Updated information for employees and students of IHM in connection with the release of restrictive measures of the Czech Government

In Prague, April 24, 2020

At its meeting held on April 23, 2020, the Government of the Czech Republic decided on the gradual release of restrictive measures taken due to health threats in connection with the spread of COVID-19 caused by the occurrence of coronavirus (referred to as SARS CoV-2). The crisis measure adopted by the Resolution of the Government of the Czech Republic No. 456 of April 23, 2020 enables the personal presence of students of all grades at universities from April 27, 2020.

Personal presence at the Institute of Hospitality Management in Prague (IHM) is possible for both employees and students of all grades, from May 5, 2020. It is forbidden to take a mass form of teaching and exams at universities. In the conditions of IHM, students can individually visit the library for the purpose of collecting or handing in study literature, they can individually participate in consultations or examinations in the presence of a maximum of 5 people and they can participate in school practice. At the same time, the ban on the free movement of persons no longer applies in the Czech Republic, so the updated information below applies to all IHM employees and students without exception.

Nevertheless, in the current epidemiological situation, the Ministry of Health imposes requirements on universities, which must be ensured by both students and employees. It is necessary to act in accordance with the following measures:

• Health condition: participation in consultations and examinations will be allowed under the following conditions:
• Persons must be free from acute health problems appropriate to the viral infection (e.g. fever, cough, shortness of breath, sudden loss of taste and smell, etc.);
• Obligatory hand disinfection will take place at the entrance to the test room (in the conditions of IHM, dispensers with disinfection will be placed at the entrance to the school building and in the corridors);
• Persons shall not be subject to quarantine;
• Students affirm the Confirmation of non-infectiousness (in the conditions of IHM see below point 2).

• Organizational measures:
• For the consultation / examination, students will arrive at a specified time so as to minimize the risk of spreading a possible infection; students will be divided into smaller groups of no more than 5 persons;
• Evaluation and announcement of exam results will always take place after the examination of 1 student in the given time range;
• The obligation is to have the upper respiratory tract (nose, mouth) covered by protective devices such as a respirator, drape mask, mouthpiece, scarf, shawl or other means that prevent the spread of droplets;
• The classroom will be prepared in such a way as to ensure sufficient spatial spacing between students and academics (at least 2 meters), to keep the spacing is obligatory in common areas as well;
• The number of members of the examination board for the State Final Examinations will be reduced to the necessary minimum in order to preserve the equality of testing of students by specialists in the designated areas.

COVID-19 and the deliberate spread of new coronavirus have been listed as contagious human disease in the Czech Republic and its spreading is a crime!

Following the gradual release of measures by the Government of the Czech Republic, the IHM management decided on the following measures, which are valid from May 4 to July 2, 2020 and may be modified in relation to the current development of the epidemiological situation:

1. School operation interruption

The time of interruption of the IHM operation was used for the repair of water distribution systems in the background of the building. This work was completed on April 20, 2020. Between April 27 and May 4, 2020, the school building will be cleaned, and area disinfected. For these reasons, the school building will remain fully closed until May 4, 2020 inclusive.

2. Personal presence of students and employees at school

From May 5 to July 2, 2020, the school will resume its operation, but to a limited extent.
The school will be open:

• Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, 7.00–15.00,
• and at the time of the State Final Examinations from June 15 to 24, 2020, both weeks from Monday to Thursday, 7.00–16.00.

On the stated days and times, not only all IHM employees are allowed to be personally present at the school, but also all students regardless of the year in which they are enrolled.

The school building will be open during the limited operation of IHM on the following days only:

• 5. 5., 6. 5. and 7. 5.;
• 12. 5., 13. 5. and 14. 5.;
• 19. 5., 20. 5. and 21. 5.;
• 26. 5., 27. 5. and 28. 5.;
• 2. 6., 3. 6. and 4. 6.;
• 9. 6., 10. 6. and 11. 6.;
• 15. 6., 16. 6., 17. 6. and 18. 6. (State Final Examinations);
• 22. 6., 23. 6., 24. 6. and 25. 6. (State Final Examinations);
• 30. 6., 1. 7. and 2. 7.

