Corona virus: Current information

The winter semester starts on September 28, 2020, and is planned to be a mix of classroom and online teaching. You may find further information on the websites of the study programmes.
Lectures in attendance will not take place during the entire summer semester. The majority of courses will be held in digital mode throughout the summer semester or will be postponed to the winter semester. Exceptions apply to approved internships, laboratory exercises and workshops in small groups.
Examinations in attendance are held in compliance with the rules of distance and hygiene.
The lecture period of the summer semester ends on Friday, 03 July 2020
The buildings of the university are open from Monday to Thursday from 09.00 to 15.00 hours, Fridays from 09.00 to 12.00 hours by appointment.
Canteen: Takeaway food and drinks are available
The university elections planned for the summer semester 2020 are postponed to the winter semester 2020/2021.
Events at the university will not take place until 31.08.2020.
Home office can still be enabled. Shift/team models with alternating presence and home office activity no longer seem necessary in view of the currently low infection rates. Please clarify any requests for home office work with your supervisor.
Vacation days from 2019 will not expire until 31.12.2020.

Further information can be found in the following FAQ

Current information from the Presidency

Dear students,

We are pleased to inform you that, in addition to the student loan, there will soon be further help from the federal government for students: the "bridging aid" for students should be available this week.

In order for you to prepare for an application, here is the link to the BMBF website, which explains the bridging aid.
https://www.bmbf.de/de/wissenswertes-zur-ueberbrueckungshilfe-fuer-studierende-11509.html

In the link you will find detailed information on how
- Who is entitled to apply (students "demonstrably in a corona-related emergency")
- What is the possible grant (up to 500 euros per month in June, July and August, to be applied for each month)
- Where the application is made (online via www.ueberbrueckungshilfe-studierende.de, activated from 16.06.20, 12.00)
- Which documents must be attached (matriculation certificate, proof of identity such as identity card or passport with registration certificate, bank details, documents to document your emergency)
- When the application is made (by the end of a month)
- And more information in a nutshell.

Applications can be submitted from 16 June 2020 ((starting at 12:00) via the online portal www.überbrückungshilfe-studierende.de. The applications are automatically forwarded via the portal to the responsible Studiwerk.

If you have any further questions, it is best to take a look at the BMBF's website and contact the Studiwerk Trier.
https://www.studiwerk.de/cms/darlehen_zuschuesse-1001.html

We very much hope that this support will help some of you and that the financial burden of this semester can be alleviated somewhat. We would have liked even more support, but we are glad that there are at least these signals from the federal government for students.

We wish you every success and all the best for the rest of the semester.

Best regards from the university management
Dorit Schumann
Marc Regier
Stefan Diemer
Claudia Hornig

Dear students,

In the past week we had sent you, among other information, hygiene instructions for examinations (these are also included again below). We received various inquiries regarding the procedure for students from risk groups, which we would like to address with this email:

If students have a medical need, students submit their application for an individual examination solution together with the the respective medical certificate to the study service (Main Campus and Campus for Design and Art in Trier) or the examination office (Environmental Campus Birkenfeld) and the responsible department / lecturer as soon as possible.

Prof. Rieder, the representative for students with disabilities and chronic illnesses, can also be contacted for advice. Please note, however, that this does not replace the official application procedure regarding the risk group to the study service or examination office and the department / lecturers as described above.

Best regards,

Your university management
Prof. Dr. Dorit Schumann (President)
Prof. Dr. Marc Regier (VP Studies and Teaching)
Prof. Dr. Stefan Diemer (VP Research)
Claudia Hornig (Chancellor)

--
Hygiene instructions for examinations (and exam consultations)

General hygiene and distance rules also apply to on-site exams, in particular regarding distancing and regular hand hygiene
For students from risk groups (medical certificate required), individual solutions (e.g. separate room) should be sought upon request of the student if there is a medically justified need
On the way to the exams and in front of the exam room, distance markings and posters should indicate a safe distance. This minimum distance must be observed. Group formation should be avoided.
On the way to the exams, in the anterooms and on the way from the anteroom to the seat, you have to bring and wear your own mouth and nose cover. This also applies to handing in exams and leaving the room.
Exams are distributed before the students are admitted to the examination room or must be picked up near the entrance by students.
The exams are to be filed in a drop box by the participants and should be kept for 24 hours before correction.
A one-way system for entrance / exit should be provided and marked.
No mouth-nose covering is necessary during the test.
In the case of questions by students / answers from examiners, a mouth and nose covering must be worn by both sides. The supervisors can decide to only admit questions to the desk with a protective wall.
Eating in the exam room is not permitted (exceptions in the case of medical need).
Special cleaning / disinfection of the tables is not necessary. Disinfectants for hands and surfaces should be made available to the participants / supervisors. Disinfectant can be requested by the departments from facility management.
After the exam, everyone leaves the room, the building and the campus as quickly as possible. Even after the exam, group formation on campus must be avoided.
The hygiene instructions for the course of exams are also valid for consulting exams.

Dear colleagues, dear students,

we hope that you are well, both personally and health-wise.

