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Coronavirus: information for students

Last Update: June 11th 2021:

On this page you will find all important information about studies, teaching and university life in the current situation. Please check this website regularly.

Content:

Vaccinations for students

Viadrina is trying to organise vaccinations for students. To this end, there has been a demand enquiry, which has been completed.

If you have expressed interest in vaccination in the demand enquiry, you will receive further information by e-mail as soon as concrete dates are fixed. Depending on the number of people interested and on delivery quantities, it may take some time before you can be offered a vaccination date. We appreciate your understanding that we cannot answer individual requests upon appointments.

If you are able to take up another vaccination offer after expressing interest, no separate deregistration is necessary.

Free dates are offered to students who have not yet responded to the needs assessment. The offer is made via this website.

Information on the vaccines licensed in the EU and the risk assessment of vaccination with vector and mRNA vaccines can be found on the following websites:

Compulsory testing for face-to-face teaching, library visits and examinations & Testing options and offers

In order to break chains of infection and prevent future infections, tests are an important instrument. According to the Containment Ordinance, testing obligations apply to classroom teaching and examinations. Further testing obligations are anchored in the Viadrina house rules.

For the use of the library's reading room (from 14.06.2021) and for participation in courses on-site, the obligation to present a negative test result applies, which must not be older than 72 hours at the beginning of the library visit or the course.

Participation in on-site examinations requires the submission of a negative Corona test that is not older than 24 hours.

Persons who have recovered or have been vaccinated within the meaning of the COVID 19 Protective Measures Exemption Ordinance are not required to submit negative test evidence. The proof shall be provided by proof of recovery or proof of vaccination within the meaning of this Ordinance.

We recommend that all students make use free citizenship tests close to their place of residence.

Please inform yourself about the exact modalities at www.brandenburg-testet.de (Brandenburg), or at www.test-to-go.berlin (Berlin) or directly at the respective test centre. Here you will find an overview of test centres in Frankfurt (Oder) and Słubice.

Test centre at the Viadrina
A testing centre has been established that also offers certified Corona tests to students if they need them for study purposes. The test centre is located in GD 102 and is always open on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 8.30 am to 9.30 am. Test result certificates are issued in German and English. In order to use the services of the test centre, please book an appointment in advance in this online portal (registration with your Viadrina login).

Digital teaching in the summer semester 2021

The lecture period of the summer semester 2021 has started on 12 April 2021. All courses take place digitally.

Provided that the spacing and hygiene rules are observed and tests and masks are compulsory, a switch to the face-to-face format can be made in selected courses in the course of the semester. The deans or the heads of the institutions responsible for teaching decide on these exceptions. A planned change to the attendance format is announced in good time beforehand and should only take place after agreement between lecturers and students.

On the website of the Center for Teaching and Learning (ZLL) you will find further important information on online learning.

Special workstations for online teaching and rental equipment (notebooks)

Student workstations are available in the university library for participation in online teaching (information in German).

It is possible to borrow a notebook including headset for a limited time. Please contact coworking@europa-uni.de for this purpose.

Examinations, term papers and theses

Written and oral exams may be conducted on-site in compliance with the rules of distance and hygiene as well as compliance with the Corona-testing requirement. In order to be able to take part in the examination, students must present a current, i.e. no more than 24 hours old, proof of a negative Corona test when boarding. A self-test carried out at home in advance is not sufficient.

We strongly recommend having a certified test (so-called citizen test) conducted close to home. Also eligible to take the test are students and supervisors who are recovering or vaccinated as defined by the COVID 19 Protective Measures Exemption Ordinance. For more information, see the section "Compulsory Testing & Testing Options".

During a written attendance examination, it is compulsory to wear a medical mask (OP mask or FFP2 mask). The following applies to oral examinations: Persons directly involved in the oral exam are exempt from the obligation to wear a medical mask. We recommend to remove the mask only during speeches.

On the linked pages you will find the regulations on processing times and deadlines as well as information on the submission of written assignments and theses for your degree programme:

Please inform yourself about the regulations for handing in written work at your faculty or at the responsible examination office. Written papers are usually handed in by post or by dropping them in the letterbox at the main building (Große Scharrnstraße 59).

Under certain conditions - for example for students commuting across the border - oral examinations may be held at the Collegium Polonicum in individual cases.

