Coronavirus

There are no restrictions on higher education. Staff and students may come to HAN for all their educational activities. This also applies to research activities. There is no maximum group size for classrooms or lecture halls either.

Educational activities are all organized activities where lecturer(s) and student(s)/course participants and students/course participants can physically meet each other at HAN locations. These are activities that take place from the start of the degree or course up to and including alumni activities. Naturally, students can contact their lecturer or study coach by phone or email.

Educational activities do not include the defence of theses and doctoral theses in small groups (these take place online if possible) and final assessment activities that require the physical presence of the student. At all times the general instructions of RIVM and GGD are considered.

Wearing a face mask is not mandatory at HAN.

HAN follows the advice of the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), the Municipal Health Service (GGD) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

• We follow the websites of the RIVM and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
• We are in direct contact with the GGD.
• When it comes to communication from universities of applied sciences, we follow the advice of the Netherlands Association of Universities of Applied Sciences.
• Regarding travel abroad for work or study, we follow the travel advice of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

You can pick up free self-tests at the reception desk in the HAN buildings. The self-tests are no longer available online.

Have you tested positive?

Then don't come to HAN and get yourself tested at the GGD.

Do you have fragile health? 

We know there are students and lecturers who would very much like to come to HAN, but for whom it would entail too many health risks. Is that the case for you? Make further arrangements with your study coach or manager.

At this time, it is not possible to get vaccinated at HAN. 

• Check the website of the GGD locations of Gelderland-Zuid (in Dutch) for all vaccination locations in the region. 
• Also see Dutch vaccination programme against COVID-19 | Coronavirus COVID-19 | Government.nl.

Not everyone can manage that equally well. And that's very understandable! If you need a chat, support, a listening ear, a little more guidance or coaching; our student support staff are ready to help you! Here is a list of what support you can access and how. We are limiting personal, face-to-face contact as much as possible, so conversations take place by phone or via Teams. We will always respect your privacy.

Student psychologists
Do you need immediate psychological assistance? Then you can sign up by filling in the intake form and sending it to studentenpsychologen@han.nl. The forms are screened daily by a student psychologist. You will be contacted to discuss what happens next.
Contact: studentenpsychologen@han.nl, by phone (024) 353 04 34.

Student counsellors
You can contact one of the student counsellors by email or phone. You can also use the online appointment planner to schedule an appointment. Don't forget to include your telephone number; a student counsellor will contact you by telephone.
Contact: studentendecanen@han.nl | (024) 353 04 34

Training or coaching
Coaching calls will go ahead via Skype, phone, mail, Teams. You can continue to sign up for 'study skills coaching' via the online portal. Group meetings will continue online or in a different format. Sessions that are cancelled will be rescheduled. You'll be notified about this.
Contact: studenttrainingencoaching@han.nl

Course Transfer Desk
Are you thinking of switching to another degree program? You can discuss this via Skype, phone, email or Teams. Send an email to your Course Transfer Desk, and they will schedule a meeting with you.

• studiewisselpunt.FEM@han.nl
• studiewisselpunt.FE@han.nl
• studiewisselpunt.GGM@han.nl
• studiewisselpunt.Techniek@han.nl

Student Chaplaincy
You can also contact a chaplain for support or a conversation.
Arnhem: All group activities at the Arnhem Student Point have been cancelled until 1 June. Individual sessions can still take place both in person (provided all advised measures are followed) and by telephone, Skype and email.
Contact: Iris Springvloed | iris@arnhemstudentpoint.nl | (06) 39 70 92 03Iris Springvloed | iris@arnhemstudentpoint.nl | (06) 39 70 92 03
The building of the Student Church on the Erasmuslaan in Nijmegen is currently closed and there will be no celebrations. The team can be reached for guidance or consultation via email, telephone and Skype. Go to www.ru.nl/studentenkerk for current info and materials you can use to keep in touch. 
A small remote course has been developed for this period: MEANING in my life.
Contact: Nicole Schubert | nicole.schubert@han.nl | (06) 55 21 89 44

HAN confidential counselors
At HAN we treat each other respectfully. Unfortunately, incidents can still occur in which you as a student have to deal with unacceptable behavior such as aggression and violence, bullying, (sexual) harassment and discrimination, including digital behavior. If this happens, contact one of the confidential counsellors to discuss what you can do about it. You can choose which confidential counsellor you want to speak to, and you can be sure that your confidentiality is guaranteed.

Tips to stay mentally fit and study independently
How do you stay mentally fit in the current situation? Fortunately, there are a lot of things you can do. On Insite you will find some specific tips.

• Staying mentally fit
• Studying independently

International students
Are you an international HAN student? If you think you are infected with the coronavirus, it is best to contact the GGD (0800 1351) or a general practitioner's office first (Arnhem: 026-3899696; Nijmegen: 0900 8880). They'll tell you what to do next.
If you have other medical complaints, contact a general practitioner by telephone, even if you are not registered with a general practitioner.

Do you need to come to HAN for practical training or an exam? But you can't or don't want to? Talk to your study coach about this and discuss the options.

