To the students
of the University of Bergamo

Bergamo, December 4th, 2020

Dear all,

I hope you are well and your families too.

Last night the new Presidential Decree was signed and, as I think you already know, there is no great news about the university activities. However, I would like to inform you of the slightest changes, to respect the communication 'ritual' that unites us and that has become a moment of sharing.

As I have mentioned, the safety and prevention measures already in place remain all confirmed. However, some news or variations are introduced, which I will summarize briefly:

• Training activities for groups with a small number of students and workshop activities may be carried out in presence. As a result, both teaching and research workshops will be accessible to teachers, PhD students, assignors, trainees, technical staff and students. All that, of course, based on the decisions taken by the Department Directors who will evaluate each case and decide what is essential to carry out in presence and what can be done remotely. For this reason, the specific procedures will be defined and communicated by each Department Director;
   
• The graduation theses scheduled for this month of December – concerning the School of Engineering – will be carried out remotely;
   
• The exams scheduled for January 2021 will be held remotely and, where possible, written exams will be transformed into oral exams. As is already happening, students who do not have adequate equipment or network connection may request to take the tests at the University: you just have to remember to book the workstation. If there are objectively valid reasons why an exam cannot be held remotely, the Department Directors may decide to allow it to be held in presence, obviously guaranteeing the compliance with all the necessary safety regulations;
   
• Access to libraries. I received some reports about the need to expand the number of places that may be booked in our libraries. For this reason, we have agreed that for each location there will be an additional classroom at your disposal, in order to extend to more students the possibility to use this service. Furthermore, it will also be possible to use the workstations of the study rooms or those of other spaces outside the libraries that we have expressly rearranged based on social distancing rules: in this way, you will be able to study in a warm place even when the libraries must be sanitized. Remember that places at the library must be booked through apps;
   
• I would also like to remind you that the Call for digital benefits will expire on December 22nd;
   
• The university premises, as has long been arranged, will be closed for the Christmas holidays from December 24th, 2020 to January 6th, 2021.

These are the new provisions that I wanted to report to you and that are valid from today, 4th December, to 15th January 2021.
I will surely give you more information about the academic calendar for the period immediately after 15th January in the coming weeks.

As I think you have understood, these measures show that we must continue to be patient and, above all – I repeat it once again – responsible.

I understand that it becomes everyday harder, especially at a time like Christmas where, by definition, virtual hugs should have no reason to be. Instead, we must have the strength to accept them and, above all, put them into practice: there are ways of virtual sharing that, paradoxically, can make our bonds stronger, revealing their essence to us. I am sure you will be able to 'create' them and 'teach' them to your loved ones.

Waiting to meet you again digitally for the Happy Holidays greetings, I send you a loving thought together with my (evergreen) virtual hug,

Your Rector,  
Professor Remo Morzenti Pellegrini