8/28/20 – Message from President Rice to students

Dear UMPI Students!
First off, welcome back, whether you are attending classes from a distance (near or far) or on campus!  And if you are on campus, just a friendly reminder of what to expect in the classroom, residence halls, and public spaces (CIL, Gentile Hall, Campus Center, etc) as you return.  Also– we have been making adjustments to the location of classrooms to ensure appropriate social distancing these past two weeks as enrollments have been increasing– so please check your Maine Street Student Center schedule *before* going to classes on Monday and Tuesday to ensure you know the right location and the right entrance and exit doors for the building!
Thanks you– stay safe– and see you SOON!
Ray

Greetings UMPI Owls!

It’s almost time for classes to begin! Please see below for some helpful guidance about campus accessibility, what to expect when attending live classes, and face coverings.

Campus Flow

Attached you will find a campus map that identifies the various entry and exit points for our buildings.  Please know that some of our buildings will remain locked to minimize walk-in traffic.  Specifically, Preble Hall, South Hall and Normal Hall will be locked.  Please work with offices and individuals in those buildings through email, Zoom or phone.  If an in-person meeting is required, please set-up an appointment ahead of time.  Additionally, the CIL will have card access activated, meaning the main doors will be locked and students, faculty and staff can use their current UMPI ID to access the facility.

What to expect when attending classes

As classes begin on Monday, there are few items to keep in mind:

  1. Students should check their schedule. Rooms have changed as we’ve made accommodations for the various class sizes. It is also important to check your Maine.edu account for emails from professors for specific guidance about their classes.

  2. Please arrive at your class on-time.  To limit group gathering in the halls of Folsom and Pullen we ask that everyone comes to the class as close to the start time as possible, while not being late.  This will allow the prior class to finish and people to exit. If you do need to wait outside a class, please continue to social distance.  We have placed signage on the floor to help with the appropriate distances.

  3. You will notice that the rooms have been set up to promote social distancing.  Please, under no circumstances, change the layouts of these rooms.

  4. Upon entering the classrooms, you will see sanitizing wipe dispensers.  We ask that each person, as they enter the room, take one or two wipes, and then proceed to where you intend to sit and immediately wipe down the space, disposing of the wipe in the trash receptacle in the room.

Quarantine

As classes begin, we may still have some students who are required to quarantine on Monday as they await their test result. Faculty are aware of this.  It is important that these students remain in quarantine and not attend classes until cleared to do so.

Face Coverings

  1. Face coverings are required at all times at UMPI, including the Houlton Higher Education Center, both indoors and outside and if traveling on university business in a vehicle with others or engaged in official university business or activities away from campus.

  2. The face coverings are to be of the type recommended by public health officials. These are generally made of multiple layers of cloth, which cover the nose, mouth and chin and are secured either with ear loops or with ties behind the head.

  3. The University asks everyone to aim for not mere technical compliance with the face covering requirement but rather to meet the spirit and intention of the face covering requirement when wearing your own face covering.  There are a very limited number of exceptions to this policy that are clearly outlined on the student section of the UMS website: https://www.maine.edu/together/community-guidance/students/

UMPI enter and exit map