With this mail we would like to express our thanks once again that this semester can take place as a semester of extensive distance learning despite the special framework conditions. We owe it to you, as lecturers, as students, and as service units of the university hat this changeover was largely successful. We want to encourage you to remain committed to these teaching and learning formats for the remaining weeks of the summer semester.

In the course of the last week we saw that life together in Corona times in Rhineland-Palatinate is increasingly possible again; this trend will continue according to the state government’s plans. The falling Covid case numbers in Germany and Rhineland-Palatinate are an encouraging sign, and we as universities have contributed to this trend. As employees and students of Trier University of Applied Sciences, everyone has a share in this and we want to express our thanks to you. Now the federal states in Germany are increasingly opening up, as are the European borders. Since many of our students come from Luxembourg, this border opening is particularly important for us.

As university management of Trier University of Applied Sciences we want to continue to fulfill our responsibility in step with the other universities in Rhineland-Palatinate. For the rest of the summer semester, we will maintain the concept of digital teaching and distance learning as discussed so far. This was also announced it in the Senate and discussed with the deans of the respective departments.

Since students and lecturers from different federal states come together at universities, travel an above average amount, have extensive social contacts, and often live together in shared apartments, the possibility of spreading the Corona Virus is relatively high compared to other organizations. For this reason, we would like to wait before relaxing the restrictions further.

This means that face-to-face events approved by the university management can take place in laboratories, workshops and internships, as long as distance and safety rules are observed. Lectures, workshops, and seminars will still not take place on-site university. The buildings are still closed and can only be entered through designated entrances. You will still need to have an appointment to come to the university and take part in events, or to visit our service units.

Public events are prohibited until 31 August. Guests are only allowed to come to the university if there are hearings on appointment procedures, employment interviews, smaller meetings with previous appointment or other required visits that cannot be done via an online format.

We use the premises to repeat exams from the winter semester, conduct exam consultations, and plan exams for the summer semester. Due to distance regulations, this ties up considerable spatial and personnel capacities. A hygiene and safety concept has been drawn up for the implementation of the exams and exam consultations, which also includes the special regulations for exams. A more comprehensive hygiene and safety concept is already in the draft and is currently being coordinated within the university. We have added the current status of the hygiene information on the procedure of exams and exam consultations to the end of this message.

The weekly meeting with student councils is important for us to discuss cross-university questions from study and teaching. For this reason, we would like to repeat the email address which all students can use for general inquiries: studentischeanliegen(at)hochschule-trier.de.

At the same time you as employees and students can continue to send us all questions relating to organization, health issues, study and teaching, research, international affairs, etc. under the current special conditions: infogesundheit(at)hochschule-trier.de

The special representatives and staff councils are also available to answer questions. Further links, contacts and answers to questions can be found on the established website: https://www.hochschule-trier.de/hochschule/aktuelles/informationen-zum-corona-virus.

Employees can continue to make increased use of home office work. In order to ensure a sufficient presence on site, shift or team models are still available. This arrangement initially applies until 07.06.2020.

We can certainly use some of our positive experiences in the future, be it digital teaching, distance learning, committee meetings using video conference systems. A question-and-answer session with students from the first semester, for example, led to an intensive exchange in the past week, despite the distance via video conference.

We are and will remain a face-to-face university with personal contacts. For this reason, it is important to us to return to the presence of learning, teaching and research as soon as the conditions allow. With this perspective, we are looking at the winter semester, which will certainly take place under special regulations on distance and security, but nevertheless - we hope - at least partially on site at the university. This presupposes that there is no further spread of the corona virus, which might require even broader restrictions in public life.

We also attach the link to a video that we recorded some time ago to also send a personal greeting to you. It was initially intended for students (in the first university semester), but is aimed at all university members: https://www.hochschule-trier.de/studium/willkommen

We wish you a good semester. All best, and stay healthy,

Your university management

Prof. Dr. Dorit Schumann (President)
Prof. Dr. Marc Regier (VP Studies and Teaching)
Prof. Dr. Stefan Diemer (VP Research)
Claudia Hornig (Chancellor)

--
Hygiene instructions for examinations (and exam consultations)

General hygiene and distance rules also apply to on-site exams, in particular regarding distancing and regular hand hygiene
For students from risk groups (medical certificate required), individual solutions (e.g. separate room) should be sought upon request of the student if there is a medically justified need
On the way to the exams and in front of the exam room, distance markings and posters should indicate a safe distance. This minimum distance must be observed. Group formation should be avoided.
On the way to the exams, in the anterooms and on the way from the anteroom to the seat, you have to bring and wear your own mouth and nose cover. This also applies to handing in exams and leaving the room.
Exams are distributed before the students are admitted to the examination room or must be picked up near the entrance by students.
The exams are to be filed in a drop box by the participants and should be kept for 24 hours before correction.
A one-way system for entrance / exit should be provided and marked.
No mouth-nose covering is necessary during the test.
In the case of questions by students / answers from examiners, a mouth and nose covering must be worn by both sides. The supervisors can decide to only admit questions to the desk with a protective wall.
Eating in the exam room is not permitted (exceptions in the case of medical need).
Special cleaning / disinfection of the tables is not necessary. Disinfectants for hands and surfaces should be made available to the participants / supervisors. Disinfectant can be requested by the departments from facility management.
After the exam, everyone leaves the room, the building and the campus as quickly as possible. Even after the exam, group formation on campus must be avoided.
The hygiene instructions for the course of exams are also valid for consulting exams.

