medical face mask. If it is possible to preserve a minimum distance of 1.5 metres, students and lecturers are allowed to remove masks for the duration of the teaching session.

For any students who have not yet received an offer of vaccination or who have not yet been able to take up the offer, the University – in conjunction with the City of Münster, Münster University of Applied Sciences and the Academy of Art – is offering more dates for vaccinations. Further information can be found at https://www.uni-muenster.de/de/coronavirus-information.shtml.