The beginning of the first semester of the new academic year is approaching and, after months of uncertainty related to the emergency situation, we wish in this short text to take stock of the situation on what has been defined so far.

Guaranteed distance learning, for everyone

Let's start from a first certainty: in the months of June and July it was established that distance learning will be guaranteed to all students of the Polytechnic, without the need for requests or requests. In fact, to allow the use of lessons remotely, the preparation of the classrooms with new digital technologies for streaming are being completed. This will allow anyone who cannot or does not feel like going to the classroom to follow the lessons from home.

The goal, which we have strongly trodden in recent months, is that the University resume being the place where the community meets and grows both from a human and professional point of view. In these exhausting months, during the meetings of the central body and in the decision-making moments, this has been our certainty: we are an important place in the lives of more than 40 thousand people and it is a priority to be able to resume safely.

The Polytechnic will carry out about 50% of the lessons in presence

The value of face-to-face teaching is fundamental for all students, it is an opportunity for comparison and unique richness and for this reason each course of study has in fact worked, according to its own peculiarities, to adapt the schedule of lessons. The University has assured us that the premises will be sanitized daily and the flows of entry and permanence will be managed.

The courses of study, also based on the number of students expected for each course, have provided for a division into teams (without reservations of places in the classrooms) of the most numerous courses. The lesson schedule will be extended to 8-20, with a shift of the lessons in presence to 10-20 to avoid peak times on the means. In addition, the laboratories or the few courses in some courses will have a greater amount of hours in presence, due to their specific characteristics. In many courses of study the days should be diversified: either entirely online or entirely in presence. We will see all this information in a few days, when the timetables will be published. We hope that all this will guarantee the quality of teaching to which we are accustomed, if this is not the case, write to us to report it.

Without prejudice to what has been said above, distance learning is guaranteed for all courses, including those with compulsory attendance.

And the beyondlessons?

Unfortunately, these months have been hard for all the extra-didactic activities, but we trust that in the coming months these activities can resume. To adapt the spaces to the situation, the catering areas have been renovated, the libraries have been opened, the study spaces have been opened…

The University has prepared a page where you can find the open study spaces, the available places and the access methods: https://www.polimi.it/servizi-e-opportunita/aule-e-spazi-studio/spazi-studio/spazi-studio-milano/,here you will find updated information about what is necessary for the entrance (for example about the necessary personal protective equipment).

The canteens will reopen from 7 September in all refreshment points with a new manager (Compass in Leonardo and Pellegrini at La Masa). On the gardella a Leonardo terrace will also be added ice cream parlor and creperia. In both campuses will be introduced boxes where the meal can be ordered and collected at the pre-established time.

The libraries will reopen from 31 August (the BBL is already open with 100 places available, to access there is the obligation to book with the app affluences), here you can consult the details on the openings that will be constantly updated: https://www.biblio.polimi.it/sedi-e-orari.

Microfiltered water dispensers will be repositioned to facilitate social distancing. All vending machines will also be restored and bottles of disinfectant gel placed

Sports activities will resume, as we had already told you here for Leonardo while for Bovisa showers and changing rooms on campus will be available from 21 September. The last week of September will be held a special edition of PolimiRun (PolimiRun Days) that will include social distancing, where rummers will compete independently on the same route. We also share a gem, if you missed it, about the status of the renovation works of the Giuriati Sports Center, where all activities should start in January 2021.

Language courses are starting again, which will be online for this semester.

Student associations, groups and representative lists will resume their activities on campuses, including those presented in the last call for cultural and sports activities.

The residences will remain open, as they have been in recent months.

In fact, the intention is to guarantee access to the University's services for every student of the Polytechnic, governing internal flows to minimize risks for students. We will keep the situation monitored and also in this case we invite you to write to us for any report, which we will report to those in charge (our email addresses are at the bottom).

NO TAX AREA and DSU

The Minister of University and Research, Gaetano Manfredi, has shown great sensitivity in recent months, also worried by the fact that the situation of uncertainty could lead to a drop in enrollment in universities (he has given many interviews about it).

Therefore, in recent months, together with the National Council of University Students, some interventions have been carried out that, although not exhaustive, will hopefully have a contribution to improving the student situation. The government has made available:

• A reimbursement of rents from the months of the lockdown for off-site students with ISEE less than € 15k, thanks to a fund of € 20 million;
• A fund against the digital divide of € 20 million, whose methods of disbursement in our University will be published shortly;
• An extension of the total NO TAX AREA up to €20k of ISEE and partial up to €30k, to which Polimi is adapting;
• An increase in appropriations in the State Supplementary Fund (FIS) for about 8000 new DSU grants of € 40 million.

In addition to this, working in our University, we have made available the following initiatives:

• A flat-rate refund for those who during the last months of the last semester did not take advantage of the meal voucher, as established in the Permanent Student Commission (CPS);
• Following the ANDISU guidelines, the possibility of submitting a lease for the DSU call also in March has been added, to allow scholarship holders who decide to return only with the beginning of the second semester to be out of office;
• The extraordinary contributions fund has been tripled.

We would like to remind you that the situation we have described is in the making: if it precipitates there could be a return to a completely distance learning, vice versa if the situation improved it would be possible to relax the social distancing measures.

A warm greeting, good luck for the exams of these days (if you have any) and a wish for a peaceful start to the semester!

Your representatives in the governing bodies and at the Ministry of Turning Students, students like you

PS: do you still need the videos of the lessons of the last semester? Don't worry, they will be available until February 2021.