Dear colleagues,
dear students,

On May 7, 2020, the university management passed the following decision regarding examinations during the summer semester 2020:

Students are free to take part in the exams that are scheduled for the summer semester 2020, which means that there will be no compulsory attempts, and these examinations do not count towards the number of 3 possible exam attempts specified by the examination regulations.

Exams that are taken will be assessed. This does not affect the regulations on withdrawal from exams as per the examination regulations.
Seminar, study papers, or final theses are exempt from these regulations. An extension of the deadline can be granted by the responsible examination committees upon request.
For organizational reasons, the registration deadlines for examinations as per the examination regulations remain unchanged.

The university management cannot rule out individual regulations in individual departments, but urgently recommends that all departments apply these uniform regulations. Student representatives of AStA, Senate and student councils have also communicated their clear preference for uniform regulations, and different regulations will also generate considerable additional administrative work in the examination offices.

With best regards

The university management

Prof. Dr. Dorit Schumann
Prof. Dr. Marc Regier
Prof. Dr. Stefan Diemer
Claudia Hornig

Hochschule Trier
Trier University of Applied Sciences
Schneidershof | 54293 Trier
www.hochschule-trier.de
Facebook | Youtube

Dear students,

In addition to the news from our chancellor Claudia Hornig today, we would like to inform you about a few additional topics that are important to you as students.

We hope you are in good health and you have found your way into the semester. We are aware of the exceptional conditions and want to provide the most suitable framework conditions for your learning and your studies.

In order to have a better view of the interests of the students in our deliberations concerning the organisation of your studies, there has been a close exchange with a group of students since last week. Prof. Dr. Rita Spatz, as Equal Opportunities Representative, Prof. Marc Regier, as Vice President for Studies and Teaching, and I now regularly exchange ideas with the following students via Big Blue Button:

Vanessa Schuster (student representative, Senate)
Laura Schwinn (representative of AStA)
Danja Steinberg (representative of the UPUT student council)
Stefan Jungs (student)
Jan Schwitalla (student representative, StuPa and Senate)
If necessary, further representatives of the students.

If you have any questions, including anything related to your studies, you can still send them to infogesundheit(at)hochschule-trier.de.

If you have any questions that you would prefer to address to the above-mentioned students, please contact the students at studentischeanliegen(at)hochschule-trier.de
You can also contact your faculties, lecturers, deans and course directors, as usual, if there are any questions that directly affect your course.

We will keep you informed of all new developments in two ways:
1. Email: Regular information and summary of the most important developments
2. FAQs on our website www.hochschule-trier.de/go/coronavirus

In the FAQs we include all changes that we have sent to you by email. The most important updated dates can be found on the specified website at the top in an info box.

In case you are wondering why there are frequent changes: This is due to the fact that new general conditions set by the federal government, the state and the universities need to be implemented continuously. We strive to organize a semester that is as consistent as as possible and to keep you informed in view of these changing general conditions.

We are currently exchanging information with the above-mentioned group of students on the following topics:

· Start and end of semester
· Exams and alternative exam formats
· Mentoring for students in the first university semester
· Questions about compensation for specific disadvantages
· Communication with you as students
· Hygiene concepts for teaching and exams

In this message we do not want to schedule any further dates, but rather to suggest the importance of the addresses and the website we mentioned above in order to receive information and contact you.

The corona pandemic has had an influence on the financial situation of many students. We therefore welcome that the Government has announced today that it will support students in a financial emergency. You can find further information at: www.kfw.de/inlandsfoerderung/Privatpersonen/Studieren-Qualifizieren/KfW-Studienkredit/KfW-Corona-Hilfe-f%C3%BCr-Studierende/

We wish you all the best for this semester and your studies, and also for your health.

On behalf of the university management,
Dorit Schumann
together with Marc Regier, Stefan Diemer and Claudia Hornig

Dear colleagues,
dear students,

As the federal and state governments are relaxing their regulations concerning Covid-19, the university will open its service facilities to the public again on May 4, 2020, but under certain conditions.

The university maintains the requirement that all interactions should be conducted, as far as possible, via e-mail, telephone, post or other means of communication in order to limit personal contact as much as possible. If this is not possible, you can personally visit the service facilities after prior appointment.

The maximum number of visitors to the libraries is limited to 5 persons. Here, too, we ask that you register by phone beforehand if possible so that queues are avoided.

The buildings will only be open at certain entrances:

on the Main Campus, the entrance door of building B and the entrance door of building G.
On the Environmental Campus Birkenfeld, the entrance in the central new building, north entrance (at the "rusty nail“ statue) is open.
The Camus for Design and Art (including location Idar-Oberstein) regulates access through the lecturers.

Starting next week, the general opening times are: Mon-Thu 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Fri from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. The three entrance doors are staffed. Visitors will have to register in a list and specify the purpose of the visit. We would ask you to leave the building again via the same entrance, as this must also be documented.

We would like to point out that the library requires visitors to bring and wear a protective mask in accordance with the state regulation.

