Current developments on the spread of the coronavirus

Please note: The most recently dated regulations are applicable in all cases. If information stated about individual issues is contradictory, the most recently dated version as posted above will apply.

31 March 2020

Organisation of studies

We are currently receiving several inquiries from you by email or phone regarding the organisation of studies and examinations. You can already find many answers regarding these questions in your emails received from the Student Administration in the past few days. Therefore, please check your inboxes to see whether your questions have already been answered. We have also created a new web page with frequently asked questions and the corresponding answers. This page will be continuously updated and supplemented in the coming weeks.

20 March 2020
Due to the most recent developments and after consultation with the local public health department, the Presidential Board of Fulda University of Applied Sciences has decided to postpone all examinations until after 20 April 2020. As soon as academic life is considered to be secure again, postponed examinations will be rescheduled.

Theses and assignments

Theses and assignments which are due from 18 March to 20 April 2020 have to be completed within the stipulated period.

Submission of theses:
As before, you have to upload your thesis in horstl. Due to the current crisis situation, the university has decided to dispense with an additional paper version. This is also true in case some examiners ask for it or such agreements already exist.

Assignments (“Hausarbeiten” and others) have to be submitted online to the examiner. An additional paper version is not required either.

• In the event of personal illness or quarantine, the deadline is suspended for the duration of illness/quarantine. As always you have to upload the necessary proof in horstl (e. g. doctor’s certificate).
• In case a student cannot meet the deadline for submitting thesis/assignments because necessary literature and other materials are not available due to the temporary closure of the local University and State Library Fulda and other university libraries, it is possible to suspend the deadline for the duration of the closure, but at the longest for three months (§ 24 Abs. 3 ABPO). The same is true for cases in which meeting the deadline is not possible due to the temporary closure of laboratories or companies. The decision is made by the Examination Board of the department concerned. In comparable cases, the Examination Board can also draw up a corresponding regulation for a majority of examinations by decision of principle. The students apply for deadline extension by sending an email to the examiner. The Student Administration (Studienbüro) enters the new duration in the system. In the event of a decision by principle (as prescribed above), it is not necessary to involve the Examination Board; students can then send their application directly to the Student Administration (Studienbüro) by email.
• In case the deadline has been suspended for more than three months, the respective thesis/assignment is considered as not undertaken. Students have to re-register the thesis/assignment after the discontinuation of the impediment. A new topic has to be assigned.
• In the above mentioned cases, a thesis/assignment that was formally part of the winter semester 2019/20 will be considered as „completed in the winter semester 2019/20“, independent from the real submission deadline.

Oral examinations/Colloquia

In principle, all oral examinations that still need to take place can be held as online examinations.

Semester fees

In case only one single examination is needed for graduation and this examination is postponed to the summer semester 2020 due to the current situation, the semester fee for the summer semester 2020 will not incur!

Further and new information can regularly be found on this website.

17 March 2020
The pandemic plan of the state of Hesse came into effect and was activated as per the resolution of the state cabinet of 13 March 2020. For Fulda University of Applied Sciences, this means that day-to-day administrative activities and teaching will now be restricted to what is essential so that only basic operations are maintained. This means that the majority of employees will work from home.

Other persons are not permitted to stay on the campus, including the outdoor facilities and the sports field. Excluded are persons authorised by the Presidential Board, e.g. postal services as well as suppliers.

All public events and further education and continuing education courses are suspended until the official start of lectures (20 April 2020). The same applies to internships on the University premises. Online formats will be provided and used wherever possible.

Giessen Student Services are closing the cafeteria (incl. coffee bar) from 17 March 2020 until probably 19 April 2020.

The University and State Library Fulda on Heinrich-von-Bibra-Platz is closed to the public from Tuesday, 17 March until further notice. The university library on campus also closes on Wednesday, 18 March 2020.

The Self-Study Centre, KinderStube and akadeMINIS nursery and childcare facilities are closed until and including 19 April 2020.

Due to the most recent developments and after consultation with the public health department, the Presidential Board of Fulda University of Applied Sciences has decided to postpone all examinations until after 20 April 2020. As soon as academic life is considered to be secure again, postponed examinations will rescheduled.

The President of Fulda University, Prof. Dr Karim Khakzar, appeals to all members of the University to act responsibly in this exceptional situation both at work and in their private lives. "In concrete terms, this means minimising any risks that might help spread the coronavirus. This includes avoiding social contact, even if this means you have to change your lifestyle for a certain period of time".

14 March 2020
The state government of Hesse has set out the following measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 infections at the state's universities. We have been informed of these measures through the Hessian Ministry of Science and Art. The measures correspond to the rules issued by the Presidential Board for all staff and students, supplementing and clarifying these on certain points.

 In essence, the instructions of the state government are as follows:

•    The start of lectures in the 2020 summer semester will be postponed until April 20, 2020 at all universities of applied sciences throughout the state. Public events as well as further education and continuing education programmes will be suspended until the official start of lectures. Teaching and learning services will be delivered online wherever possible. Research activities, the day-to-day management of the University and library services will be maintained in accordance with the latest risk assessment.

