Students received the following message on Aug. 3, 2021.
Dear students,
Due to the increasing number of Covid-19 cases across China, including in Jiangsu province, we have consulted with the Jiangsu Education Department (JED) to get their advice regarding fall semester arrangements.
Since DKU starts the fall semester earlier than many other schools, the JED has not yet released detailed Covid-19 prevention and control measures for school reopening. At the suggestion of the JED, undergraduate students who are not registered as currently residing in DKU housing for research and/or CHSC courses will be required to postpone their arrival on campus for two to four weeks. Orientation and convocation for new students will be moved online.
Courses will be offered online (except for those who are already in Kunshan) and will begin on Aug. 23 as originally scheduled. This arrangement will continue until the development of the Covid-19 situation in Jiangsu is clearer and detailed Covid-19 prevention and control measures are issued.
We will decide the date for both new and returning students to come to campus based on the JED’s instructions on an ongoing basis and inform you of changes in advance.
Additional details are as follows:
Courses
Mode of instruction: Most of our courses will continue to be taught in hybrid format as originally planned.
Lab courses: We will begin the semester making use of virtual labs and other approaches we have developed since spring 2020.
PE courses: Registration for PE courses will be open for Session 2. Students who had planned to take a PE in Session 1 will be able to register for PE classes in any future semester regardless of their academic year (freshman, sophomore, junior, senior). For any questions or comments, please send an email to DKU Athletics at sports@dukekunshan.edu.cn.
Applied music courses: The instructors will notify students of plans for the start of the semester. Interested students who have not previously participated should contact Yue Cheng yue.cheng@dukekunshan.edu.cn (instrumental music) or Mickey Zhang mickeyzhangyi@nyu.edu (for vocal music). Students interested in group violin lessons should contact Shiwen Liu shiwen.liu@dukekunshan.edu.cn.
Other courses: You will be contacted by your faculty for any courses that require specific instructions.
Students
Students currently on campus (including in DKU housing, such as the Talent Apartments, those doing research, and Class of 2024 Chinese students taking CHSC courses): These students will remain on campus and will attend fall courses in person.
Students not currently on campus:
Students from the Chinese mainland: These students will delay coming to campus and will attend courses remotely. We anticipate that they will be able to come to DKU in a few weeks, but we will monitor the situation.
Students from Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, and South Korea:
- Students who are already in the Chinese mainland and/or in quarantine may return to campus, following all appropriate quarantine and Covid-19 prevention guidelines. Please contact Chinese Student Services (HMT) at DKU-Chinese-student-services@dukekunshan.edu.cn or International Student Services (Korean) at DKU-ISS@dukekunshan.edu.cn if this situation applies to you.
- Students who are not yet in the Chinese mainland should delay coming to China for the time being. Once we have a date for students to come to campus, we will determine the optimal timeline for travel and quarantine. We will accommodate online instruction during students’ travel and quarantine.
International Students: Those students who were planning to take courses remotely will do so as originally planned.
All students planning to study at Duke or on DKU-GO or GO-FLEX programs: These students should continue with their original plans, unless they receive other instructions from their host university.
New Students (Class of 2025 and visiting students):
- New student orientation and convocation: These events will be moved online. Please be on the lookout for update announcements regarding the schedule.
- Internet and VPN: Please be on the lookout for announcements regarding internet requirements and how to set up the DKU VPN.
Travel for those in Kunshan (including evenings and weekends): We ask that all students who are in Kunshan remain in Kunshan, and we strongly encourage these students to refrain from traveling if it’s not necessary. If you have to travel outside of Kunshan (including Suzhou and Shanghai) starting from Tuesday, Aug. 3, you must submit your Domestic Travel Request at least two business days prior to your intended departure date. Students who choose to travel must fill out all fields in the form accurately. Providing misleading travel information or concealing the travel record to the local authorities could result in both the individual and the university facing legal consequences. Please be aware that your travel or return request has to be approved manually and you are NOT guaranteed to get approval immediately after your submission.
IT Support
If you experience technical difficulties, please contact IT:
- China-based faculty/staff/students: 400-816-7100, (+86) 0512- 3665-7100
- US-based faculty/staff/students (+1) 919-660-1810
- International-based faculty/staff/students can use either telephone option (recommend using tools like Skype)
- Live Chat: https://oit.duke.edu/help
- Email: service-desk@dukekunshan.edu.cn
Please refer to emails sent by the DKU Emergency Preparedness Task Force for detailed Covid-19 prevention and control requirements.
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
Best,
UG Studies
Student Affairs
Academic Affairs