Furthermore, it was decided that there will be no on-site lectures and seminars this summer semester. Most of the courses will be held in digital form over the entire semester or postponed to the winter semester. Exceptions apply to practical courses, laboratory exercises, workshops, and exams. These exceptions can only be made in compliance with the relevant hygiene rules and must be approved by the university management in each individual case.

Since the state has not drawn up a hygiene plan for universities, separate regulations are currently being drawn up. As soon as these are coordinated with the staff council, we will publish them in the FAQs at www.hochschule-trier.de/go/coronavirus.

For students who have no opportunity to follow the lectures online, we will find individual solutions. In this case, please contact your dean or the university management, also via our email address infogesundheit(at)hochschule-trier.de.

The end of the semester is not postponed and there is also no "non-semester" according to our Ministry of Science. The lecture period of the summer semester ends on Friday, July 3rd, 2020.

In the past week, our employees had numerous questions on the subject of special leave to care for children or relatives in need of care in accordance with the Infection Protection Act. After consultation with our Ministries of the Interior and Science, we would like to inform you that this special leave can only be granted if we are unable to offer telework or home office to the employees. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. Hopefully we can tell you more next week about how to proceed in the case of home office and risk groups.

We continue to do our utmost to keep the restrictions as low as possible and to continue university operations as much as possible. thank you to all of you again for your contribution to this goal!

If you have any further questions about the topic, please feel free to use the email address infogesundheit(at)hochschule-trier.de. We try to answer you immediately.

Current information about the effects of Corona on university operations is always updated in our FAQs: www.hochschule-trier.de/go/coronavirus.

We wish you a good long weekend – we continue to be there for you.

The university management
Claudia Hornig
Prof. Dr. Dorit Schumann
Prof. Dr. Marc Regier
Prof. Dr. Stefan Diemer

Dear Colleagues,

dear students,

our regulations on classroom teaching and other regulations for employees are currently limited until April 19 or 20. For this reason it is important for us to inform you, on behalf of the university management, about the organisation of the next week.

In the coming week (until 26.04.2020) there will still be no on-site lectures at Trier University of Applied Sciences.

Also, examinations and practical events in small groups in presence, which according to the state government could be resumed under special hygiene and protection measures (see background info below), will not yet take place. Instead, the e-learning courses should be continued and expanded as necessary.

We will send you further information in the coming week.

Background info:

The government has now provided the following information on the reopening of the universities:

"The opening of kindergartens, schools and universities requires a lead time so that the necessary preparatory measures can be taken locally and, for example, school transport can be organised.

[…]

"In university teaching, in addition to the acceptance of examinations, practical courses which require special laboratory or work rooms at universities can be resumed under special hygiene and protective measures.

[…]

Health protection is the top priority."

We expect that on-site lectures at Trier University of Applied Sciences will be very limited throughout the summer semester. We will soon clarify the size of the groups per course and location. We will use this time to organize further preparatory measures.

The previous contact restrictions have been extended until at least 3 May. This means that gatherings of more than two people in public space are still prohibited. This also applies to all outdoor areas of the university. The distance and hygiene rules also continue to apply.

The ministry has not yet provided any procedures for the organisation of business for the period after 20 April 2020. We are still in contact with the other universities in Rhineland-Palatinate and the Ministry. As soon as we have more detailed information, we will pass this on to you immediately. Until then, the existing regulations on teleworking and extended working hours will continue to apply at our university. This applies in particular to those colleagues who, for reasons of prevention or risk assessment, are currently unable to work at the university. In addition, this applies to employees with family duties, especially children who are not yet able to attend kindergarten or school.

In this way, we remind the team leaders to continue to implement these regulations for the employees. In cases where teleworking is not possible, we will continue to look for individual solutions.

Answers to the most important questions about the effects of Corona on the university can be found in our FAQs, which are updated regularly: https://www.hochschule-trier.de/en/university/news-publications/corona-virus-current-information

If you have any further questions, please send us your request at infogesundheit(at)hochschule-trier.de.

On behalf of the entire university management, I wish you continued strength and health and thank you for your commitment and cooperation.

With best regards

Dorit Schumann

Dear colleagues and students,

we hope you are doing well these days.

The ban on contact in public places, which has now been in force since Sunday, affects all of our lives. We hope that together with your friends, your family and your whole social network you will manage it well.

At our university, too, we have to adapt to this in order to make our contribution to society. For this reason, we have made a few changes and additions to the Internet pages and the FAQs at https://www.hochschule-trier.de/en/university/news-publications/corona-virus-current-information, to which we would like to draw your attention:

On behalf of the entire Presidency and the Pandemic Working Group (ASP), I wish you continued strength and health

With kind regards

Dorit Schumann

FAQ - General questions

Yes. Trier University of Applied Sciences has set up its own pandemic working and control group (ASP), which coordinates the measures related to the coronavirus centrally and involves experts from the company medical service and the health authorities. It also coordinates with the state ministries and other public institutions.

Please direct any questions or comments in connection with Trier University of Applied Sciences to infogesundheit(at)hochschule-trier.de.