• The official position is that examinations will take place. Universities will determine whether examinations can be held depending on the current risk situation based on the guidelines of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI). Ongoing and planned internships that are a required part of programmes will depend on risk assessments for the place of the internship.
• All students, researchers and employees of research institutions returning from areas classified by the RKI as high risk regions are asked to self-isolate for 14 days. Periods of study or research in high risk regions will not be approved.
• On-campus conferences and meetings at universities will be cancelled for the summer semester if they cannot be postponed.
• For parents who have to look after their children due to the closure of schools and day-care centres, there will be special regulations for employees of the federal state of Hesse. These are expected to be announced by the state government of Hesse during the weekend. These employees at Fulda University should report to their respective supervisors on Monday, 16 March.
• From Monday, 16 March, special regulations apply to the institutions of Giessen Student Services. These apply, among other things, to Fulda University cafeteria and the Student Services office. Click here for exact regulations.

Beyond this, the rules of conduct previously adopted by the Presidential Board Office shall apply. We ask you to comply with all instructions.

12 March 2020
Suspected cases of coronavirus at the University have been tested negative. New regulations have also been introduced for events and business trips.

1. Non-curricular events which are held at Fulda University between 14 March 2020 and 13 April 2020 will be cancelled as a precautionary measure. For internal meetings of more than 10 participants, an attendance list (last name, first name and contact information) will be prepared, so that, if necessary, contact can be made at a later date.

2. If you do not go on a business trip, please check whether any costs already incurred (with the organiser, hotel, train, etc.) can be reclaimed.

11 March 2020
Last Friday evening, a guest who had previously been in contact with a person known to be infected with the coronavirus (COVID-19) visited the University. This person then came into contact with several employees on the campus. Fulda's health authorities were informed immediately after the contact became known. The authorities have requested all persons concerned to comply with and implement certain preventive measures (avoid social contact, etc.).

As of 11 March 2020, the semester will begin and summer semester 2020 courses will take place as planned. Teachers are asked to provide materials for on-campus courses via Moodle whenever possible and, when scheduling appointments and examinations, to take into account the special circumstances of students who are unable to come to the University because they are subject to a period of self-isolation.

The Occupational Health and Safety and Environmental Protection (AGU) department of Facilities Management is in direct contact with the responsible offices, and is closely monitoring current developments. Based on developments to date, the following preventive measures currently apply to the University regarding the subject of Covid-19:

For reasons of public welfare and the protection of third parties, a ban on entering the University premises applies with immediate effect to the following persons (employees, students, other university members and external persons, e.g. employees of external companies),

• who are infected with the coronavirus. The ban on entering University premises shall apply until a medical certificate attests that the person has recovered from the illness and is no longer contagious.
• who have entered the country from one of the high risk regions and who have symptoms that may be attributable to the coronavirus. The ban applies to these persons for the duration of their health complaints plus 14 days unless a medical certificate confirms that the person is not infected with the coronavirus.
• who have been or are still in contact with persons suffering from the coronavirus, e.g. because they are looking after them. The ban on entering the University premises applies for the duration of the contact plus 14 days. To return to the University at an earlier date, a medical certificate must attest that there is no longer any risk of infection.
• travelling from one of the high risk regions or who have visited these regions within the previous two weeks. Students are subject to a 14-day quarantine period after entering the country. Employees and other members of the University should inform their supervisors or contact persons by phone. Employees who are travelling from or have stayed in one of the high risk regions in the last two weeks should, whenever possible, work remotely from home for two weeks. Even if regular duties cannot be performed from home, the ban on entering the University premises applies. These employees will be assigned tasks by their supervisors (if necessary, self-study based on specialist literature, etc.).

Vulnerable people (e.g. those with cardiovascular disease) can work remotely after they have presented a medical certificate and consulted their respective supervisors. This may also apply to staff who care for members of risk groups. These staff are requested to contact responsible members of the Human Resources Management department.

Non-curricular events which are held at Fulda University between 14 March 2020 and 13 April 2020 will be cancelled as a precautionary measure. For internal meetings of more than 10 participants, an attendance list (last name, first name and contact information) will be prepared, so that, if necessary, contact can be made at a later date.

The necessity of business trips should generally be assessed and non-essential travel kept to a minimum. The travel restrictions imposed by the German Federal Foreign Office must be observed. Travel to coronavirus-related high risk regions should be avoided with immediate effect. If you do not go on a business trip, please check whether any costs already incurred (with the organiser, hotel, train, etc.) can be reclaimed.

The International Office is available to advise employees and students of Fulda University on upcoming visits abroad. The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) has set up an information page on the subject of entering the relevant country and leaving affected areas.

For general questions directed at the Occupational Health and Safety and Environmental Protection department, the following email address has been set up: agu-aktuell(at)hs-fulda.de.