McGovern College faculty:

The University of Houston has published guidelines on the mandatory face-covering requirement and on the enforcement of that requirement. The face-covering policy may be accessed here; please see also the face-coverings FAQ page.

Per the policy, faculty members are a key component of the enforcement mechanism. In the event of observable non-compliance on the part of a student attending a face-to-face class meeting, instructors of record explicitly have the right to ask for compliance. If the instructor of record asks a student to wear a face covering and the student does not wish to do so, and the student does not have an accommodation (see below for more on accommodations), the instructor may ask the student to leave the classroom. If the student refuses to leave the classroom, the instructor may end the class meeting and will report the non-compliance via the Office of the Dean of Students' Incident Reporting Form.

In order to facilitate your role as faculty members in enforcement of the policy, please add the following language to all of your course syllabi:

The University of Houston requires face coverings while on campus for all students, including in all public areas and all classrooms and other instructional spaces. Exemptions will be granted for students who are unable to wear a face covering due to a specific medical condition. Students wishing to receive an exemption due to a medical condition must request an accommodation from the Center for Students with DisABILITIES, at uh.edu/csd.

Please note that some faculty members in the McGovern College have arranged to provide face-to-face instruction that requires that students adhere to additional health and safety guidelines. These guidelines might include the wearing of additional personal protective equipment, adherence to strict distancing regulations, or other regulations for conduct in the classroom. Faculty members may add additional language to their syllabi outlining these requirements order to facilitate enforcement. As with any classroom policy, syllabi should clearly outline student expectations as well as the consequences for non-compliance.

Please contact me, the Associate Dean, or your Directors with questions. Thank you for the tremendous amount of work each of you are doing to ensure a successful fall semester in the McGovern College of the Arts.

Andrew Davis
Dean