FAQ

Pursuant to Regulation of the Council of Ministers of 6 November 2020 on establishment or certain restrictions, orders and prohibitions in relation to the state of epidemic, from 9 November 2020, the Centre for Scientific Information and Academic Library will operate remotely only.

To meet the readers’ needs, the book-borrowing automatic system will be launched again.

Detailed rules of the library operation are available at: www.ciniba.edu.pl.

The new rules for safe use of cabins during the „orange” alert will soon be published at: www.ciniba.edu.pl.

All student IDs, doctoral student IDs, as well as academic IDs remain valid throughout the period of restriction or suspension of the University operation and for 60 days after the end of this period. Therefore, it is not necessary to come to the University in person in order to extend the ID card validity.

First-year students can come to Dean’s Offices upon previous contact by e-mail or phone in order to pick their student ID or student record book. Contact details are available at: https://us.edu.pl/student/zdalny-kontakt-z-dziekanatami-spnjo-oraz-cwfis.

There is no obligation to document the course of studies in the student record book, because the course of studies is documented in USOS. Therefore, it is not necessary to come urgently to collect your student record book.

Of course, they can stay abroad.

Section 6 Item 19 of the Rules and Regulations of studies at the University of Silesia says: “(In particular, student has the right to) record the content of classes in the form of audio recording within the permitted use as defined by copyright laws”. Source: www.bip.us.edu.pl.

Attention: image recording requires the approval of the teacher and other visible participants of classes.

It is currently forbidden to visit student residence halls and teacher residence halls, as well as to move between specific student residence halls (dorms)/teacher residence halls. It is not forbidden to leave the student residence hall/teacher residence hall where you live, or to return there (this does not apply to person in quarantine). In line with the call “let’s stay at home” (including student residence hall/teacher residence hall), each resident should consider the risk for themselves and others, which results from such movement.

The remote form of conducting classes cannot be considered as “worse” in terms of the learning outcomes. Basically we prefer the on-site form of classes. However, this does not result from the fact that distance classes provide students with less knowledge or skills. This is rather because common, physical presence in one place allows us to establish deeper relations and create a stronger academic community.

A majority of costs incurred by the University in connection with education are personal costs – related to hiring employees. The employees were not released of their usual duties towards the students due to the pandemic condition. In the situation that we have been facing since March, teachers still conduct classes in the same working time, whereas administration employees continue to help carry out the course of education.  The forms of contact have changed, but the scope of work to be performed at the University is still the same.

The new situation has also forced the implementation of solutions to enable remote work, including to ensure that every student can use these tools. Therefore, general reduction of tuition fees does not seem to be justified, because it is only the form of services on the part of the University, and not the scope that has changed.

As a principle, classes conducted remotely are classes of the same quality as classes conducted on-site. In the course of remote classes, all learning outcomes assumed in curriculums for particular study programmes are carried out - the University has not released teachers from any duties in this respect.  Thanks to this, future diplomas will have the same value as the ones that were issued before 2020.

At the time of growing epidemic and related restrictions, please do not come to collect your diploma from the Dean’s Office. It is recommended to establish the e-mail contact (data are available on: www.us.edu.pl/student/zdalny-kontakt-z-dziekanatami-spnjo-oraz-cwfis). If there is a need to obtain a scanned diploma, your Dean’s Office will send it by e-mail. In very special cases, as soon as the graduate provides a justified application (scan/photo of the signed letter), the original diploma will be sent to the specified address by registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt.

Physical education classes are conducted remotely. Details about conducting classes are determined by the teacher in consultation with the group. Due to the fact that some students from the second recruitment have not logged on to classes, the possibility of logging has been extended until the end of October. Moreover, the students who have already logged in can relog and choose the suitable group for them until the end of October.

Additionally, classes of sports sections of the University Sports Association are conducted, organised subject to sanitary regime for particular sports disciplines and as defined for the introduced security level.   These sports classes are voluntary. Students-competitors participate in trainings and competitions, representing our University. In the case when a student withdraws from such classes, they can move to theory classes by informing the teacher at any time.

It is not possible to keep your place in a student residence hall (dorm) without paying the relevant fees. Obviously, after the formal check-out and leaving the room, you no longer pay for the student residence hall (dorm), but you can only return to your previous place if it has not been given to another person in the meantime.