If you have questions that you would rather address to students, please contact the students at studentischeanliegen(at)hochschule-trier.de

You can reach the State information portal on the coronavirus at www.rlp.de/de/buergerportale/informationen-zum-coronavirus/

The university implements the recommendations of the federal and state governments and the Robert Koch Institute promptly. This includes in particular general protective and hygienic measures as well as the coordination of other measures in the areas of occupational safety, study and teaching, business trips and public traffic. Basically, contact by phone or email is currently preferable to personal contact. Corresponding formats are available in every advisory institution at the university. The general precautions to avoid infection must be observed. Please also note the detailed information in the FAQ and the current information by the university management.

You can also find the latest information by the university on the following website: www.hochschule-trier.de/go/coronavirus

The current focus is on slowing the spread of the virus. Employees and students should pay particular attention to good hand hygiene, sufficient distance from the sick and the usual cough and sneeze etiquette (see below).

The following measures are recommended:

Wash your hands regularly and thoroughly and hold your face as little as possible.
Avoid shaking hands and hugs as a greeting.
The distance to other people should be about 1-2 meters.
As far as possible, do not touch door handles, handles and handrails in buses and trains.
Rooms should be well ventilated regularly.
The so-called cough and sneeze etiquette should be adhered to:

When coughing or sneezing, keep at least 1.5 meters away from other people and turn away.
Cough or sneeze in the crook of your arm or use a disposable handkerchief - use only once and then dispose of in a trash can. If a cloth handkerchief is used, it should then be washed at 60 ° C.
Wash your hands thoroughly after blowing your nose, sneezing or coughing.

FAQ - Studies

Since 30.03.2020, many courses have been held digitally.

Lectures and seminars in attendance do not take place during the entire summer semester. A large part of the courses will be held in digital form throughout the summer semester or postponed to the winter semester.

Exceptions apply to approved laboratory exercises and workshops. These can take place in very small groups from 04.05.2020 and must be submitted individually to the university management for approval. When carrying out laboratory exercises and workshops in attendance, the rules of distance and hygiene (including at least 1.5 m distance, room size at least 10m²/person, wearing a mouth-nose cover) must be observed.

Please always take note of the current information of the departments, e.g. on their websites, in stud.ip or OLAT.

The lecture period of the summer semester ends on Friday, 03 July 2020.

Exams that had to be cancelled at the beginning of the semester will be postponed. If any deadlines expire as a result, they will be postponed so that the students do not suffer any disadvantages as far as possible.

At present, both oral individual examinations in attendance (subject to the rules of distance and hygiene) and oral examinations via video conferencing systems are possible.

Further examinations, such as written exams, are conceivable from mid-May at the earliest. Here, too, the known rules of distance and hygiene (including a minimum distance of 1.5 m, room size of at least 10m²/person, wearing of a mouth-and-nose cover) must of course be observed.

The same applies to the examinations at the end of the semester. In this case, the lecturers are also particularly requested to offer alternative forms of examination such as term papers, seminar papers or oral examinations.

Hygiene instructions for examinations (and exam consultations)

On May 7, 2020, the university management passed the following decision regarding examinations during the summer semester 2020:

Students are free to take part in the exams that are scheduled for the summer semester 2020, which means that there will be no compulsory attempts, and these examinations do not count towards the number of 3 possible exam attempts specified by the examination regulations.

Exams that are taken will be assessed. This does not affect the regulations on withdrawal from exams as per the examination regulations.
Seminar, study papers, or final theses are exempt from these regulations. An extension of the deadline can be granted by the responsible examination committees upon request.
For organizational reasons, the registration deadlines for examinations as per the examination regulations remain unchanged.

For students from risk groups (medical proof required), individual solutions (e.g. separate room) should be provided upon request by the student in case of a medically justified need.

In this case, the student submits an request for an individual examination with the corresponding medical proof. The student's request and the proof of a risk group is submitted to the responsible examination office and can usually be decided there. In cases of doubt, the responsible examination committee should also decide on the basis of a possible need to "compensate for disadvantages".

If the examination is held for students in a separate room, the following should apply in addition to the hygiene rules that always apply
- a maximum of 4 students are examined in one room and
- at least one area of 10m² per person is available

The regulation covers students who themselves belong to a risk group, but not students who live together with persons from risk groups.

In view of the the reduction of our on-site student services, we will postpone all submission dates for seminar theses and final theses by 6 weeks.

Practical courses, laboratory exercises and workshops can take place again from 04.05.2020 in very small groups, provided that these are absolutely necessary to achieve the qualification goal of the module. These courses must be submitted individually to the university management for approval. All rules of distance and hygiene (including at least 1.5 m distance, room size at least 10m²/person, wearing of a mouth-and-nose cover) must be observed or alternative solutions (e.g. postponement of the module to the following semester) must be sought.
Research activities can continue to be carried out on site in compliance with the rules of hygiene and distance; this also includes projects and final papers by students on site.

The BMBF provides financial aid for students in emergency situations. This comprises two elements: the KfW student loan and grants which are distributed by the student unions. Further information can be found here (in German).