DUO (EU/EEA students)
Are you experiencing financial problems because of the corona measures? In cases like this, DUO is temporarily offering the possibility for higher student loans each month. That can be done with retroactive effect, as of the start of the academic year. You can also apply for tuition fee credit.

You can arrange this yourself in "Mijn DUO". Not enough? Contact DUO yourself to find out about the possibilities. DUO is aiming to help out as much as possible when it comes to students with financial setbacks due to the corona measures.

See also duo.nl/corona for all the info about financial support if you have fallen behind in the final phase of your studies due to the corona measures.

Financial support for students by Dutch government

The cabinet has decided to extend 2 measures for students:

1. The study delay support scheme for students who earned their degree between September 2020 and January 2021 will be extended to August 2021.
2. The scheme for students who were no longer eligible for a supplementary grant due to a study delay will be extended to August 2021.

The cabinet is still going to discuss a possible new scheme for students in the 2021-2022 academic year. Because of the cabinet’s resignation, it is currently unclear when this will happen. We are positive about these extensions but are still in discussions with the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science about additional compensation to our funding, given the increased student intake of the past year.

More info?

Read everything about the financial support scheme for study delays, extra travel rights with your student travel card or about the possibilities of a supplementary grant at:

• The DUO website
• The website of the Dutch government

HAN Emergency Fund (non-EU/EEA students)

If you are a non-EER-student, then unfortunately you are not eligible for DUO schemes. But you may be eligible for a loan from the HAN Emergency Fund. Your financial  emergency may not be of a structural nature and it must meet a number of strict criteria. The application must be accompanied by all relevant supporting documents. You can find more information on this Insite page.

Exams and tests are taking place at HAN again. Your study coach, lecturers and the board of examiners are there for you if you have any questions or concerns.

What should I do if I’m unable to take an exam because of corona-related circumstances?
Do you already have health complaints, have you developed health complaints just before an exam and/or are you in quarantine? Then we ask you not to come to HAN for exams. Here are the follow-up steps you can take:

• Contact your study coach as soon as possible and inform them of your situation.
• Consider together how it will affect you and how to best ensure your studies will continue smoothly. The regular resit opportunities may be the right solution. Or your specific situation may require an extra exam opportunity or an exam in a different format to avoid a study delay.
• Draw up an action plan together with your study coach and submit a request to the board of examiners of your degree program if needed. When assessing your request, the board of examiners will take into account the special situation we are in and the related circumstances for you.

Exam opportunities
In case you miss one or more exams, remember there are always multiple exam opportunities each academic year. The downside is that it can lead to a build-up of exams and modular exams, or even not being able to start your internship. If this is the case for you, your study coach will help you find the best solution.

Some degree programs have to comply with industry protocols. Ask your supervising lecturer which protocol (if any) applies to your internship or practical assessment.

Yes. There are currently no travel restrictions.

The guidelines are:

• We continue to follow the advice of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
• Are you residing in your home country (other than the Netherlands) for a minor, internship or graduation project? Then you are an exception to this policy.
• Are you going abroad for your studies (minor, internship or graduation project)? Then the following applies:
  • You can travel to countries with a green or yellow color code.
  • In principle you can travel to countries or areas with code orange, provided you have signed a statement declaring that you consider study abroad (minor, internship or graduation) essential for your study progress and that you absolve HAN of all responsibility. This requires you to sign a statement, which you can find here: Dutch version and English version
  • If a country has code red, you may not travel there. This is because HAN assumes that meaningful study or work is not possible at that location.
• Have you already left for a country and has the Ministry of Foreign Affairs changed the color code to orange or red during your stay there? Then it is your responsibility to assess whether you can continue your studies, minor or internship there or whether you should return. Any return due to a change of circumstances is your own responsibility and not that of HAN. You need to assess your situation yourself. You can get advice from the Dutch Embassy, your travel company or travel insurance company and HAN. Whether or not you take out cancellation insurance is also your own responsibility.
• For study trips abroad the same guidelines apply as for students travelling abroad for their minor, internship or graduation assignment. And study associations that are planning travel to locations with code orange must always contact the school management team beforehand.

Remote working becomes hybrid working

The advice to work at home for half the time no longer applies. But structural hybrid working - partly at home and partly on location, meetings partly in person and partly online - is a continuing possibility for those interested. Only if the nature of the work allows it and always after making arrangements with your manager. 

Remote working scheme

A remote working scheme has been made that outlines the conditions for the content and duration of the remote working agreement, your obligations, the remote working allowance, a healthy and safe workplace that complies with the Dutch Working Conditions Act, and the facilitation of furniture and IT resources (based on a working from home budget). The Participation Council has consented to the remote working scheme. The definite version of this scheme is soon to be adopted. Once it is, you’ll receive further information from HR about its application and starting date. Until then, the temporary services (loan of certain facilities, internet reimbursement, travel expenses based on declarations) remain available.

Are you unable or unwilling to teach in person? Approach your manager about this and discuss the possibilities.

