The safety and well-being of the campus community are of utmost concern. For the last several months, we have adopted a mandatory face-covering policy based on the guidelines prescribed by CDC and local health officials. Recently, we have noticed a decline in the number of COVID-19 cases in the areas we serve. Therefore, beginning on Monday, February 28, 2022, within common areas on all UAHT campuses and affiliated facilities, face coverings will be optional but STRONGLY ENCOURAGED when social distancing cannot be maintained. Moreover, when inside a classroom, conference room, or office setting, a faculty member or employee may use discretion to request the wearing of face coverings.

We will continue to monitor CDC guidelines and local health conditions to make any necessary revisions to our protocol to maintain the safety and well-being of our stakeholders. As a reminder, if anyone is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms or has a fever, our policy for quarantining and isolation will not change, so we will still follow the stipulated guidelines. If you are unsure of the policy, please contact the UAHT COVID team atfor instructions.

Summer and Fall 2021 Safety Protocols

UAHT CAMPUS SAFETY PROTOCOLS (UPDATED 05/17/2021)

Reporting Safety Concerns

UAHT has implemented safety protocols for faculty, staff, students and visitors. If you feel you need to report a COVID-19 safety concern, please scan the QR Code below or access the form on our website under COVID-19 Infornmation. The page can be completed anonymously.

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=FucGHnSAXkaAI2RqeeQX6_yl7-XNBaZFqIhN8j6O5WtUQzFOUE9EUE1KWkpVRTNJOTA4T1kyWkhOUS4u

Letter from the Interim Chancellor

Protocol for Returning to Campus

The Governor announced Monday that he was extending the on-campus closure of all public K-12 schools beyond the original April 17, 2020 date through the end of the semester. In line with that and in support of the best public health practices, UAHT is extending our alternative educational environment only model with no on-campus instruction for the rest of the semester for ALL students at UAHT.Additionally, UAHT will remain under the current remote work status until further notice.

In the specially called UA Board of Trustees meeting yesterday, the following resolutions were passed that direct our campus actions moving forward in response to the Coronavirus Pandemic.

1. Tuitions and fees for all UA System campuses will remain flat for Fall 2020.
2. All on campus face-to-face summer camps are cancelled. Updates to our Kids College Program will be announced soon.
3. All face-to-face classes for summer terms are suspended and continued instruction via online classes is encouraged where appropriate at the various campuses across the UA System. UAHT will have all summer classes online only.

Furthermore, in recognition of the unprecedented challenges resulting from the outbreak of the Coronavirus (COVID-19), UAHT faculty and administration want to give students an option to elect to convert their spring 2020 grades to credit (CR)/non-credit (NC) after final grades are submitted. This Institutional Directive, which was approved by the Chancellors Cabinet on April 2, 2020, is for the spring 2020 semester only. This action reflects the Colleges priority on the health and well-being of the campus community and mirrors our academic mission to operate in an environment of integrity and respect.

UAHT operations to remain online for remainder of SPRING 2020 semester

The Governor announced today that he is extending the on-campus closure of all public K-12 schools beyond the original April 17, 2020 date. Therefore, the remainder of the school year for K-12 will be completed in the alternative environment only with no on-campus instruction. For most, that means that the majority of school districts will be online only. UAHT anticipated that this would be the case and we have been preparing to serve our shared high school students in that format. UAHT will make an announcement by the end of this week regarding the educational delivery format for the rest of the semester for ALL students at UAHT.

UAHT students are returning to class today in our alternative educational environment. UAHT is committed to the success of our students in finishing this semester. The Purtle Advising Center is available to assist students with any and all technical and support needs.

As part of UAHTs commitment to serving our community, our Hope campus will be used this Friday as a drive through testing center. We are doing this in support of the health and safety efforts being made by the entire Hempstead County leadership team. You can find the details of the testing event athttps://www.hopeprescott.com/2020/03/drive-through-testing-for-covid-19-set-for-uaht-campus-april-3rd/. The UA-Hope campus will be remote only for this Friday, while the UA-Texarkana campus will be remote with essential staff on campus.

UAHT is dedicated to helping our students finish the semester strong, we understand the importance of internet access to succeed in online courses. As a result, UAHT has compiled a Quick Start Guide to Remote Learning and Campus WiFi Hotspots to provide helpful tips to assist students with the colleges transition to online only classes.

For more information, please contact Dr. Christopher Smith, UAHT Dean of Student Services, at .

Guide to Remote Learning

Today, the Governor reported that Arkansas had 29 new positives today which brings our new total to 62 confirmed cases in Arkansas. There were 9 new counties with confirmed cases. The closest of those counties to UAHT is Clark County. Miller and Hempstead Counties still do not have a confirmed case at this point. The Governor did state that it is clear that Arkansas is experiencing community spread. That fact makes it even more important to practice social separation and only essential travel. Further, the Governor announce 5 new restrictions in Arkansas, including the extended closure of K-12 Public Schools until at least through April 17, 2020.