Student credit from the KfW

The German government supports students who get into financial difficulties due to the Corona pandemic with an interest-free loan of up to 650 euros per month - regardless of income. The current KfW student loans will also be interest-free from 01.05.2020. For the first time KfW loans will also be available to foreign students from July 2020. New applications can be submitted from 8 May. Further information at ww.kfw.de/studienkredit-coronahilfe (in German).

Financial support for students

From 16.06.2020 students can apply for a grant in the form of a non-repayable subsidy. The grant is for students who can prove that they are in an acute pandemic situation and need immediate help. It supports these students in the months of June, July and August 2020 with up to 500 € each, as long as the pandemic emergency situation continues. Applications can be submitted on 16 June 2020 (12.00 noon) via the online portal www.überbrückungshilfe-studierende.de. The portal automatically forwards the applications to the responsible Studierendenwerk

Emergency aid fund of the Studierendenwerk Trier

Students who get into financial difficulties through no fault of their own due to the Corona crisis can take advantage of financial aid offered by the Studierendenwerk Trier. Further information is available at: www.studiwerk.de/cms/darlehen_zuschuesse-1002.html (in German)

Exchange students should notify their contact person at the International Office and the respective professors.

University students who have planned study-related trips, excursions etc. or are planning for the summer semester must postpone the trip until further notice.

Students who make an Erasmus stay in the affected regions and cancel it receive early Erasmus support, even if the minimum duration is less, for the days spent abroad. Due to the exceptional circumstances, shortened stays abroad are recognized as far as possible.

International students can return to Germany from many countries to attend face-to-face events or exams at Trier University of Applied Sciences. Entry for study purposes is generally considered an important reason for entry. In particular, entry from the countries of the EU, the Schengen-associated countries and Great Britain is generally possible again. Since the situation can change, please note the relevant current recommendations and travel warnings from the Federal Foreign Office regarding the entry requirements: www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de/ReiseUndSicherheit/10.2.8Reisewarnungen (in German).

Our International Office will also be happy to help you if you need more information.

Due to the Corona crisis, international students are currently affected by travel and residence restrictions in addition to financial and social burdens. To ease the situation, the Federal Ministry of the Interior has now given new recommendations to the immigration authorities. International students can expect the regulations that are normally applicable to be relaxed when extending residence permits, searching employment opportunities to secure their livelihood, and in cases of short-term mobility.

Due to the difficult conditions of the corona pandemic, the deadline for submitting documents for applicants for the winter semester 2020/21 with non-German educational certificates was prolonged until August 31, 2021. This applies to all documents that international students submit when applying, including language certificates, etc. This is to avoid disadvantages for international students, as there is currently no possibility in many regions to take certified language tests or to produce certifications.

We are happy to again welcome international students to Trier University of Applied Sciences in the winter semester 2020/21. The winter semester is expected to take place as a hybrid semester consisting of on-site and virtual teaching, so please plan to come to Germany to take up your studies. Lectures are scheduled to start on Monday, September 28, 2020. International students can currently return to Germany from many countries to attend on-site events at Trier University of Applied Sciences. Entry for study purposes is generally considered a sufficient reason for entry. In particular, entry from the countries of the EU, the Schengen-associated countries and Great Britain is again generally possible. Since the situation can change, please note the relevant current recommendations and travel warnings from the Federal Foreign Office regarding the entry requirements: www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de/ReiseUndSicherheit/10.2.8Reisewarnungen (in German).

Our International Office will also be happy to help you if you need more information.

Even though a travel warning against unnecessary trips abroad is still in force (exception: countries of the EU, Schengen-associated countries and Great Britain), it is possible to travel to many countries for study purposes. Since the pandemic will still affect teaching at many universities worldwide in the 20/21 winter semester, it is imperative that you inform yourself individually about the conditions that will prevail in the target country and at the target university in good time before planning and starting a stay abroad for study purposes. As the situation can change, please make sure to note the relevant current recommendations and travel warnings from the Federal Foreign Office before starting your trip: www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de/ReiseUndSicherheit/10.2.8Reisewarnungen (in German).

Our International Office will also be happy to help you if you need more information.

FAQ - Legal aspects for employees

The previous generous regulations for teleworking and extending the flexitime framework at our university will continue to apply until 7 June 2020.

A grant of teleworking or leave of absence must be applied via the supervisor to the university management and then to the respective responsible staff council for co-determination.

In this way, we would like to reduce contact opportunities as far as possible and offer employees the opportunity to take care of children or relatives while maintaining the necessary university operations.

For the purpose of child care due to the closure of day-care centres and schools, employees can be granted special leave under certain conditions from 20 April onwards with continued payment of their remuneration. This regulation also applies to the care of relatives in the event of the closure of care facilities. Priority is to be given to the possibilities of teleworking and to reducing positive working time balances.

During the gradual reopening of schools in Rhineland-Palatinate, emergency care for children of critical professional groups, working single parents, parents in emergency situations will be continued.

