University Health Service (UHS) is making changes to improve access to primary care for all students and has hired a new provider who will be starting in January. UHS is also exploring options to bring in additional providers. To further facilitate maintaining as many available appointments as possible, a $25 fee will be charged through UR Student for missed appointments (no-shows) starting in January. This policy aligns with what is common in community practices. Over 425 appointments were missed between August and November, despite the reminder system. On average, that is equivalent to 30 missed appointments per week—a significant loss of opportunities for other students to receive care. Cancellations must be made at least 24 hours in advance to avoid a no-show fee. All fees collected will directly support UHS student programs.

The University recently installed a remote weather monitoring station on Towers Athletic Field in the Brian F. Prince Athletic Complex to offer real-time monitoring for severe weather to ensure preparedness at outdoor campus events and activities. In addition to collecting weather data, the weather station provides real-time lightning detection and tornado warnings through an audible horn—with a half-mile radius of coverage—and visual lights indicating an imminent weather threat.

To ensure the proper operation of the weather horn and visual warning systems, a test will be conducted on Friday, December 20, at 2 p.m. The horn will sound for about 10 seconds to test the lightning alarm and then again for 30 seconds to test the tornado alarm. University community members do not need to take any action as part of the test. For more information on the new weather station, visit the Emergency Management page.

You may have received an email from University IT inviting you to use Grammarly for Education, which offers artificial intelligence (AI) powered writing assistance and may incorrectly suggest you use the tool in your coursework. While Grammarly can be an effective tool for supporting writers, it may interfere with authorship and your ability to demonstrate your learning and ideas authentically. For this reason, it is important to consult your instructor about how, if at all, Grammarly can be used to support your writing. Using AI tools without instructor permission could result in an academic honesty violation. If you are unsure whether or not using Grammarly is permitted in a particular class or on a particular assignment, do not use it and ask your instructor.

To ensure you are completing coursework according to the spirit and letter of the College’s academic honesty policy, the Honesty Liaisons urge you to review:

• The academic honesty policy itself (especially the rules on authorized versus unauthorized use of resources, as well as the importance of clear and accurate attribution);
• Additional academic honesty guidelines in the syllabus and other documents for each class you take (instructors can and will specify their additional guidelines beyond what is in the policy);
• The Writing, Speaking, and Argument Program’s Academic Honesty with Online Learning Toolsresource, and other resources posted on the academic honesty website.

The Writing, Speaking, and Argument Program also offers trained online and in-person tutors who can help you with all aspects of your writing, including grammar. You can also email the College’s Honesty Liaisons for general inquiries or visit mywco.com/honesty for an appointment.