May 14, 2020 - Preparing for a phased approach to campus repopulation
Dear UMSL Colleagues,
The COVID-19 pandemic has created numerous obstacles and hardships in all of our personal and professional lives. And, as I stated in my community message earlier this week, I am proud of the way in which our students, faculty, staff and supporters have responded to advance our mission of transforming lives.
Now – the next step is to begin bringing people back together. Slowly and safely!
In keeping with local and state stay-at-home orders, the University of Missouri–St. Louis will begin a phased approach to repopulate the campus with the goal of opening the fall semester as near normal for students as possible under appropriate guidelines for health and safety.
Employees who have not been previously approved for on-site work cannot return to campus until notified by their respective College, School or Division lead. CSD leads will be asked to create plans to bring back a limited number of employees in early June to focus on critical on-site projects and activities related to student recruitment and retention as well as sponsored research and scholarship – especially related to the current public health crisis. Those plans must contain appropriate safety measures for review by Unified Command and approval by the Executive Policy Group before supervisors may notify employees who will return to work.
Later repopulation phases will begin in July as we gear up our activities for the return of students to in-person and online/remote classes. Again, CSD leads will be assessing individuals whose functions must be performed on-site and address measures for their safety.
Individuals approved to return on-site will be asked to follow and commit to compliance with public health and safety measures while on campus, including practices to maintain social distance, monitoring of personal health and a commitment to stay home if fever or other symptoms are detected.
Those who can work remotely to fulfill some or all of their work responsibilities should continue to do so at the discretion of their respective CSD lead. Reducing the number of individuals on campus is a critical factor in limiting the potential spread of the COVID-19 virus.
UMSL is an institution of opportunity – a fact more thoroughly understood and accepted as this pandemic has had a more significant impact on the community we serve, and in which we live, than anywhere else in Missouri.
Your work in the classrooms, laboratories and our community is more important than ever as we strive to help St. Louis recover from this historic crisis.
Gratefully forward,
Kristin Sobolik
Chancellor
University of Missouri–St. Louis