Cross-border study 

According to the Polish entry regulations, there is no quarantine obligation for border-crossing students entering Poland, but the obligation to present the certificate of a negative rapid test continues at least until 25 June 2021. Cross-border commuting students are all students who have to cross the German-Polish border regularly for compulsory study purposes.

Please always carry your student ID and another proof (e.g. your exam registration/boarding pass, confirmation of registration for university library) with you.

Especially for students living Poland who have to travel to Germany for compelling study purposes (esp. presence exam) and for whom the test costs represent a financial burden can apply for financial support from the Viadrina Emergency Fund. For this purpose, a short, informal application must be sent by e-mail to stip@europa-uni.de, stating the financial hardship, the compelling necessity of crossing the border (e.g. confirmation of registration for the presence examination) as well as the place of residence in Poland. A decision on the applications will be made in the short term.

Corona test centres in Frankfurt (Oder), Słubice, Brandenburg and Berlin

Please inform yourself about the exact modalities at www.brandenburg-testet.de (Brandenburg) or at www.test-to-go.berlin (Berlin) or directly at the respective test centre. On these websites you will also find an overview of the test centres in the respective federal state. In principle, students residing in Germany are entitled to one free test per week.

Overview of the test centres in Frankfurt (Oder) and in Słubice

Information for newly arriving international students

You are coming to Frankfurt (Oder) soon to start your studies or your semester abroad at Viadrina? Please note the important hints and information regarding the arrival from risk areas, quarantine regulations and support offers of the Studentenwerk and Viadrina.

If you have further questions, please contact the team of the International Office.

Events, consultation hours and committee meetings on site

Working meetings, committee meetings and consultation hours with students and invited external participants are possible by prior individual appointment, subject to the hygiene and distance regulations on site. Please contact praevention@europa-uni.de in advance for permission to hold such an event.

If external guests are received for work meetings or committee meetings, the contact details must be recorded in a form for the purpose of tracing infection chains.

Access to university buildings

The university buildings are once again generally accessible. Access is prohibited for persons who are ill with the virus or who are suspected of being infected.

The mensa in the GD as well as the coffee bar in the main building are also open for external guests. You can find the current opening hours on the pages of the Studentenwerk.

The main building is open from Monday to Friday from 6 am to 8 pm and Saturday and Sunday from 11 am to 7 pm.

The Gräfin-Dönhoff building, the Audimax and the Viadrina-Building in August-Bebel-Straße are open Monday to Friday from 6 am to 6 pm. The Logenhaus and the building at Große Scharrnstraße 23a are open Monday to Friday from 8 am to 6 pm.

The University Library will be open to registered external users from Monday 14 June 2021, weekdays 9 am to 7 pm, and Saturdays and Sundays, 11 am to 6 pm. For the use of the reading room, on-site registration is required, as well as a negative test certificate that is no more than 72 hours old in accordance with § 2 number 7 of the COVID-19 Protective Measures Exemption Ordinance (so-called rapid test).

The Collegium Polonicum is accessible following special rules of residence (in German). Here you can find the opening hours of the Collegium Polonicum library.

University library

The University Library is open from 9.00 am to 7.00 pm on weekdays and from 11.00 am to 6.00 pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

Use of the reading room
Due to the current contact minimisation requirements, the number of users who may be in the reading room at the same time is limited. It will be significantly increased from 14.06.2021 within the framework of the distance rules that will continue to apply. 

Also from 14.06.2021, prior appointment booking will no longer be necessary to use the reading room; on-site registration will suffice. Instead, however, a negative test certificate no more than 72 hours old in accordance with § 2 number 7 of the COVID-19 Protective Measures Exemption Ordinance (so-called rapid test) is required (see section "Test obligation for face-to-face teaching, library visits and examinations").

Via the electronic registration system, borrowable media can still be ordered from the reading room for collection at the counter (without proof of a negative test). Extended lending conditions apply, please inform yourself on the website of the University Library.

When visiting the library, please observe the rules of distance and hygiene. Wearing a medical mask (surgical mask or FFP2 mask) is compulsory both at the workstations and outside the fixed workstation in the reading room. 

Information:
For general requests please contact ub_ausk@europa-uni.de, for requests regarding interlibrary loan please contact ub_fernl@europa-uni.de.

The Collegium Polonicum Library is open on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 9am to 4pm, and on Wednesdays from 12noon to 7pm.

