ETH Zurich closes university buildings – in-person exams will go ahead

Following the external page Federal Council’s announcement of tighter measures with effect from Monday, 18 January, the ETH Zurich Executive Board is implementing a number of additional measures starting from that date.

Many of the measures are similar to those introduced in the lockdown in March 2020: an obligation to work from home and the closure of university buildings. There are several important differences, however, as Ulrich Weidmann, head of the ETH coronavirus task force, stresses: “Unlike the restrictions of last spring, we can continue to facilitate experimental research and teaching at the university.” In addition, students are not banned from the campus and the library is still open to borrow books. Even so, the campus will be fairly empty and most buildings will be closed for security reasons.

Working from home is mandatory

“Even though most ETH employees have already been working from home for months now, we are aware that the general requirement to work remotely is very stressful for some of them,” says Weidmann. The situation is especially tough for those who do not have an ideal environment for studying or working from home. Just a week ago, the task force had still hoped it would be possible to continue without these highly restrictive measures. “But the proportion of people working from home has varied across Switzerland as a whole, and the new highly infectious coronavirus variant means we all have to play our part in keeping infection rates down,” Weidmann cautions.

As a result, all ETH members will have to work from home from 18 January onwards. The only exceptions are for ongoing experimental work in research and teaching as well as in cooperation with industry, including spin-off companies. These activities can continue on site, whereby safety protocols must ensure that the number of people present is kept to a minimum, in line with FOPH rules. Furthermore, staff employed in workshops or on counter service at the university can continue to work as normal. But anyone who does not require a physical infrastructure on the campus in order to perform their tasks must work remotely from home. This also applies explicitly for all those engaged in non-experimental research.

Closure of ETH buildings

As most buildings will be empty from Monday onwards, they will be closed for security reasons and can only be accessed with an ETH card and the relevant authorisation. The Main Building, along with the library and the Rectorate’s service counters, will remain open. The library will still be open to borrow books, but with slightly reduced opening hours, on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. A few buildings with catering facilities will also be open. Finally, the buildings where in-person examinations are being held will be temporarily opened from 25 January onwards.

In-person examinations should go ahead

The well-being of students has always been a top priority for the ETH Executive Board. It has repeatedly pledged to do everything to ensure that no student will lose a study year due to the coronavirus crisis. “Thorough investigations have confirmed that requiring students to sit certain examinations in person does not present any danger to their health,” says Rector Sarah Springman.  “If we are to assess the performance of students fairly and avoid any compromise to the quality of education, for example, we cannot hold exams remotely that are crucial for deciding whether a student continues their studies,” the Rector explains. On the other hand, oral examinations will generally be conducted remotely.

Students required to attend examinations in person will not only have to follow a strict safety protocol, but also wear surgical face masks. “Community masks” made of fabric are not allowed. The Rector has sent a separate email to students and lecturers with the relevant information.

This procedure is fully supported by the students’ union VSETH. VSETH President Luca Dahle: “For us, it’s crucial to minimise as much as possible the number of students obliged to extend their studies due to the coronavirus situation. VSETH therefore fully supports the plan to hold in-person examinations.”

What next?

It’s uncertain at the moment how the situation will develop. But one thing is clear: the spring semester will start in the same way the autumn semester ended: in online mode. It’s also clear that the measures announced by the government and the new ETH rules will apply at least up to the end of February. “No one can say for the moment how the situation will develop. I expect us to be able to offer face-to-face teaching again after Easter 2021 at the earliest,” says Rector Springman.

This uncertainty also affects the families of ETH members. “Of course, we all hope that schools, nurseries and day care centres stay open and the situation improves so that restrictions can be eased again in March,” says the task force leader, Weidmann. It is also possible that further restrictions may be imposed and/or the lockdown extended. There are difficult weeks ahead. “Perhaps it helps to recall how we managed to get the situation under control a year ago by pulling together,” Weidmann says by way of encouragement, and draws attention to the monthly town hall meetings Vice President Julia Dannath is holding to focus on the mental health of ETH members.

At the next town hall meeting on 28 January at 3.30 p.m., Julia Dannath and Ulrich Weidmann will discuss the current situation and also answer key questions. An invitation will be sent out by email in the next few days.