Only the classes which the Dean of the Faculty considers to be necessary and possible to organise with sanitary safety can be carried out on-site.

Yes – contact with Dean’s Offices will be fully remote.The only exception are the formal issues which require documentation to be delivered in paper form based on separate provisions (e.g. statutory provisions). This concerns e.g. submitting applications for student benefits, which are best to send by registered letter to the address of your faculty, whereby it is recommended contacting your dean’s office in advance. On-site contact will be possible in exceptional situations, subject to strict sanitary regime.

Yes. It is important to keep strict sanitary regime and report any alarming symptoms. You should also remember about the ban on movement of students between student residence halls/teacher residence halls, as well as about keeping social distance and maximum limitation of the number of individuals staying in one place.

Access to equipment to implement the practical part of diploma theses is possible, but limited to necessary minimum. Students’ stay in laboratories is reduced to minimum. Individuals who want to use infrastructure have to register. Detailed rules of using research infrastructure are available on the following website: www.us.edu.pl/en/universities/status-zabezpieczen-covid-19/poziom-2 in the section on the operation of research, teaching and artistic infrastructure.

On the website www.us.edu.pl/en/universities/status-zabezpieczen-covid-19 you will find detailed instructions concerning the behaviour procedures, divided into three categories: students and doctoral students, inhabitants of student residence halls, employees.

On Security Level 2 most work is performed remotely. However, it should be remembered that the supervisor may decide that specific individuals have to perform work on-site to ensure the continuity of operation of particular departments of the University.

An employee should receive a remote work request from their supervisor. Template of remote work request is available on: www.us.edu.pl/en/uczelnia/status-zabezpieczen-covid-19.

Details on proceeding in the situation of suspected coronavirus infection are described here: www.nfz.gov.pl/. There are also infographics with diagnostic procedures (.pdf file available at the bottom of the website). The University has limited measures to refer its employees to medical tests for the presence of SARS-CoV-2. The priority is for the individuals with clear symptoms indicating the virus presence. In such case please contact Feliks Żogała (Health and Safety Inspector) by e-mail:feliks.zogala@us.edu.pl, phone no. 32 359 12 83. You should immediately notify about the test results Health and Safety Inspector and your immediate supervisor. Do not work on-site until receiving the test result.

Within the framework of student allowances paper należy remembers o: – direct contacts between employees at work should be reduced to minimum, – affairs should be handled by e-mail, – any correspondence addressed to relevant units should be delivered through General Office; unit employees are obliged to pick correspondence from the General Office), – documents different than financial, which require signature, shall be sent as scans (.pdf) or photos (.jpg) until revoked; please ensure that the required signatures and stamps are clear).

Access to equipment is possible only for the purpose of implementation of research projects, support and maintenance of devices. In laboratory premises there are specified permitted limits of individuals staying in rooms at the same time. It is mandatory to register the individuals staying in laboratories, and any work shall take place subject to sanitary regime. Detailed rules of using infrastructure are available on the following website: www.us.edu.pl/en/universities/status-zabezpieczen-covid-19/poziom-2 in the section on the operation of research, teaching and artistic infrastructure.

Doctoral defenses habilitation committees shall take place in the room intended specifically for this purpose at the Faculty of Social Sciences (Katowice, ul. Bankowa 11, room 212). In order to arrange the date of doctoral defense or habilitation committtee, please contact the IT department by e-mail: wideokonferencje@us.edu.pl Defense of doctoral dissertations and habilitation committees shall be carried out using the University Video Conference System with physical presence in the room of the doctoral student or habilitation candidate, chair of the committee, thesis supervisor, secretary and IT employee, subject to sanitary regime. The other committee members can take part in defense of doctoral dissertations and habilitation committees using the University Video Conference System, whereas those who are interested as audience can participate via live transmission on YouTube with the possibility to ask questions and comment in writing on YouTube. Vorting during a defense of doctoral dissertation or habilitation committee takes place using the University Voting System. If possible from the technical perspective, defense of doctoral dissertation or habilitation committee can take place in a different room located in one of the buildings of the University of Silesia in Katowice. Chair of the Scientific Board can give their consent for remote participation of a doctoral student, habilitation candidate or supervisor instead of their physical presence.