Welcome to J-Term 2021
To: PLU Students and Families
From: Office of the President
January Term, or J-Term, allows students to immerse themselves in one course for four weeks, focusing on a topic in their major field or experiencing something in a new area of study. We hope all learners will get a chance to experience the spirit of J-Term as it was intended: as a period for discovery and innovation.
This year, our J-Term calendar has been adjusted to reflect our priorities of health and safety. (For all but a handful of classes, the term will begin on January 19 and end on February 12.) Here are some quick updates to keep in mind as school begins for most members of our community next week.
Where are we on the dial?
PLU starts J-Term 2021 at Stage 3 on the Campus Status Dial.
For new Lutes: we’ve created a visual representation—a status dial—to ensure that our community members can quickly and easily see which stage of pandemic response we’re currently in, ranging from fully remote learning and working to full capacity with in-person operations.
PLU’s new rapid testing clinic for students
Beginning in January, most students will participate in rapid testing using a self-swabbed COVID-19 test that provides results within 15 minutes. Tests will be proctored in the new student-testing center, located in the Chris Knutsen (CK) Hall in the Anderson University Center.
To continue to keep our community safe and healthy, we’re asking all students who have any reason to be on campus to remain vigilant about COVID-19 protocols, including fully participating in the testing calendar associated with their particular role (e.g., residential student, student-athlete, student employee in a position that calls for testing, students in an in-person or blended class).
Students returning to campus for J-Term have received or will receive testing information from Residential Life, their coaches, their clinical instructors, their supervisors, or the PLU Testing Team. Students who have returned to campus already have participated in at least one round of rapid testing to this point and are quickly becoming experts in the process. Students who are not associated with a particular role and specific testing calendar also should expect to periodically be asked to participate in proactive community testing that will continue to be hosted on the PLU campus beginning with the first testing date on January 20.
(Curious about the clinic? Scroll down for photos of Lutes testing this week. Submit any questions about the clinic here.)
Additional resources from Student Life
Please remember that other well-being resources remain fully available to students during J-Term, including spaces to connect and make sense of all that is occurring in the world around PLU during this eventful month. If students have not already registered for Lute Telehealth or stopped by the dCenter for a drop-in, among many other opportunities for support and community, J-Term is a great time for students to check those things out!
Feedback for Spring PLU COVID-19 Communications
We need your opinion! We want to understand how well you are satisfied with the communications you receive about PLU’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. All responses will be confidential. All comments and ideas are welcome.
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