Fall 2020 Reopening Plan Revised August 11, 2020 The University of Maryland leadership team has collaborated across campus to plan for the safe and gradual resumption of on-campus activities “4 Maryland” in Fall 2020. It closely coordinated with state and county health officials, with additional guidance provided by the University System of Maryland. Four principles inform the plan: 1. Prioritize the health and safety of every member of our campus community; 2. Protect and support the educational and research missions to maintain academic excellence; 3. Make decisions grounded in our values of equity and inclusion; 4. Provide timely and transparent communication and collect input from internal and external stakeholders. 4 Maryland 4 Maryland, the university’s campus-wide health information campaign, promotes important behaviors that focus on individual responsibility to keep ourselves and others safe. Everyone on campus is expected to follow four core guidelines: 1. If you’re sick, don’t report to work or class. 2. Wear a face covering at all times indoors and outdoors when other people are nearby. 3. Stay at least 6 feet from others at all times. 4. Wash your hands frequently or use hand sanitizer if soap and water are unavailable. The campaign materials include posters, floor clings, digital screen graphics and more to emphasize these messages throughout campus. General materials are provided in English and Spanish bilingual versions. The first phase of the 4 Maryland health information campaign included installing signs in common areas of buildings that are in use. Common areas include building entrances and lobbies, restrooms, existing hand sanitizing stations and elevators. 4 Health and Safety The university’s plan for COVID-19 monitoring, testing and early warning requires all members of the Terp community to do the following before the semester starts: * Pledge to abide by CDC-recommended health and safety regulations. * Watch a video (employees) or complete online training (students). * Take a COVID-19 test(s). All students, faculty and staff must get a test before the fall semester, per University System of Maryland guidance (https://www.usmd.edu/newsroom/news/2068). Terps can find testing sites in their area (https://www.hhs.gov/coronavirus/community-based-testing-sites/index.html). You must provide the university with confirmation of a negative result, or, if you test positive, must stay at home, follow CDC guidance and be cleared by your health care provider before coming to campus. Students must also get a free test on campus the weeks of Aug. 17, 24 and 31. Registration is required. (https://uhr.umd.edu/coronavirus/return-to-campus/covid-19-testing-information/) You will be asked to remain home or in your on-campus residence and self-monitor for virus symptoms until you receive a negative test result. Anyone who tests positive will be required to self-isolate at home for 14 days, per CDC guidelines. Details on how to upload your test results prior to coming to campus are forthcoming. * Daily self-monitor and report temperature and any symptoms if on campus. Submit them into the online reporting system at return.umd.edu. The university's health and safety plan contains the following components to safely reopen and operate the campus, with early detection of infectious cases as the key to limit outbreaks. * Contact tracing. Any positive test result will be communicated immediately to state health authorities, who will activate a contact tracing team to identify potential secondary cases to limit the infection’s spread. * Environmental monitoring. UMD faculty experts are developing approaches for early detection of impending illnesses by monitoring wastewater, air and high-touch surfaces in campus buildings. * Behavioral changes. The 4 Maryland health information campaign promotes important healthy behaviors. * Cleaning protocols. All buildings approved for occupancy will be cleaned on a regular basis, including enhanced cleaning of high-traffic areas, and occupants are asked to assist by wiping chairs, tables and other high-touch surfaces after using them. * All classrooms used for in-person instruction will be equipped with sanitary wipes for surfaces such as seats, desks and tables between each class. * Instructors will be asked to allow time for students to sanitize their work area before class and to similarly sanitize their own work area and whatever equipment they plan to use for the class. * Classroom seating will be arranged or marked to indicate safe seating distances. * Hand sanitizer stations will be available near classrooms. * Classrooms and high-touch areas in buildings will be cleaned and disinfected nightly. * Instructors will be expected to deliver handouts and other types of course material digitally through ELMS-Canvas to minimize the exchange of papers or any other instruction materials. * Signs will be posted to direct one-way traffic within busy campus buildings and to indicate safe distancing to minimize the likelihood of congestion in hallways, at entrances, restrooms, etc. * Cleaning frequency will be increased in community restrooms and high-touch areas in residence halls such as elevator buttons, water fountains and door handles. * Employee flexibility. In general, the university encourages flexibility for employees, including graduate assistants. Departments should consider use of alternative work schedules, such as some on-campus work days and some telework days, use of leave and flexibility with starting and finishing times. University Human Resources has created handbooks for employees and supervisors: * For employees: Working Through COVID-19: Returning to Campus (https://umd.box.com/shared/static/hkb67k3asl4m6qxi57xjf2du92hiny02.pdf) * For supervisors: Managing Through COVID-19: Returning to Campus (https://umd.box.com/shared/static/qwekt5dsn8pzmozw82zsw34qac4gwutz.pdf) 4 Education Students can expect blended education and a campus with fewer people on it when the semester begins on schedule on Aug. 31. Undergraduate in-person instruction will be delivered online for the first two weeks, until Sept. 14. All graduate-level instruction and approved research activities will proceed as planned. Classes will run through Dec. 14, as scheduled. Faculty are preparing contingency plans to move entirely to online instruction after Thanksgiving break, should there be a resurgence of the pandemic in late fall. The time between classes or the standard daily start and stop times for classes are not expected to change. The final exam period will be as scheduled, Dec. 16–22. Because 6-foot physical distancing limits the number of students who can be accommodated in a classroom, learning and teaching will look different this semester. Courses of more than 50 students will be delivered online. About 20% of undergraduate courses will be offered at least partially in-person, with priority given to classes that particularly need in-person instruction, such as some labs, performance