The university offers numerous opportunities to work from home. Call forwarding can be set up directly on the personal telephony device (at the workplace on site). If you no longer have the option of setting up such a diversion on the terminal device, you can open a ticket via the IT center ticket system as an employee of Trier University of Applied Sciences or ask employees of your organizational unit to do so. Please request a call diversion stating your business telephone number and destination number. The university's IT center offers services that are available worldwide without restriction. These are e.g. the e-mail services. Other services are subject to access restrictions, which either require a general network address assignment from the university sector or a special address assignment. In order access general internal resources of your university, the HIZ offers the possibility of secure registration via Shibboleth (password) or dialing in via VPN. If necessary, check whether these services are installed on your devices. If you have any problems setting up these services, please use the data center ticket system.

The risk areas include the areas designated by the RKI: www.rki.de/DE/Content/InfAZ/N/Neuartiges_Coronavirus/Risikogebiete.html.

Persons with residence or permanent residence in the risk areas of the coronavirus identified by the Robert Koch Institute, including the French region Grand Est, will not be admitted to the university until further notice. Managers in all areas are required to ensure compliance with this regulation. For people returning from one of the risk areas, the obligation to leave the university for 14 days is still mandatory, see question "Do employees have to work at home if they are in quarantine?".

As a member of the university, you are obliged to inform your supervisor and the department (Personnel Administration) immediately by phone or e-mail. The first time you experience respiratory symptoms, fever or diarrhea, you should call your doctor and advise them of your trip. In any case, refrain from going to a clinic or a doctor's waiting room. If you already have symptoms of a disease, the further measures are coordinated with the responsible authorities.

Students, third parties (e.g. external companies) and guests of the university who have been studying, privately or on business for the past 14 days in the designated risk areas or have had contact with possible infected people (e.g. living in a community with possible infected people), are also asked not to enter the university's locations in the two weeks after return or after contact. Solutions are found for those affected to avoid disadvantages.

The state government of Rhineland-Palatinate has also set up a hotline for questions about the coronavirus. You can reach them daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., on weekends from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on 0800 575 81 00.

In order to find out if you belong to the group who is specifically at risk, please consult the information provided by the Robert Koch Institute.

The individual risk assessment should be proven by a medical certificate.

If you belong to the risk group due to previous illnesses, chronic diseases or other impairments and have questions about telework or other issues, please contact your team leader or a person of your choice. This can be, for example, the representative body for severely disabled persons, a member of the staff council or the university management via the known e-mail address infogesundheit(at)hochschule-trier.de. We want to particularly protect our risk groups and will work with you to find suitable solutions: For telework but also for special protection at your place of work.

You must inform your supervisor or the department (Personnel Administration) directly by phone or e-mail.

Please also send this information by email to infogesundheit(at)hochschule-trier.de.

The supervisor will then decide how to proceed. The basic principle is that the risk of dissemination should be minimized to protect others. In addition, you should report immediately to your responsible health department - even if you have no signs of illness. You can find the responsible health authority in the database of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) at https://tools.rki.de/PLZTool/.

In principle, the responsible health authority orders home quarantine for the maximum duration of the incubation period (14 days) as soon as the person is considered a contact person. In addition, the university, as an employer, can declare an exemption without or against the will of the employees and thus order to stay away from the workplace. This presupposes that the employer has reason to believe that she is unable to work or that the person poses a health risk to other employees or members of the university. The existence of a specific risk of infection with the coronavirus is sufficient for this and the measure can be based on the fact that employees have been in a risk area or in a place with a significantly increased risk of infection.

The continued payment of wages is secured.

As long as you are not unable to work, yes. At least, this applies to everyone who has the opportunity. This is required by the duty of loyalty to the employer. In the event of a crisis, the handling of alternative telecommuting at the university with regard to the application, provision of end devices and the risk assessment of the teleworking place are suspended. Data protection and information security must be observed. Employees who have mobile devices provided by the university, such as notebooks, tablets or smartphones in particular, should take them home – if possible – so that they can work in an emergency.

FAQ - Travel, events and meetings

A travel warning against unnecessary trips abroad is still in force. Travel to and from the EU countries, Schengen-associated countries (Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein) and Great Britain is exempt. As the situation can change, please make sure to note the relevant current recommendations and travel warnings from the Federal Foreign Office before you start your trip: www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de/ReiseUndSicherheit/10.2.8Reisewarnungen (in German).

Official trips need to be applied for in the usual way.

Please apply for official travel in the usual way; final approval rests with the university management. The hygiene recommendations must be observed during official travel.

Public events cannot take place until at least 31.08.2020.

When holding internal meetings in attendance, the distance and hygiene rules must be observed. The number of participants should be limited and the use of appropriately large rooms should be ensured.

Alternative formats for conducting meetings such as telephone or video conferencing, etc. should be used. An overview of the meeting platforms of Trier University of Applied Sciences as well as instructions on how to use them can be found at www.hochschule-trier.de/campus/organisation/verwaltung-service/rechenzentrum-umwelt-campus/bigbluebutton-2

Participant lists (surname, first name, institution, e-mail contact) must be kept for all sessions. This ensures that potential contact persons can be identified quickly afterwards.

Currently, entry into Germany via the internal borders is again possible without restrictions; the travel warning for the countries of the EU, Schengen-associated countries (Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein) and Great Britain has been lifted. Since the situation can change, please note the relevant current recommendations and travel warnings from the Federal Foreign Office regarding the entry requirements: www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de/ReiseUndSicherheit/10.2.8Reisewarnungen (in German). If spot checks are carried out, the purpose of the study can be demonstrated by presenting the student ID, employment status can be documented by the university employee ID.

