FAQ Regarding Spring 2020 – COVID-19
Please note that with the circumstances surrounding COVID-19 rapidly developing, the information contained below could, and likely will, change on short notice based on updates received from federal, state, or local government agencies; the NCAA; the Big Ten; the campus; or the University of Illinois System.
Please refer to the campus website as your primary source for ongoing information and updates at www.covid19.illinois.edu.
In addition, refer to the following websites for lists of FAQs pertaining to campus, housing and ISSS.
Campus FAQ - https://covid19.illinois.edu/frequently-asked-questions/
Housing FAQ - https://housing.illinois.edu/News/Coronavirus
ISSS FAQ - https://isss.illinois.edu/updates/coronavirus.html
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS – ILLINOIS STUDENT-ATHLETES
1. At this point, what exactly has happened?
All athletic competitions have been canceled for the remainder of the 2019-20 academic year, including all Big Ten and NCAA championship events for winter and spring sports and all remaining regular season competitions in every sport Illinois sponsors.
In addition, Illinois has canceled all practices and organized team activities, which include in-person team meetings, group strength and conditioning sessions, and other mandatory or recommended team workouts or gatherings of any kind.
2. How long will these restrictions last?
The cancelation of competitions is through the remainder of this academic year and will not change. The Big Ten has stated that it will revisit the prohibition on practices and organized team activities on April 6, with no promises that it will be rescinded. For our purposes within the athletic program here at the University of Illinois, we expect not to resume practices or organized team activities for the remainder of the academic year, and you should plan for that as well.
3. What organizations are providing input to the athletic program on how to proceed?
We are in regular communication with the NCAA and the Big Ten Conference. Guidance from these two organizations is important as we shape our policies, but we have an obligation to act in a manner that we believe is in the best interests of our student population here at the University of Illinois, which could mean there will be a time when our plan would need to deviate from what is occurring at a national or conference level. Final decisions about what is in the best interests of Fighting Illini Athletics and our University of Illinois student-athletes are made after consultation with leadership both on our campus and at the University of Illinois System.
4. Am I supposed to go home?
For almost all of you, the answer is YES. The University is encouraging all students with the option of returning to your permanent home to do so and to continue your classwork remotely.
We will contact a small number of you directly if we believe it would be in your best interests to remain on campus. Reasons for this could include (a) ongoing access to sports medicine for purposes of injury rehabilitation, (b) needed access to in-person academic support, (c) international student-athletes who should remain local for a variety of reasons, and (d) others who would be better served by remaining here rather than returning home (including, most notably, because of access to needed technology to continue your coursework).
5. What if I want to return to campus after spring break? How long am I asked to stay home?
The campus strategy to minimize the impact of the virus focuses on strong personal hygiene and social distancing. (For more information, please refer to the campus website, found at www.covid19.illinois.edu, and the FAQ 's for notices regarding returning to campus safely.) To accomplish this, the University is encouraging all students to remain at their permanent homes until further notice.
We have developed our policies to align with these strategies. Obviously, we cannot dictate where you choose to be. We can, however, limit your access to DIA facilities and resources. Our concern is that by making our facilities and services available to any student-athlete who chooses to return to campus, many (perhaps even most) of you will be here. We know you; you are driven to be great, you enjoy being around your teammates and, given a choice, many of you would be here, with your teammates, to continue your training. But having a large number of you here does not lend itself to adequate cleaning and sanitation of our facilities or needed social distancing. The only way we know to discourage you from returning to Champaign is to withhold access to our facilities and our services. Please understand this is not what we want, but it is what we believe is in the best interests of your health and the health of our campus community.
6. But you are providing access to facilities and services to some student-athletes?
We are, to what we anticipate will be only a small number of student-athletes. As noted above, we will encourage student-athletes to return to campus if they meet one or more of the following criteria:
(a) they require ongoing access to sports medicine for purposes of injury rehabilitation,
(b) they would greatly benefit from access to in-person academic support,
(c) they are an international student-athlete who should remain local for reasons related to travel restrictions and conditions in their home country, and
(d) they are someone who, for a variety of personal reasons, would be better served by remaining here rather than returning home (including, most notably, because of access to needed technology to continue coursework).
In addition, in a very limited number of circumstances, we will provide access to facilities and services for those student-athletes who have realistic hopes of qualifying for the 2020 Olympics or who face significantly increased risks of current or future injury if training away from campus.
Our staff will identify those student-athletes who we believe fall into one of these categories and will contact them individually to discuss a return to campus. If, by the end of spring break, you have not been contacted by us but you believe you meet one of these criteria, please contact your head coach, sport administrator, athletic trainer, or academic adviser.
7. Can I train in DIA facilities if I come back to campus?
Not if you are returning to campus voluntarily without a request to do so by DIA. The campus strategy to minimize the impact of the virus focuses on strong personal hygiene and social distancing. (For more information, please refer to the campus website, found at www.covid19.illinois.edu, and the FAQ 's for notices regarding returning to campus safely.) To accomplish this, the University is encouraging all students to remain at their permanent homes until further notice.