Before entering the school building, all students are obliged to affirm in the IHM IS “Confirmation of non-infectiousness”. The confirmation may be made electronically from April 20, 2020, from the front page with a visible link. Under the text of the Confirmation, the student clicks on the confirmation button. IHM IS saves a record of every single click (not only the last one).

All employees who have access to the IHM IS will see with the relevant student that he / she confirmed the Confirmation on that day. Once the Confirmation is done it will not be possible to withdraw. If a student observes the symptoms of the illness after confirming the Confirmation on that day, he / she must not go to school! The aim is to electronize the whole process, since even paper can be infectious and can be risky to handle.

All internal academic workers are required to have a personal presence at the workplace, at least two days a week starting May 5, 2020 and ending June 10, 2020, prior to the State Final Examinations, each day of at least 4 hours, always from 9.00 to 13.00. On the third day of the week, personal presence at the workplace is voluntary. This time can be used by internal academic workers for individual consultations with students (at least 90 minutes / week) or for individual examinations of students. The obligatory personal presence is determined at the time of the State Final Examinations for all members of the examination board. External workers are required to have a mandatory personal presence at the workplace for at least one of the three days, at least for 2 hours between 9.00 and 13.00 (individual consultations of at least 30 minutes / week). In case of absence for serious and very extraordinary reasons, the external worker will be represented by the head of the department.

It is the duty of all internal and external academic workers to list consultation hours in the IHM IS in the section Personal page - Teaching - Consultation hours to the specified extent by April 30, 2020 at the latest, for the period of validity from May 5 to July 2, 2020.

All non-academic (operational) employees are required to have a personal presence at the workplace three days a week starting on May 5, 2020 and ending on July 2, 2020, every day for at least 5 hours, but always from 9.00 to 13.00. This provision does not apply to employees of gastronomic establishments, with the exception of RevPAR Café and cleaning staff, with whom personal presence at the workplace will be resolved individually.

The home office applies to days when the school building is not in operation (Monday, Friday) and when the mandatory personal presence of the employee at the workplace is not ordered. The submission of work reports by individual employees for the months of April and May 2020 within the set deadlines is valid without change.

3. Operation of individual departments of the school

For the needs of students of IHM will be open:

• Study Department, always on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, 9.00–12.00.;
• Library, always on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, 9.00–12.00.;
• RevPAR Café with a "dispensing window", always on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 8.00–13.00.

In the Library of Dr. Jaroslav Holoubek students must not stay, they can visit it only for the purpose of collecting or submitting study literature. Hand disinfection will be performed before entering the library. The library worker is obliged to wear gloves when in contact with books and other similar goods.

The secretary of IHM CEO and the secretary of IHM Rector will be open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at 9.00–14.00. The assistant of The Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs will be available on Tuesdays at 9.00–14.00.

In the case of the Research Department, International Affairs Department, Marketing Department, IT Department and Operations Department, it is possible to contact their heads in advance by email and arrange a meeting in person at 9.00–14.00 on Tuesdays.

Neither the cash register nor the study will be in operation. Of the gastronomic establishments, only the RevPAR Café will be open, in the form of a "dispensing window". Other facilities (school canteen, day bar) will be closed. The lunch will not be provided to employees, students, and other diners until June 30, 2020. An exception is the provision of lunches for members of examination boards during the State Final Examinations in the period from June 15 to 24, 2020. The reception at the entrance to the school building and the cloakroom will also be closed.

4. Use and cleaning of school premises

During the limited operation of the IHM (from May 5 to July 2, 2020), it is possible to use primarily the offices of individual employees and common areas (toilets, corridors, staircases). At the same time, it is possible to use all classrooms for testing without further restrictions. The occupation of classrooms must be booked in advance with the assistant of the Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs and it is the duty of all internal and external workers as well as students to observe the measures during testing mentioned above! It is also possible for IHM employees to use the outdoor car park in the closed school complex.

The school premises cleaning will be done exclusively by internal staff on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. It will apply to all offices, common areas and classrooms.

