Fall Reminders and Updates for Faculty and Staff

Faculty and Staff Companions,

We hope that all of you have been able to take some time for relaxation and renewal this summer. As we all know, the calendar seems to speed up when August hits. Now that we are less than two weeks from our students’ arrival on campus, we have some important reminders and updated information.

Last Friday, we shared a message we had sent to students containing many details about what we’re doing to keep campus safe this fall, particularly in residence halls. In addition to knowing the facilities alterations, course modality adjustments and so forth that we are making, it is also helpful to know why we are going to these lengths and how we will monitor pandemic conditions heading into fall.

We believe that with all the measures we have implemented to make our environment as safe as possible and that if all of our community members work to practice the basic tenets of prevention emphasized by health care authorities – frequent handwashing, mask wearing, physical distancing – then students will benefit most by in-person instruction. At the same time, we will monitor conditions on campus, locally, regionally and nationally to make any necessary adjustments to our operations.

Important Partnerships and Variables

Beginning this month, we will join with administrators at UMKC and the Kansas City Art Institute to meet regularly with the Kansas City Health Department. This will allow us to stay up to date on important statistics and prevention information in our area and to be aware of any changes in procedures at our nearby higher-education institutions. In addition, we will continuously gather, compile and analyze data to help us make sound decisions.

We plan to monitor variables such as trends in the number of infections and deaths in our area; testing capacity and speed; availability of ICU beds in local hospitals; infection rates and trends on campus, and changing city and state requirements on travel and size of gatherings.

Health and Wellness

• We are working to foster a culture of good citizenship and compliance with pandemic safety measures among students, faculty and staff. If you see someone who is not wearing a facial covering or following other requirements, first kindly ask them to do so. If you are concerned that someone is showing blatant disregard for the health of our community, you can bring that to our attention by using the policy violation form.  If you do not know the names of people in violation or need immediate assistance, please call Security.
• The University is requesting that any member of the campus community who has any of the following new or unexplained symptoms should self-quarantine and submit that information by completing this form. Do not include symptoms associated with known or previously diagnosed medical conditions.
  • Shortness of breath
  • Cough
  • Fever (100.4 or greater)
  • Chills
  • Fatigue
  • Muscle aches/pain
  • Headache
  • Sore throat
  • Congestion or runny nose
  • Nausea/vomiting
  • Diarrhea
  • New loss of taste or smell 
• We are preparing kits for distribution to faculty and staff that will include reusable masks and hand sanitizer. Students will also be provided kits that will include masks and additional items.

Even though this semester will be unlike any other, we look forward to our time together and to welcoming a freshman class that continues to grow, with more new deposits received this week. The majority of our students are eager to have at least some face-to-face classes and by using our core values as our compass, we anticipate providing the same nurturing, holistic and high-quality academic experience that we always do.

Sincerely,

Matthew D. Quick, Ph.D. 
Dean of Students/Vice President 
Student Development and Athletics 
 
Douglas N. Dunham, Ph.D. 
Provost and Senior Vice President 
Academic Affairs