UTA In The News — Friday, August 7, 2020
Return to campus request
UTA is asking all students to limit their social activities and contact with non-household members “to the maximum extent possible” for two weeks before returning to campus for the fall semester, KTVT CBS 11 reported. The request is one of several precautions the University is taking this fall to try to ensure student safety during the coronavirus pandemic.
International student enrollment
UTA is anticipating around 3,000 enrolled international students for the fall term, KXAS NBC 5 reported in a story on the challenges international students face returning to school amid the coronavirus pandemic. About 600 of UTA’s international students will be remaining overseas and taking courses online.
Data breach impact
UTA is among a large list of nonprofits and universities affected by a ransomware attack on South Carolina-based Blackbaud, a cloud-based data storage and software provider, The Dallas Morning News reported. UTA informed its alumni in an email Tuesday that donors’ names, titles, dates of birth, phone numbers and email addresses may have been exposed by the data breach.
Fall semester decisions
Dallas Innovates reported that Jihan Woods, staff psychiatrist at UTA’s Counseling and Psychological Services, participated in a “Responsible Return to School” virtual event hosted by the Dallas Regional Chamber to offer parents critical information as they decide whether to send their children back to in-person school or continue virtual instruction. Woods noted that older students struggled to maintain good sleep and work schedules and blurred the lines between “home” and “work” while engaging in virtual classes during the spring. Improving those habits, he said, is key to achieving positive student outcomes.
On-campus COVID testing
UTA will provide free on-campus COVID-19 testing services for students identified by UTA Health Services as being in need of it, Valley Morning Star reported.