5. Personal meetings of school collective bodies and events

Any personal (contact) meetings of IHM collective bodies with a number of participants higher than 3 persons are prohibited. Meetings of the Rector's Board, meetings of Heads of Departments, meetings of departments, meetings of working groups, meetings of research teams and meetings of selected commissions and boards (Disciplinary, Internal Evaluation, Academic, Administrative, etc.) will not take place in the school building during the limited operation of IHM. These meetings will continue to be contactless (video conferencing, per rollam voting, etc.). With regard to the set days of school operation, the Rector's Colleges will take place in the form of videoconferences for the period of limited operation of IHM extraordinarily on Monday morning, starting on May 4, 2020. It is forbidden to organize all events in the IHM building, including excursions, as well as the organization of all one-time (thematic) lifelong learning courses.

6. Full-time studies

The full-time form of studies is replaced by distance form for all students. For the final years, the school ends on April 30, 2020, for the lower years on May 21, 2020. The regular examination period follows. In the case of final years, the examination period will be extended from May 4 to June 10, 2020 (Bachelor studies), respectively June 17, 2020 (Master studies), for lower years the examination period will run from May 25 to June 30, 2020.

7. Combined studies

The timetables for students of VI. term of the combined form of study (with the exception of the final years) are available in IHM IS from April 17, 2020. If the epidemiological situation in the Czech Republic permits, the term will normally take place from May 25 to 28, 2020. In the case that its organization is not possible (mass contact form of study will continue to be banned), distant form of study will take place. According to possibilities, part of the lessons for lower years students will be substituted and completed by individual consultations and extraordinary block lessons during the I., II. and III. term in the winter semester of the academic year 2020/2021.

8. Credits, examinations and recording of evaluation

Students of IHM are allowed to take credits and exams both in a distance form and in person at the school at the time of its opening. Credits and exams will be taken either in the offices of individual teachers or in classrooms which can be used for the needs of individual examinations. The personal and distance form of passing credits and exams is equivalent.

In the case of distance passing of credits and examinations, the student’s evaluation is recorded only in the IHM IS. In the case of personal passing of credits and examinations, the evaluation is recorded both in the study card (index) and in IHM IS.

Students may take credits and exams in person or in a distance way during the regular exam period or during the extended substitute exam period, which will run from September 1 to October 30, 2020 for a period of 9 weeks.

Communication with students can be realized not only in person but also electronically, by e-mail, via video conferencing and chats (e.g. MS Teams, Skype, Zoom, Facebook) or by phone.

9. State Final Examinations

9.1 June 2020

The date of the State Final Exams (SFE) at IHM has been postponed for organizational reasons. SFE will take place both in distance form (on-line, videoconferencing) and in the personal presence of students at the university. The decision on the form of the SFE (distance, in person) will depend on the decision and possibilities of each individual student of IHM and will be fully respected by the examination boards!

In the Bachelor studies the SFE will take place from June 15 to 18, 2020, and in the Master studies from June 22 to 24, 2020, in the number of days according to the number of students enrolled.

The examination board for the distance form of the SFE will meet in room No. 120, which will be equipped with the appropriate technology. Students who want to take the SFE in a distance form and fulfil the prescribed duties (obtaining the appropriate number of credits, embedded electronic version of Bachelor Thesis / Diploma Thesis in IHM IS) will apply for this form of SFE by e-mail studijni@vsh.cz, by May 11, 2020 at the latest. The quality and speed of the technical connection between members of the examination board and the relevant student will be verified in advance at least 7 days before the actual SFE. At the same time, data security during transmission is guaranteed and the entire audio and video recording from the FSE must be archived by IHM for 5 years!

The personal form of the SFE will take place at IHM in spacious rooms arranged so as to prevent crowding and gathering of persons. These are rooms No. 031 (ground floor), 101, 104, MA107, VA107 (1st floor) and 208 (2nd floor).

In the case of the personal form of the SFE, the final years students in the Bachelor studies are obliged to submit to the Study Department of IHM a study card (index) and 1 hardcover copy of the Bachelor Thesis by June 10, 2020 at the latest.

In the case of the personal form of the SFE, the final years students in the Master studies are obliged to submit to the Study Department of IHM a study card (index) and 1 hardcover copy of the Diploma Thesis by June 17, 2020 at the latest.