NWO has taken a number of measures to support researchers. The first is that ongoing rounds where no more interaction is required with applicants can go ahead according to schedule. For other ongoing rounds, interviews are being postponed and deadlines for submission extended.

NWO is well aware that postponing interviews is not a good thing for the people involved in application procedures. They are therefore looking for ways to proceed with the grant allocations. The importance of utmost care and a level playing field for all candidates means that finding a solution takes time. In April, NWO will provide solutions in consultation with the knowledge institutes. The deadlines for upcoming calls have been postponed by one month and those for more complex calls with consortia will be put on hold and resumed again one month after the national measures are lifted. If second-flow funding is cut back for longer periods due to these measures, financial problems may arise.

At the moment there is insufficient visibility on the extent of the situation, but the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science remains in contact with NWO and the Association of Universities of Applied Sciences.

Yes, you can. There are no travel restrictions at this time.​

HAN is not giving staff permission to travel for work/business to countries or areas with red or orange travel advice. If, as a staff member, you are in a country where the advice changes from green/yellow to orange/red, you should check whether the stay is really necessary and whether there are possibilities to go home.

Registration

As a staff member you are obliged to register when you go abroad. It is important that you do this so that HAN has a complete overview and can take targeted actions if necessary. The registration form for staff can be found on Insite.

 

Do you need support? Don’t hesitate to inform your manager. Also, the reintegration and prevention coordinators are there to help you with such matters. Just contact the reintegration and prevention secretarial office | reintegratie-preventie@han.nl

You can also use the online self-help module “Dealing with corona stress”. For more info on this, go to the learning portal of the HAN Academy.

Questions? Contact the HR Enquiry Desk | (024) 353 05 50 | Vraagpunt.HR@han.nl.

Student guidance
We’d like to ask lecturers and study coaches to monitor and guide students at an individual level where needed. Students may be feeling insecure about their own health or that of their loved ones, their study progress and possibly other issues.

 

 

For the most up-to-date information on opening times of the buildings on the Arnhem and Nijmegen campuses, check Insite.

The HAN buildings are ventilated in different ways:

• natural ventilation
• mechanical ventilation
• balanced ventilation
• or mixed mode ventilation

You can see which method is used in which building in the overview below. Regardless of the ventilation method used, it is done according to RIVM guidelines and with 100% fresh outside air; air is not recirculated. It is advisable for all locations, but especially those with natural ventilation, to occasionally open facing windows and/or doors if possible.

Check the Open Days page for more information and the next date.

Check the Open Evening page for more information and the next date (only in Dutch).

Yes. Check the Student for a Day page for more info.

Yes, they are going ahead. International students do their interviews online.

In January 2021, the Netherlands started vaccinating the population. Since then, everyone 12 and over has been invited for their vaccination.

Do you have a Dutch study permit? And are you registered in the municipal administration here in the Netherlands? Then you are also eligible for a vaccination.

Is it compulsory to get vaccinated in the Netherlands? No, it’s your own choice. Make sure you are well informed, so you can make the right choice.

Good to know:

• Vaccination is free
• You get the shot in your upper arm
• The vaccine consists of 2 doses: you get the second dose 3 weeks after the first one. 7 days after the second dose you’ll have maximum protection against COVID-19.

For more detailed information please check: Dutch vaccination programme against COVID-19 | Coronavirus COVID-19 | Government.nl

 

HAN has taken extra (hygiene) measures to prevent/limit the spread of the Coronavirus as much as possible. Cleaning is done several times a day with disinfectants. Notice that the towel or soap dispenser is empty? Or that an area hasn’t been cleaned? Report it to the ServiceDesk: ServiceDesk@han.nl of (024) 353 16 66.

In addition, almost all HAN buildings, apart from GW1 and VG75 in Nijmegen, have mechanical ventilation. These systems are currently installed so that no recirculation of air takes place. Only clean air from outside is brought in. This is also what the RIVM advises regarding ventilation. We also recommend airing rooms now and again by opening facing windows or doors for 10 to 15 minutes.

• Wash your hands regularly
• Cough and sneeze on the inside of your elbow
• Symptoms? Stay home and test yourself

For the time being, HAN's regular sick leave and care leave policies apply.  

For staff:

• The regular sick policy applies. That’s because we as HAN want to track if and when our business-critical processes might be at risk.
• If there are medical reasons preventing you from working, report this by phone to the reception at HAN and to your manager.
• In case of mild cold symptoms, we follow the advice of RIVM, GGD and WHO. The general principle is that you don’t report sick with such symptoms, but you continue your work at home. Just like you would in a normal situation.
• Fear of infection and the care of sick family members are in principle not valid reasons for reporting sick. If you are not sick but decide not to work anyway, you’ll have to use your sustainable employability hours (DI hours) or leave hours. Contact your manager about this if you have any questions.

For students

• If you can’t study due to medical reasons, report this by phone to your study coach.
• Fear of infection is no reason to call in sick.
• Care for sick family members is no reason to call in sick.
• In case of mild cold symptoms, we follow the advice of RIVM, GGD and WHO. Don’t come to HAN, but study at home.