|
Hello, colleagues!
We are looking forward to the start of our new semester – and seeing many of you again after a challenging and busy five months. Each day since working from home in March, we’ve been planning for fall semester and our return to campus. We’re striving to make the upcoming academic year an exciting and meaningful experience for our students while protecting the health and safety of all of us.
We want to share the latest on our return to campus. The goal is to ensure you are prepared and know what to expect when you get here.
Key Dates and Resources
• Take note: Phase 3 of our Roos Return to campus begins next week and the official re-opening of student-facing services is set for Aug. 17. Employees are welcome to return to campus starting Monday, with supervisor approval. By Aug. 17, all student-facing offices will be open for business, either in person or virtually. All other unit leaders should have plans in place by Aug. 17 for their staff’s working arrangements for the fall. Department plans to physically return to campus will vary from office to office, depending on employee work responsibilities and whether that work is student-facing.
• Please visit the UMKC coronavirus website, especially the faculty and staff pages, for up-to-date information, guidelines, resources and frequently asked questions about health and safety on campus.
• Attend our virtual town hall at noon, Monday, Aug. 10 for answers to faculty and staff questions. Here’s the Zoom link.
• Participate in Week of Welcome activities. We have a guide for how faculty and staff can help welcome our new and returning students.
Getting Ready
• In the weeks before arriving on campus, we are counting on you to follow best practices for preventing COVID-19, such as taking your temperature daily, wearing a mask in all indoor spaces, frequent handwashing, avoiding large-group gatherings and traveling to hotspots. Here is the complete list.
Campus Safety Policies
• Classrooms, offices, laboratories and other indoor spaces have been prepared to maintain physical distancing. Classroom occupancy numbers have been limited, hand sanitizing stations have been distributed widely, and we have added extensive signage all over both campuses with rules and recommendations on topics ranging from elevator restrictions (maximum two passengers at a time in most cases) to restroom procedures. Click here for full details.
• Face coverings or masks are required on campus inside all buildings, per Kansas City order, and outside when physically distancing at least six feet isn’t possible.
• Please review our detailed protocol for faculty and staff who test positive for the virus. The key element is to inform your supervisor by phone and not return to campus until you obtain a return to work certification from a health-care provider.
• Information on pandemic-related time-off policies, child-care issues and isolation/quarantine procedures can be found in the UM System Human Resources policies relating to the pandemic.
Finally, we recognize that during this unprecedented situation, it is normal to be anxious and want answers for every scenario. UMKC is committed to providing the information you want and need, but because the pandemic situation is constantly evolving, we also ask for your patience and flexibility. We must all take personal responsibility for keeping ourselves and our fellow Roos safe! Our UMKC Coronavirus website contains all the latest information about precautions, policies and procedures. If you have any questions about resources or campus policies, please contact umkcfeedback@umkc.edu.
Sincerely,
C. Mauli Agrawal, Ph.D.
Chancellor
Jenny Lundgren, Ph.D.
Provost
| |
|
|
|
|