On-campus classes will resume immediately after Spring Break in the online-only format until at least April 20, 2020. The UA Board of Trustees has postponed all graduation ceremonies occurring before June 1, 2020. UAHT will be rescheduling our ceremony and announce that date as soon as possible.

This afternoon, the Governor reported that Arkansas had no new positives today for the first time in a week. and stated that there will be an increase in testing which will very likely produce a different outcome in the future. The general statement regarding the status of Arkansas K-12 public schools is that students will physically return to campus immediately after Spring Break. The Department of Education anticipates issuing directives in the near future outlining the student re-entry process and guidelines for high risk students and employees. UAHT will continue to actively monitor those developments. In addition, UAHT will all continue to prepare for the strong potential of moving to an online only instructional environment for our students after Spring Break, if necessary.

There are still no indications of a suspected Coronavirus occurrence on the UAHT campuses or our immediate service counties outside of Bowie County, TX at this time. Today, the Arkansas Governors press conference and the Presidents press conference reiterated the need to minimize unnecessary social gatherings, now defined as 10 or more people in close proximity to one another. Also, the Governor stressed the need to not take unnecessary out of state trips in order to avoid contact. UAHT asks that all faculty, staff, students, and the campus community heed all recommendations made by public and health officials to keep our community as safe and healthy as possible.

Out of an abundance of cautionandin response to Governor Hutchinsons issued mandate for all Arkansas Public K-12 schools districts to closeby Tuesday, March 17, 2020,the University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana campuses will be closed to students effective immediately and remain closed until the end of Spring Break on March 29, 2020.

Click here for more information.

5:00 PM

UAHT will continue to operate campus next week as normal as possible with special attention to our campus safety protocols. Today, the Governor reported three new cases for central Arkansas this afternoon with 70 tests performed so far. One of the new cases in central Arkansas is considered the first instance of confirmed community transmission. Again, we urge everyone to be committed to your social separation practices over the weekend. UAHT will be monitoring the situation and communicating over the weekend. Updates will be posted over the weekend if any changes to our operations status are required. In addition to the actions announced previously, the following actions are announced for UAHT campuses to be proactive in our safety and operations planning:

1. UAHT will continue to work directly with our public school districts to insure continuity and safety for shared students. The Governor and Secretary Key (AR Department of Ed) reiterated this afternoon that Arkansas would keep its schools open as long as possible and that they are the safest place for our students;
2. UAHT will continue to track CDC guidelines as they are modified and clarified with regard to factors that would suggest any campus closings; and
3. UAHT, based on the Governors commonsense advice this afternoon, will continue to strictly limit the use of Hempstead Hall and all our other meeting facilities by outside groups for gathering to mitigate the introduction and spread of potential illness on our campus;

Remember, if you begin to feel ill or develop a fever over the weekend do not come to campus. Seek medical attention. Also, keep in mind that you have unlimited access to UAMS HealthNow athttps://uamshealth.com/healthnow/.

10:00 AM

UAHT has no current indications of any occurrences of Coronavirus at any of our locations or in our immediate area. Therefore, we will continue to operate campus as normal as possible with special attention to our campus safety protocols. There are numerous state and local meetings scheduled today to further review the facts and coordinate broad preventative measures. The campus community will be informed of all pertinent developments. In addition to the actions announced previously, the following actions are announced for UAHT campuses to be proactive in our safety and operations planning:

1. Please be sure to maintain social separation measures in all on and off-campus activities today. This is an additional measure to the announced suspension of non-essential student organization meetings and events.
2. UAHT is committed to providing safe and open access to our campus, especially through broad use of Hempstead Hall. However, out of an abundance of caution and to assist in our campus cleaning efforts, we will be strictly limiting the use of Hempstead Hall and our other meeting facilities by outside groups for gathering to mitigate the introduction and spread of potential illness on our campus;
3. In an effort to support faculty who continue to prepare for alternative delivery methods in the event they are necessary, Student Services and IT are preparing an online student help center to facilitate the effectiveness of that educational environment for our students;
4. Remember that UAMS has made available the UAMS HealthNow Coronavirus resource on their website for direct information for all Arkansans at https://uamshealth.com/healthnow/; and
5. Also, Arkansas Childrens Hospital has a hotline for Coronavirus questions as it relates to children at (800) 743-3616.

UAHT will continuously monitor developments in order to promptly respond to insure the safety of the campus family. Remember, follow all suggested safety measures on and off campus.

