Rector’s and Vice-Rector’s letters on academic year 2021/2022

Type information Rector’s and Vice-Rector’s letters on academic year 2021/2022

Rector’s and Vice-Rector’s letters on academic year 2021/2022

17.09.2021 - 14:17 update 19.04.2022 - 11:11

Editors: OO

Tags: announcements

Dear Students,

The new academic year 2021/2022 will begin within the University’s premises. Despite the return to work and studies in the University buildings, the shadow of epidemic is still with us. Its power was weakened because of the immunity that we acquired mainly thanks to the vaccine, however, due to the insufficient number of vaccinated individuals, the risk of its recurrence is still very serious. We are particularly concerned with your safety in student residence halls (dormitories), where a large number of people will stay with one another at a small distance for a long time.

Hoping that the government and Ministry of Education and Science will share our anxiety and issue relevant regulations, we announced that we were planning to connect the right to accommodation in student residence halls with being vaccinated. We showed the draft regulation both to the Minister and the Ombudsman. In response, both institutions unambiguously indicated the lack of sufficient legal grounds for such actions, although they expressed their understanding for our concerns. In the letter of 13 September 2021, addressed to the Rector of the University of Silesia, Przemysław Czarnek, Minister of Education and Science, claims that “it appears unjustified for a university to require its students both to submit to COVID-19 vaccination and to provide any information in this respect.” He adds: „However, in case when the regulations on counteracting the spread of COVID-19, including the possibility to verify vaccinations by certain entities, will be proceeded in the Parliament, the Ministry of Education and Science will try to include the situation at a university as part of such regulations.”

Since the enlightened legislation to protect our health and life is not possible, I appeal to your reason, common sense and responsibility for yourselves and for others: take the vaccine if your health condition allows you to do it.

I wish you good health and joy of studying in the upcoming academic year.

Ryszard Koziołek

Rector of the University of Silesia

Organisation information from the Vice-Rector for Education and Students

With the beginning of the new academic year, let me welcome you at the University of Silesia with great joy. I hope that this year will be full of challenges and exciting experiences for us, and based on the events of the past difficult year and responsible behaviours, we will be able to spend two full semesters onsite, within the University’s premises.

Inauguration of academic year 2021/2022

The inauguration of the academic year will take place on 1 October 2021 at 11:00 a.m. in the new headquarters of the Faculty of Humanities at ul. Uniwersytecka 4 in Katowice. It will be broadcast on Facebook and YouTube channels of the University of Silesia.

If you want to take part in the main inauguration onsite, please complete the registration form. The number of participants is limited and the applications will be handled on a first come, first served basis.

The schedule of faculty inaugurations, as well as the rules for declaring the will to participate in them, are available at: us.edu.pl/en/event/54-inauguracja-roku-akademickiego.

Rules of organising classes in the winter semester 2021/2022 at the University of Silesia

Classes will be conducted onsite (in the territory of University) with certain elements of remote education. Based on the available premises, number of students in groups, requirement to conduct classes in a specific laboratory, but also taking into consideration the safety of class participants, it is possible to change the form of education to remote – especially if this affects the quality of education at faculties.

Your deans and degree programme directors received specific guidelines for the organisation of classes, according to which schedules of classes for particular groups are prepared. There are currently no plans to conduct classes at any degree programme only in the remote form. In accordance with the Rules and Regulations of Studies at the University of Silesia, the schedules of classes are to be available for you at least one week before the beginning of the academic year. Please follow the faculty websites, where you will find all organisational information.

I am aware that the situation is dynamic, and both before and during the semester it may be necessary to introduce changes in the recommendations for classes. Any potential changes will result from the care for the safety of class participants, i.e. both students and teachers. You can be sure that you will be informed about any changes in advance.

Rules for accommodation in student residence halls (dorms)

Similarly as in the previous year, we will launch special registration forms, which will allow us to provide accommodation in student residence halls smoothly. The registration forms are available at: https://formularze.us.edu.pl/site/index/520.

Out of concern for the safety of all inhabitants, COVID-19 vaccination points will operate on 30 September 2021 (Thursday, 10:00 – 12:00) and 7 October 2021 (Thursday, 12:00 – 14:00) in all academic housing estates (Katowice Ligota, Sosnowiec, Cieszyn). I strongly encourage you to use this option.

The individuals who want to get vaccinated in the student residence halls will have to submit a relevant declaration while registering for accommodation.

The individuals submitting to vaccination will be obliged to complete the “Pre-screening interview questionnaires before COVID-19 vaccination.” The individuals under 18 years of age will complete the registration form for minors, which has to be signed by their parents or legal custodians. At the end of this letter you will find links to the above-mentioned questionnaires in Polish, English and Russian languages.

Availability of student residence halls outside the University of Silesia

The individuals looking for accommodation can also use the offer of other student residence halls, which do not belong to our university. The alternative accommodation options are offered by:

BaseCamp Katowice: www.basecampstudent.com/pl/lokalizacje/polska/katowice – special price offer for students and doctoral students of the University of Silesia,
Akademik POLONIA: www.akademikpolonia.pl – special price offer for students and doctoral students of the University of Silesia,
Akademik Kościuszki 33: kosciuszki33.pl.

Care for others

We want to get back to “normality”, taking care of the health of the whole academic community. In the current pandemic times, non-exposing another person to the possibility of infection or disease is an expression of the highest concern for this person. This is why it is so important to counteract and prevent COVID-19 spread, which will let us control the virus and gradually lift the restrictions.

Out of concern for our common health, we carry out activities at the University of Silesia that enable us to get vaccinated against COVID-19. As part of the preventive campaign, during the first round of vaccinations (for academics), 1,831 people (i.e. approximately 96% of your teachers) were vaccinated. During the second round of vaccinations, which was organised in workplaces (also for students), 1,202 people declared the will to be vaccinated. Believing in science as the only weapon we have against COVID-19, we encourage all of you to get vaccinated.

On 10 October (Sunday), during the 5th Silesian Science Festival KATOWICE, you will have another opportunity to get vaccinated against COVID-19 in Szczepionkobus (Vaccination Bus). You don’t have to register anywhere to get vaccinated. If needed, we will repeat this campaign in all campus cities of the University of Silesia.

I would like to thank you all for being at the University of Silesia in Katowice together with us, despite the difficulties we have had over the last months. I am convinced that we will make every effort now to face the challenges of the upcoming new academic year. I strongly hope that you will take active part in the academic community life. You can rely on the support of your study mates in the higher years, in particular those who are active in student research groups, Student Government and academic staff. We are all open to your ideas, concepts, social and research initiatives.

Kind regards,

Dr Katarzyna Trynda, Associate Professor
Vice-Rector for Education and Students

Download pre-screening interview questionnaires before COVID-19 vaccination:

ENG