FAQ - Service facilities

From 04.05.2020 the buildings of the university are open with restrictions:

At the main campus the entrance door of building B and the entrance door of building G.
At the Environmental Campus Birkenfeld the door in the Central New Building, North Entrance (rusty nail) is open.
The Campus for Desgin in Idar-Oberstein regulates access by teachers. The opening hours are from Mon - Thurs 9.00 - 15.00, Fri from 9.00 - 12.00

The three entrance doors are guarded. There is then a list in which you have to sign in, indicating the purpose. We ask you to leave the building again via this entrance, as this must also be documented.

Employees should make sure to lock the outer door after leaving the buildings. At the same time, care should be taken to ensure that there are no unauthorised persons in the buildings or on the premises.

The facility managers provide assistance here.

Trier: 0651 8103-430 during the day and the security service on 0651 8103-200 in the time from 20:00-6:00 o'clock.
Environmental Campus Birkenfeld: 06782 17-1616

The service facilities of the university are again open to a limited extent for visitors and students.

Please make a personal appointment by e-mail, telephone or other channels after prior registration.

Please remember that the RKI recommends that you keep a minimum distance from other people and wear a mouth-nose cover if you have to visit the university. In this way you will help to minimize the risk of infection as far as possible.

The "Take Away" offer in the Schneidershof canteen is placed at the entrance near the cutlery counter from Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 14:30 (warm kitchen from 11:00). Starting from 11 May 2020. The StudiwerkOffice SO Schneidershof can be reached via the outer door. The dining room is closed for consumption, and no food is allowed near the cutlery counter.

It is valid: rules of distance and hygiene as well as the obligation to wear a mouth-nose cover. It is not permitted to form groups on the campus grounds to eat the food.

Since 25.05.2020 the canteen at the Environmental Campus Birkenfeld offers take-away meals. The meals can be picked up in the dining room. Please remember to keep your mouth and nose covered. Orders can be placed by e-mail to b.straus(at)campus-company.eu, by phone to 06782-17-2539 or by WhatsApp to 0176-17964320, stating the desired meal, name and pick-up time. Please place your orders, if possible, by 11.00 a.m.

The libraries offer the following services:

Information and general advice: Please use the online services and contact the library by e-mail or telephone.
The library catalogue is still available for literature research.
Access to the library's print stock: Articles from print journals from our stock and excerpts from specialist books are copied within the framework of copyright law and sent by e-mail as an internal delivery service. For borrowing media, there is the possibility that we will send you books from our holdings free of charge by post. You will have to bear the costs for a return shipment of the media.
From 4 May 2020 the libraries will also be open again with restrictions at the following times:

Monday to Thursday: 10 to 15 o'clock from 2020/05/11: 9 to 15 o'clock
Friday: 10 to 12 o'clock from 2020/05/11: 9 to 12 o'clock

Please visit the libraries only in important cases and use our contactless services (shipping, e-mail, telephone) instead. When visiting the library, you must wear a mask. In addition, the maximum number of simultaneous visitors is limited to 5 persons (please allow for waiting times). We kindly ask you to observe the required rules of distance and hygiene. Further information can be found on the information pages of the library.

Interlibrary loan is possible again (with restrictions). You can find further information on the information pages of the library
Search for online full texts: You also have the possibility to use online sources. You can find them on the library's website via the following link: www.hochschule-trier.de/hauptcampus/bibliothek/die-bib/aktuelles#c83915 . The offers are constantly updated.

FAQ - Data protection and copyright

“The duty of care of employers and employers obliges them to ensure the health protection of all of their employees. In the opinion of the independent data protection supervisory authorities, this also includes the appropriate response to the epidemic or pandemic spread of a notifiable illness, which serves in particular for prevention and, in the event of traceability (i.e., in principle, downstream prevention for the contact persons). Of course, these measures must always be proportionate. The data must be treated confidentially and used exclusively for the intended purpose. After the respective processing purpose ceases to exist (usually at the latest when the pandemic ends), the data collected must be deleted immediately. "

Source: The Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information, further information under the link:

https://www.bfdi.bund.de/DE/Datenschutz/Themen/Gesundheit_Soziales/GesundheitSozialesArtikel/Datenschutz-in-Corona-Pandemie.html

Please note that the content of the online lecture – particularly the films, graphics and pictures used in it – is protected by copyright. It is prohibited to create, reproduce or publish any kind of screenshots or recordings of the online lecture without the lecturer’s express permission, with the exception of individual use for study.

Contact

For questions and information about the coronavirus, please contact: infogesundheit(at)hochschule-trier.de

If you would rather address students for questions: studentischeanliegen(at)hochschule-trier.de

Hygiene rules

Reduce contacts to a minimum
Keep a distance (at least 1.5m to other people)
Following rules for coughing and sneezing
Good hand hygiene: wash hands regularly with soap and water
Keep hands away from face
Wearing a mouth-nose cover (everyday masks) in public places
Clean the workstation if you share it with other people (e.g. keyboards)
Ventilate rooms regularly