As we continue to monitor the situation, the Governor has reported this afternoon that Arkansas now has six presumptive Coronavirus cases. There have been numerous additional closures, especially in Pulaski, Saline, Jefferson and Grant counties. I am aware, as you are, of additional online only transitions by other UA and non-UA institutions as well. UAHT has no current indications of any occurrences of Coronavirus at any of our locations. Therefore, we will continue to operate campus as normal as possible with special attention to our campus safety protocols. In addition to the actions announced in my email this morning, the following actions are announce for UAHT campuses to be proactive in our safety and operations planning:

1. UAHT faculty and staff are prohibited from off-campus meeting attendance or official, off-campus travel until March 31, 2020, without the prior approval from your Vice Chancellor or the Chancellor;
2. There will be no non-academic, non-essential student organization meetings or events scheduled on or off campus until March 31, 2020;
3. UAHT Health Professions students will not be engaging in hospital/clinical rotations for the remainder of the month as an added precaution;
4. UAMS has made available the UAMS HealthNow Coronavirus resource on their website for direct information for all Arkansans at https://uamshealth.com/healthnow/;
5. Arkansas Childrens Hospital has a hotline for Coronavirus questions as it relates to children at (800) 743-3616; and
6. Faculty are preparing for alternative delivery methods in the event they are necessary.

Again, faculty are working to prepare for any developments in the future that may impact academic operations. Cabinet is continuously monitoring developments so that we can promptly respond to insure the safety of all our campus family. Please do not hesitate to contact your direct supervisor or any Cabinet member with any questions you may have about our campus operations. Remember, follow our handwashing policy.

The administration at UAHT and the UA System are monitoring the health concerns regarding Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Everyone should be proactive to decrease the incidence and spread of the disease. The precautions below also apply to the preventing the flu, which is still affecting many communities and school districts in southwest Arkansas.

• As soon as grades are posted to your unofficial transcript on May 8, you will have two options for each of your courses:
  • Keep the final letter grade, or
  • Elect a Credit/No Credit (CR/NC) grade
• To view your unofficial transcript log into your MyUAHT account.
• If you do not want to change your current letter grade, you do not have to take any action.

There are 3 steps for deciding whether the CR/NC option will work for you:

• Step 1: Consider the implications of the CR/NC option for your longer-term academic and professional goals. Your advisor, instructor, dean, or licensing program directors are good resources for this.
• Step 2: Weigh the financial implications of the CR/NC option. If you have federal financial aid, a scholarship from an on- or off-campus entity, or are receiving services on campus, check with those areas to see if there are particular requirements around letter grades for the support youre receiving.
  • Financial Aid: 870-722-8265 or
  • Scholarships: 870-722-8174 or
  • Advising: 870-722-8124 or
• Step 3: Once these important considerations have been taken into account, make a decision regarding your options on or before noon Friday, May 15, 2020.

• A grade of a C or above has the option to receive credit (CR) for the course

• A grade of a D has the option to receive No Credit (NC) for the course or retain the final letter grade of a D

• A grade of an F will automatically receive No Credit (NC) for the course. No action is required.

• If you select the CR/NC option, the grade will not be included in the calculation of your grade point average.

• If changing life circumstances and the transition to online education has disrupted your lab work, projects, or other requirements, the CR option will provide the credit you need toward completing your degree or course progression.

• The course will be listed on your UAHT transcript with either a CR or a NC.

Academic standing is impacted by graded courses only. Courses that are taken as CR/NC do not impact academic standing.

You can apply this option to any individual course or all courses for Spring 2020.

• You can take the CR/NC option to prevent a lower letter grade from affecting your GPA.

• If you are satisfied with your final letter grade you may not want to make any changes.

• If you are unsure, please contact any of the following:
  • Financial Aid: 870-722-8265 or
  • Scholarships: 870-722-8174 or
  • Advising: 870-722-8124 or

• These changes can be explained as part of the extraordinary circumstances of the 2020 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) worldwide pandemic. Students around the world are facing similar circumstances with accompanying changes to their transcripts as they complete their college educations.

• Degree programs that lead to professional licensure may require students keep the letter grade submitted at the end of the course and prohibit students option to convert their grade.

• Students working on degrees in emergency medical services, funeral services, and nursing must keep their letter grade and cannot opt to change their letter grade to CR/NC.
• The prohibited option applies to all courses within the emergency medical services, funeral services, and nursing degrees or certificate degree plans, including general education prerequisite classes.

• No. Choosing CR or NC will have no negative impact on your federal financial aid or state scholarships and grants.
  • Financial Aid: 870-722-8265 or
  • Scholarships: 870-722-8174 or

• The CR/NC option is available for a limited time between May 8 and May 15, 2020 only

• Complete the online form located in your MyUAHT account and submit it by noon (12:00 p.m.) May 15, 2020.

• Once I submit the online form, all submissions are final.

• Questions concerning this form please contact:
  • UAHT Registrar at

• UAHT extended the deadline to withdraw from classes to April 24th. A Withdrawal (W) will be listed on your transcript, but will not affect your GPA. Neither a W nor a NC will result in a tuition refund. To withdraw from a course please contact your instructor and/or advisor.
• If you are receiving federal financial aid, please know that you must continue participating in your courses online (remotely) for the remainder of the Spring 2020 semester. Withdrawing or failing to participate in your courses may cause you to lose eligibility for financial aid or negatively impact your eligibility for future terms due to the Satisfactory Academic Progress policy. Please contact your instructor(s) immediately regarding any issues that may hinder your ability to complete the semester.