courses, senior capstone projects, clinical instruction and internships. Some of the innovations being developed by faculty this summer are aimed at using creative blended instruction and hopefully will accommodate partial in-person instruction even in some larger classes, through smaller breakout and discussion sections. The updated Fall course schedule with final course options is available at testudo.umd.edu, including the format (in-person, online or blended) for each course. On July 27, University Libraries entered Phase 2 of its reopening plan and began providing curbside pickup (https://www.lib.umd.edu/access/curbside-pickup-info) of physical materials from McKeldin Library. Further details of the reopening plan can be found on the Libraries website (https://www.lib.umd.edu/about/coronavirus-updates#phases). Education Abroad programs in all locations for the Fall 2020 semester are canceled. For detailed information about the canceled programs and other updates, visit the Education Abroad website (https://globalmaryland.umd.edu/offices/education-abroad/coronavirus-and-study-abroad-updates). 4 Research Research operations were the first activities to resume on campus, speaking to the vital role researchers serve at the University of Maryland. Deans must approve a safety assuredness plan for each research lab in order for work there to resume. Researchers who can conduct their work remotely should continue to do so. * University research is in Phase 1 (limited presence) as of June 8, in which only 25% of all researchers are back in their campus labs. * Phase 2 (intermediate presence) is proposed to start in September, allowing up to 50% of researchers to return to their campus labs. * Phase 3 (full resumption) is proposed to start in January, allowing up to 75% of researchers to return to their campus labs. Find more information at research.umd.edu/covid19#. (https://research.umd.edu/covid19#) 4 Student Life Residence Halls Residence halls will be converted to reduce occupancy and to allow for physical distancing. * Most students will live in single rooms in traditional and semi-suite buildings and, as appropriate, in suites and apartments. The Department of Resident Life will try to assign students who submitted roommate requests to rooms near each other. 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 (http://reslife.umd.edu/housing/fees/). * Community restrooms and high-touch areas in the residence halls such as elevator buttons, water fountains and door handles will be cleaned at an increased frequency. * Residential spaces will be set aside for isolation and quarantining if needed. * Details of new guidance on Thanksgiving break include: * 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. * If the university decides not to hold in-person classes after Thanksgiving break due to an outbreak, the Department of Resident Life will close residence halls at the beginning of the break and provide housing only for students with extenuating circumstances. * Appointments for the two move-in options were released Aug. 11. The Department of Resident Life encourages students to choose the “set up and go” option over traditional move in, if possible. More details are available on Resident Life’s move-in page. (http://reslife.umd.edu/movein/options/) * The deadline for students to cancel their On-Campus Housing and Dining Agreement without financial penalty was extended through noon. Aug. 12. 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. Find more information at reslife.umd.edu/fall2020. Dining Dining halls will open with reduced seating capacity, new carryout options and physical distancing, all with safety in mind. Access to dining halls will be limited to students with dining plans or who have access to Dining Dollars. Until undergraduate in-person instruction begins on Sept. 14, all on-campus dining will be grab-and-go to minimize indoor interactions while dining, where wearing a face covering is not possible. The Diner (Ellicott) and South Campus Dining Hall will offer dine-in, all-you-care-to-eat service for those on dining plans. Carryout will be offered to this same group at 251 North (Denton), the Patio (outdoor barbecue adjacent to the Diner), Side Kicks at South Campus Dining Hall and new “outpost stations.” In addition to the three dining halls, Dining Services will open several outpost locations: an outdoor grill by The Diner, the east dining room at South Campus Dining Hall and others. They will have fresh boxed meals ready for carryout. Other changes will include hand sanitizing stations at entrances, one-way directional signs throughout the dining halls and physical distancing floor markers, and seating rearranged to accommodate physical distancing. All guests will wear masks except when seated at a table. Dining Services employees will serve all meals, and they will wear face masks and sometimes face shields. Breath guards have been added to some serving stations. All protocols will meet or exceed local, state and federal guidelines for food service. Visit dining.umd.edu/updates for more information. Recreation The Stamp Student Union, Eppley Recreation Center and other community gathering places will reopen with health and safety measures in place. Co-curricular programming will emphasize outdoor and virtual activities. Parking Parking restrictions will resume in all campus lots at 7 a.m. Aug. 31, the first day of classes. Until then, parking spaces in student lots (lots that begin with a number) remain free and open. Payment is required in visitor parking locations. Students who plan to park on campus during the semester need to purchase a student parking permit. Registration for student parking will open on a rolling basis according to credit level beginning in late July. Commuters can buy a new daily permit—a single-use, digital permit. Each permit costs $12 and will be sold in increments of five. Find more information at transportation.umd.edu. Health and Wellness 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 Find more information at health.umd.edu and counseling.umd.edu/covid19/. 4 Intercollegiate Athletics The Department of Athletics’ comprehensive plan to safely return to training, practice, competition and work prioritizes the health and well-being of student-athletes, coaches and staff. The plan, featuring a gradual, phased approach, complies with public health guidelines as well as NCAA and Big Ten Conference requirements. The Big Ten on Aug. 11 postponed all sports (men’s and women’s cross country, field hockey, football, men’s and women’s soccer, and women’s volleyball). Big Ten student-athletes who choose not to participate in intercollegiate athletics at any time during the summer and the 2020-21 academic year due to concerns about COVID-19 will have their scholarship honored and will remain in good standing with their team. Find more information at umterps.com. For the most up-to-date information about reopening plans, visit umd.edu/4maryland.