We have developed our policies to align with these strategies. Obviously, we cannot dictate where you choose to be. We can, however, limit your access to DIA facilities and resources. Our concern is that by making our facilities and services available to any student-athlete who chooses to return to campus, many (perhaps even most) of you will be here. We know you; you are driven to be great, you enjoy being around your teammates and, given a choice, many of you would be here, with your teammates, to continue your training. But having a large number of you here does not lend itself to adequate cleaning and sanitation of our facilities or needed social distancing. The only way we know to discourage you from returning to Champaign is to withhold access to our facilities and our services. Please understand this is not what we want, but it is what we believe is in the best interests of your health and the health of our campus community.
8. What services will be available to me if I choose to return to campus after spring break? Sports medicine, counseling, academic support, voluntary workouts, Varsity Room meals?
If you are returning to campus voluntarily without a request to do so by DIA, none of them. The campus strategy to minimize the impact of the virus focuses on strong personal hygiene and social distancing. (For more information, please refer to the campus website, found at www.covid19.illinois.edu, and the FAQ 's for notices regarding returning to campus safely.) To accomplish this, the University is encouraging all students to remain at their permanent homes until further notice.
We have developed our policies to align with these strategies. Obviously, we cannot dictate where you choose to be. We can, however, limit your access to DIA facilities and resources. Our concern is that by making our facilities and services available to any student-athlete who chooses to return to campus, many (perhaps even most) of you will be here. We know you; you are driven to be great, you enjoy being around your teammates and, given a choice, many of you would be here, with your teammates, to continue your training. But having a large number of you here does not lend itself to adequate cleaning and sanitation of our facilities or needed social distancing. The only way we know to discourage you from returning to Champaign is to withhold access to our facilities and our services. Please understand this is not what we want, but it is what we believe is in the best interests of your health and the health of our campus community.
9. I really want to return to campus, but I don 't meet any of the criteria you have outlined. Why won 't you allow me access to DIA facilities and support services?
The campus strategy to minimize the impact of the virus focuses on strong personal hygiene and social distancing. (For more information, please refer to the campus website, found at www.covid19.illinois.edu, and the FAQ 's for notices regarding returning to campus safely.) To accomplish this, the University is encouraging all students to remain at their permanent homes until further notice.
We have developed our policies to align with these strategies. Obviously, we cannot dictate where you choose to be. We can, however, limit your access to DIA facilities and resources. Our concern is that by making our facilities and services available to any student-athlete who chooses to return to campus, many (perhaps even most) of you will be here. We know you; you are driven to be great, you enjoy being around your teammates and, given a choice, many of you would be here, with your teammates, to continue your training. But having a large number of you here does not lend itself to adequate cleaning and sanitation of our facilities or needed social distancing. The only way we know to discourage you from returning to Champaign is to withhold access to our facilities and our services. Please understand this is not what we want, but it is what we believe is in the best interests of your health and the health of our campus community.
Having fewer of you on campus allows us to close many of our facilities, which enables our facilities and custodial staffs to focus their cleaning and sanitation efforts on the smaller number of facilities that remain open. It also allows us to ration our limited stock of cleaning supplies and materials, which are increasingly hard to obtain in today 's environment.
10. Are international students permitted to go home?
For questions related to international travel please refer to the campus FAQ and the ISSS FAQ 's at the www.covid19.illinois.edu website.
11. Are there certain areas that students should not travel to?
Please refer to CDC travel recommendations: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/index.html.
12. What happens if student-athletes cannot return to the US or to Champaign?
This is a fluid situation; we will make recommendations as we learn more. Continue to monitor the campus website at www.covid19.illinois.edu for updates.
13. Who should I contact first if I find I'm having trouble academically? Are there/will there be ways to take advantage of academic support (tutors, etc.) from home?
Yes, please reach out to your academic counselor. We are making arrangements to provide academic support available remotely.
14. May I receive workouts from coaches or strength and conditioning staff while I 'm home?
Absolutely. Our strength and conditioning staff are in the process of developing workout plans to distribute to all student-athletes. Please contact a member of your coaching staff or your strength coach for more information.
15. Can we hold team meetings via zoom or use apps to review technique/skills with my coach while I 'm away?
This may be done in coordination with your coach.
16. Because the season is over, can student-athletes compete in other sanctioned events (meets/club practices/etc.)?
Only if you receive preapproval from our compliance staff, which will include completing an outside competition form.
17. When we are at home and not staying at the dorms or using meal plans, will we still have to pay for them?
This decision will rest with the University, which will be distributing information soon regarding campus housing and meal plans.
18. Do we still get our scholarship money to pay for our apartments?
Yes, for those receiving athletic aid, you will receive your athletic aid on the regular distribution schedule so long as you remain a full-time student.
19. How do we handle questions from the media?
Refer all media requests to your sports information staff member.
20. Am I going to get my eligibility back if I didn't compete this year?
We do not yet know. The NCAA released a statement saying that it would be appropriate to return a season of competition to those student-athletes who were participating in spring sports, but it did not provide detail. The NCAA has not yet determined whether it would be appropriate to make similar accommodations for winter sport student-athletes who were unable to participate in conference and NCAA championships. There are many implications of these decisions. Work is underway at both the Big Ten and the NCAA to provide answers to these questions as quickly as possible. Answers will be forthcoming as soon as we have them.