Extension of the standard period of study

In order to mitigate the negative consequences of the corona pandemic on the course of studies, the state of Brandenburg has decided to extend the individual standard period of study.

For students who were enrolled in the summer semester 2020, the winter semester 2020/2021 or the summer semester 2021, the individual standard period of study is extended by one semester for each of these semesters in which they were enrolled. The extension also applies to students who exceeded the standard period of study with the summer semester 2020, the winter semester 2020/21 or the summer semester 2021. 

BAföG recipients whose maximum funding period (standard period of study) ended with the summer semester 2020 or in the winter semester 2020/21 can receive support for a correspondingly longer period. Those who have not yet applied should do so immediately. 

Financial support

Depending on your personal situation, you can take advantage of the following support:

In all cases please contact the Studentenwerk Frankfurt (Oder). Further information and your direct contact can be found at www.studentenwerkfrankfurt.de.

Information and advice centres

If you have any questions, comments or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the service points by telephone or e-mail:

Hygiene measures at the Viadrina

To reduce the risk of infection for employees or students in the Viadrina buildings, the following hygiene measures apply:

      • Please keep a minimum distance of 1.5 metres. 

      • Wearing a medical mask (OP mask or FFP2 mask) is compulsory in all Viadrina buildings. This also applies at the fixed seat during examinations.

      • Regular hand washing with soap for at least 20 seconds is one of the most important hygiene measures.

      • The ventilation systems in all Viadrina buildings are operated in accordance with current infection protection standards

      • In all offices and seminar rooms, lecture halls, sanitary areas and corridors, door handles and light switches are disinfected once a day, as are handrails in all stairways, lifts and public photocopiers.

      • Separate rules (available in German) apply to the University Library. Outside the workplace, the obligation to wear a medical mask applies in the reading room.

      • Separate cleaning of the rooms takes place before examinations. Students who write exams will receive detailed information about hygiene and behavioral measures in a confirmation e-mail before their exam.

      • We kindly ask you to use the Corona Warning App of the Federal Government. The app helps to identify chains of infection and supports the health authorities in containing the pandemic.

Information on barrier-free implementation of infection control measures.

We kindly ask you to observe the current instructions of the Federal Centre for Health Education (in German).

Correct behaviour in case of disease symptoms and suspected cases

Please stay at home if symptoms of illness occur and contact your family doctor.

Primary contact:
In the case of direct contact with a person who has been proven to be infected with the corona virus (i.e. a positive test has been performed), the guidelines of the Federal Ministry of Health apply: You must stay at home and report immediately to the responsible health authority (Health Office Frankfurt (Oder), Health Authorities Berlin). The Health Office will inform you about all necessary steps.

If you, as a Viadrina student, are affected, please send a short message to praevention@europa-uni.de.

Secondary contact:
In the case of indirect contact, i.e. in cases where no direct contact has taken place but where, for example, a family member is the primary contact person or a suspected case due to acute symptoms, the public health department does not normally impose quarantine.

If there are no compelling reasons that require your presence on campus, e.g. an important meeting at a seminar or an examination, we recommend that you stay at home until a test result is available. If the primary and secondary contact person is symptom-free and no test is carried out, up to five days of precautionary staying at home can serve as a guideline.

If you have any questions or are looking for support, please do not hesitate to contact us: praevention@europa-uni.de.

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Contact

For all questions and concerns
about the coronavirus
please contact us:
praevention@europa-uni.de

Important contacts at a glance:

Faculty of Social and Cultural Sciences
matthiessen@europa-uni.de

Faculty of Business Administration and Economics
+49 335 5534 2544
rudovsky@europa-uni.de

Faculty of Law
+49 335 5534 2386
dek-rewi@europa-uni.de

Central Student Advisory Service
+49 335 5534 4444
study@europa-uni.de

Service-Point
+49 335 5534 4747
service-point@europa-uni.de

International Affairs
+49 335 5534 2485
head-office@europa-uni.de

Family Affairs Office
+49 335-5534 2568
familie@europa-uni.de

Writing Center
+49 335 5534 2540
schreibzentrum@europa-uni.de

University Library
+49 335 5534 3366
unibibl@europa-uni.de

Language Centre
bahr@europa-uni.de

Collegium Polonicum
+49 335 5534 16 6800
colpol@europa-uni.de