Dear Colleagues,

As we prepare for the new academic year, our campus operations look quite different than one year ago, when the Delta variant of COVID-19 threatened our best planning and we were, once again, donning masks and managing isolation and quarantine spaces for our students living in residence halls.

While COVID-19 still exists within our community and new variants of concern are identified, we also have the tools to mitigate its effects. We now manage COVID-19 on a regular basis, much like other common viruses and illnesses. At the same time, we continue to monitor how COVID-19 is impacting our campus and the Missoula community. Should we need to share timely updates regarding COVID-19, we’ll send campus-wide emails and post updates on UM’s Curry Health Center website.

The same goes for other viruses that could impact us such as monkeypox. We are monitoring cases in Montana and, if warranted, will issue additional guidance should there be an increase of cases in our community. We encourage you to learn about monkeypox symptoms and prevention.

Below is the current campus guidance for the fall semester as it relates to COVID-19. Feel free to include some or all of it in your syllabi:

• The University encourages COVID-19 vaccines and boosters, which are offered for both students and employees at the Health Services Pharmacy inside Curry Health Center.
• ​Masks are only required inside Curry Health Center and in some medical/research laboratories on campus. This requirement will be clearly posted. Required or not, we respect those choosing to wear a mask to reduce spread of respiratory viruses.
• COVID-19 testing for students is available at Curry Health Center. For employees, contact your primary care provider or visit a walk-in clinic. Free at-home tests can be ordered online, or there may be tests available through the Health Services Pharmacy by calling 243-5171.

Guidance for employees:

• Please follow the CDC guidance for isolation if you are COVID-19 positive.
• If you test positive for COVID-19, do not attend work or events at UM for at least five days or as long as you are sick. Per CDC guidance, please mask for 5 days post-isolation. Follow the University’s normal sick leave policies.
• If you test positive for COVID-19 but feel able to work (and your position allows you to work remotely), please coordinate with your supervisor as appropriate.

Guidance for students:

• UM Housing is no longer operating separate quarantine/isolation spaces for students in the residence halls. UM Housing will provide guidance for students isolating in place in the residence halls.
• Students who test positive for COVID-19 need to isolate for at least five days, which includes not attending in-person classes. During isolation, students should stay home or follow UM Housing guidance for isolation in place, and, if they must leave for food, medicines or other essentials, wear a high-quality mask. 
• After five days students can leave isolation if they are symptom-free but we ask they follow CDC guidance and mask for 5 days post-isolation. If symptoms persist, isolation should continue until students are symptom-free for 24 hours (without use of medications to alleviate the symptoms). 

Guidance for faculty responding to student illness:

• Students who test positive need to isolate and not attend in-person classes for at least five days. 
• As with any other illness, please work to accommodate student absences. Consider ways to make course content available, such as using Moodle, in the event of multiple student absences.
• Visit the UMOnline Faculty Support page for additional resources and guidance on supporting students who miss classes due to illness. 

For face-to-face teaching, room capacity and furniture placement are no longer dictated by COVID-19 mitigation measures. Classroom assignments have been made based on class size and in compliance with ADA and fire safety standards.

Thank you for your leadership and care for our students, colleagues and the UM community. Together, we are learning to navigate an environment that will, undoubtedly, continue to include COVID-19 risks along with other viruses.

 
Sincerely,

Kimber McKay,
Interim Vice Provost for Academic Affairs

Paula Short,
Associate Vice President for Campus Preparedness and Response

This message was sent on behalf of the Offices of the Provost and Campus Preparedness and Response to all UM faculty, staff, administrators and affiliates.