In the case of the distance form of the SFE, the final years students are obliged to send by post or another way 1 hardcover copy of the Bachelor / Diploma Thesis to the following address:
Vysoká škola hotelová v Praze 8, spol. s r.o.
studijní oddělení
Svídnická 506
181 00 Praha 8.

The hardcover copy of the work must be delivered in physical form by post or other delivery service at IHM by May 31, 2020 at the latest. Otherwise, the student will not be allowed to take the SFE by distance form in June 2020. It is the duty of IHM to archive Bachelor / Diploma Thesis for 70 years in both printed and electronic versions. Therefore, the final years students who want to take the distance form of SFE are obliged to deliver the hardcover copy of their work. These students do not submit or send their study card (index).

The advisor’s and reviewer’s assessments of the Bachelor/Diploma Thesis can be filled in in the electronic version in the IHM IS from 27 April 2020, while the electronic versions of the Bachelor/Diploma Thesis submitted by their processors (students) to IHM IS will be assessed by the deadline set by the Rector.

9.2 September 2020

The final years students who will take the SFE in September 2020 (from September 1 to 4, 2020) can choose from both personal and distance form of the final examination. The distance form of the SFE is permitted by law until the end of the calendar year 2020. The decision will depend on the possibilities of each individual student of IHM and will be fully respected by the examination boards!

SFE for both the bachelor and master program will take place in the period from September 1 to 4, 2020, in the number of days according to the number of registered students. The exact dates will be specified by the Rector's Measure, the procedure will be similar to the SFE held in June 2020.

10. Students’ practice

Despite significant restrictions in the operation of accommodation, catering or spa facilities, travel agencies, and other entities operating in the public and private sector, the practice of IHM students is possible with effect from May 25, 2020, in connection with the announced date, from which it will be possible to resume the operation of accommodation and catering facilities in particular.

11. Erasmus+ program and working trips

The Erasmus+ program continues to be subject to restrictions on its realization, and until August 31, 2020, the IHM will not carry out any activities related to departures and arrivals of students and academic or non-academic workers. In the summer semester 2020, it is only possible to pre-select those interested in participating in the Erasmus+ program during the winter semester 2020. Working trips in the country and abroad to all IHM employees, provided the conditions are met, are permitted with effect from May 1, 2020.

12. Graduation ceremony

The graduation ceremony for successful IHM graduates up to and including September 2020 will take place at the Ambassador – Zlatá Husa Hotel in Prague on October 8, 2020. The graduation ceremony planned on June 25, 2020 is cancelled due to the time shift of the SFE without compensation.

13. Open Days and admissions procedure for the academic year 2020/2021

The Open days will take place at IHM in the personal form, the first will take place on May 13, 2020. Other dates of the Open days are always set from 10.00 am on Thursday May 21, May 28, June 4, June 11, June 18, and June 25, 2020. Applicants can also ask their questions by email (info@vsh.cz, studijni@vsh.cz) or by phone. The admission procedure (placement tests in foreign languages) will take place online without the personal presence of applicants for study between May 8 and 29, 2020.

For foreign applicants, selected certificates proving their language skills will also be recognized. In the 1st round of the admission procedure, application forms can be submitted until April 30, 2020, in the 2nd round standardly until July 31, 2020. School leaving certificates must be submitted by applicants no later than 45 days after the beginning of the academic year 2020/2021, i.e. by October 15, 2020.

Selected information and dates will be specified by the relevant Rector’s Measures. The above information has been discussed with the Vice-Rectors, Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer and is binding.

Information sent from March 1 to April 24, 2020 on COVID-19 and the epidemiological situation, with the exception of information from April 1, 2020 (distribution of tuition fees, waiver of fees, extension of the examination period, setting of due SFE dates) is completely deleted by this updated information for IHM employees and students.

The decisions of the CEO and the Rector of IHM come into force and effect on the day of their issue, while the interruption of the IHM operation is valid until May 4, 2020.

Ing. Petr S t u d n i č k a, PhD.
CEO
Institute of Hospitality Management in Prague 8, Ltd.

doc. Ing. Václav V i n š, CSc.
Rector
Institute of Hospitality Management in Prague

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