University Health Service (UHS) has received from New York State 500 doses of the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) one-dose vaccine. On Tuesday, April 13, and Wednesday, April 14, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., UHS will offer the J&J shot to University students at the Goergen Athletic Center on the River Campus. Per New York State, this vaccine shipment can only be administered to University students. Registration is open and available at uhsconnect.ur.rochester.edu/; students must pre-register for a vaccination appointment. More information and directions on how to register can be found here.

Students who are unable to get an appointment through this process are encouraged to send an email to HHF@uhs.rochester.edu to be placed on a waiting list. If there are no-shows on April 13 and 14, UHS will email these waitlisted students directly to come in for a vaccination.

Bring your student ID, show a completed Dr. Chat Bot screen, and, if possible, bring your insurance card so billing for administrative fees can take place. However, there will be no out-of-pocket cost for students under any circumstances. To prepare, be sure to hydrate and eat a small snack beforehand.

As the University continues to plan for one of the most exciting times of the year, there are some important changes to the AS&E commencement ceremonies.

This year, the AS&E undergraduate ceremony will be held on Thursday, May 20. To meet state guidelines for events, multiple main ceremonies will take place on the Eastman Quad throughout the day. Diploma ceremonies will be celebrated on Friday, May 21, and Saturday, May 22. These changes will help the University adhere to the many state requirements related to the pandemic while continuing the commitment to keep students, faculty, and staff safe. We understand that this is a significant change, and will share more information and a full schedule as they become available.

All commencement ceremonies are only for graduating students—no visitors are permitted—but ceremonies will be streamed live to allow family and friends to remotely share in this special day. Graduating students studying remotely this semester are welcome to return to campus for commencement. Students studying remotely who have been fully vaccinated or have had a negative PCR test within 72 hours, or who have had COVID-19 in the preceding 90 days, will be allowed to participate. More details about registering for commencement, for all students (on-campus, local, and remote), will be shared next week. Updates on commencement will be posted here.

If you intend to live on the River Campus for the 2021–22 academic year, don’t forget to submit a housing contract by Wednesday, April 14, at 11:59 p.m. EDT. Rising sophomores (Class of 2024) are required to live on campus. Rising juniors (Class of 2023) and seniors (Class of 2022) are eligible, but not required, to live on campus. More information is available on the Residential Life website. To submit a housing contract, go to https://housing.ur.rochester.edu/myrescenterweb. If you are trying to log on from off-campus, you will need to secure a VPN. Follow these instructions to do so.

Registration for the fall 2021 semester begins Monday, April 19, and entry into the housing assignment process will be closed after Wednesday, April 14. Students with outstanding due balances will not be allowed to register for fall 2021 coursework or participate in housing selection until their due balance has been resolved. Students can review their due balances through their UR Student account. Students with concerns about their balance are encouraged to contact their financial aid counselor to discuss their available options.

Power outages, expected to last less than 30 minutes, are planned for all buildings on the River Campus this Friday and Saturday as the University’s electrical system cuts over to a new power substation, part of a project that will help meet the University’s growing electric demand. Most of the outages will take place between 6 and 6:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 17. Details about the timing for the power outages are posted here: building outage map; building outage list. If you have questions, please contact Barry McHugh at (585) 766-3523 or bmchugh@facilities.rochester.edu or Michael Whitmore at (585) 260-0238 or mwhitmo3@facilities.Rochester.edu.