Student Life Plan
←Return to the Fall 2020 Reopening Plan
The student experience will include new safety guidelines and opportunities regarding housing, dining, co-curricular activities, and mental health and wellness.
- Residence halls will be converted to help reduce occupancy and to allow for physical distancing
- All protocols will meet or exceed local, state and federal guidelines for food service.
- The Stamp Student Union is open with appropriate health and safety measures in place. Additional information can be found at https://stamp.umd.edu/. Eppley Recreation Center and other community gathering places will reopen soon.
- Co-curricular programming will emphasize outdoor and virtual activities.
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All health and safety measures must be followed by students both on and off campus, per our Student Code of Conduct. Sanctions for non-compliance include, but are not limited to, loss of privileges to attend campus events, housing dismissal, removal from all on-campus activities including in-person classes, and dismissal from the University.
Residence halls will be converted to help reduce occupancy and to allow for physical distancing.
- Residence halls will convert to single room occupancy in traditional and semi-suite buildings and, as appropriate, in suites and apartments. To see the full list of updated housing and room and board fees, which have been frozen at 2019-20 rates, visit the Housing Rates webpage.
- Community restrooms and high-touch point areas in the residence halls such as elevator buttons, water fountains and door handles will be cleaned at an increased frequency.
- There will be residential spaces for isolation and quarantining if needed.
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Due to the increased risk of transmission of COVID-19 during travel, if in-person classes resume after Thanksgiving break, residents who travel during that period cannot return to their residence hall rooms until the halls open in Spring 2021. No refunds will be given for students who are unable to return to the residence halls due to this travel.
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If the university decides to transition all classes online, students will not be permitted to return to campus housing after Thanksgiving, except for resident students who have extenuating circumstances and need emergency housing.
Students can cancel their On-Campus Housing and Dining Agreement without financial penalty through 12:00 noon on Wednesday, August 12 by sending an email to reslife@umd.edu that includes your name, University ID and reason for canceling. Those who do so and are interested in returning to the residence halls for the 2021-22 academic year will retain their commitment group status as if they lived on campus this year.
Resident assistants will organize virtual opportunities for students to connect and get to know each other. In-person opportunities will be very limited and held outdoors following all appropriate safety protocols.
Fall 2020 On-Campus Housing Updates
Dining halls will open with reduced seating capacity and physical distancing, with all changes prioritizing safety. During our two-week online period, all on-campus dining will be grab-and-go to minimize indoor interactions while dining, where wearing a face covering is not possible.
- Hand sanitizing stations will be available at entrances.
- All guests will wear masks except when seated at a table.
- One-way directional signs and physical distancing floor markers will be posted throughout the dining halls.
- Breath guards have been added to some serving stations
- Team members will wear face coverings and sometimes face shields, depending on their job assignment.
- All food will be served by Dining Services team members.
- Seating in the dining halls will be rearranged to accommodate physical distancing.
The University Health Center and the Counseling Center will be open for both in-person medical assistance and counseling as well as online options for support. Modified services, programs and activities include:
- Telemedicine appointments
- Pharmacy
- Behavioral health services
- Health Promotion and wellness services
- Sexual health and women’s health services
- CARE to Stop Violence
- Campus Pantry
- Accessibility and Disability Services
Feedback
We value input from our campus community. Please fill out our feedback form to share suggestions or report concerns about health and safety on campus.
Help Terps in Need. Your gift to the UMD Student Crisis Fund provides critical funds to students who need immediate assistance due to the COVID-19 pandemic.