Dear Residential Students,

Following my communication to all Spring 2022 licensed residential students on Friday, January 7.  I am writing to let you know next steps for the start of Spring semester. Please read today's email to campus carefully for additional information required of all community members, including residents.

1. Per the UMBC requirement, all eligible students should seek a COVID-19 booster shot by the start of Spring semester, January 31. 

• To understand when you are eligible, review this chart here. 

• You can report your booster using the forms on this page. We strongly encourage all in our community to sign up for CRISP, our regional health exchange, so that we can automatically receive your COVID-19 vaccination and booster data.

• This requirement applies to all vaccine-eligible students living on-campus, including Walker Avenue Apartments. It may take up to 10 days to get an appointment and vaccination off-campus so make sure to plan ahead before you return to campus. For students in Maryland, visit here.  

• Booster vaccinations are also available on-campus, by appointment only, on the following scheduled dates:

• January 20

• February 3 

• All students with approved medical and religious exemptions must continue to comply with health and safety requirements and will receive separate instructions.

2. You must take a PCR test the day you arrive on campus. 

• All 9- and 12-month residents currently on-campus, including Walker Avenue Apartments, are required to take an on-campus PCR test between Friday, January 28 – Sunday, January 30. 

• All students moving on to campus must test on the first day that they arrive on campus. More information on how to test is available here.

• PCR Test kits will be available at all community desks during move-in.

• We also recommend that, if they have access, students should take an at-home rapid test the day before they arrive. 

• If you have recently tested positive for COVID-19, you must review and comply with this guidance before moving in.

While we know that we cannot fully prevent the spread of COVID-19 on campus, public health guidance is clear that full vaccination is crucial to reducing case transmission, thereby minimizing serious illness and hospitalization in our community. These actions are key to our ability to continue to offer on-campus housing, in-person classes, and campus activities. 

For additional questions regarding the COVID-19 requirements, please review these Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). Further information will be coming next week regarding move-in and the start of Spring semester. We appreciate your help and continued commitment to our community. We look forward to seeing you soon.

John Fox

Director, Residential Life

Dear USG Community,

As we turn our attention to the spring semester, we continue to face the challenges brought on by COVID-19, which now include the rapidly spreading Omicron variant. For the USG community, this meant starting back after the winter break with remote services and limited on-campus activity. We will continue limiting operations on the USG campus and encourage everyone to operate as virtually as possible until February 7, 2022. 

USG is working with its academic partners and programs to determine the amount of spring courses that can be offered virtually for the first few weeks of the semester, with the goal of decreasing the number of people on the USG campus during this time. The USG Health and Safety Committee will continue to reassess the situation, considering information from Montgomery County, the State of Maryland, and the University System of Maryland.  

Health and safety protocols for returning to the USG campus include the following:

• Everyone must comply with their home campus health and safety protocols on testing, vaccinations, symptom monitoring, etc.

• Everyone returning in-person must be fully vaccinated, per the previous USM mandate, unless they have been granted an exemption.

• Most of the partner universities are requiring a negative COVID-19 test prior to being on campus. Everyone should report the negative test in accordance with their home institution’s procedure. (USG staff will receive specific information on compliance with UMD health and safety protocols in a separate email.)

• Individuals are required to wear a KN95 mask over their mouth and nose while on the USG campus. There will be some KN95s at the security desk for emergency use. USG Staff will be provided masks from the Health and Safety team. For USG partners, masks can be picked up from program directors. In addition to the KN95s, partner institutions will provide their faculty and students with the appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) that is needed for their classroom, clinic, or lab.

• Everyone is urged to avoid high risk-of-transmission environments (e.g. no eating in groups, no studying in groups without masks).

• For those who need COVID-19 testing to meet university requirements, the USG COVID-19 testing clinic will reopen operations with the regular Monday (9am - 4pm) and Thursday (11am - 6pm) schedule beginning on January 17, 2022. This clinic is only open to the USG Community; it is not a public clinic. 

• We are also planning on continuing to host the free testing clinic on Wednesdays, which is open to the public and operated by Montgomery County. We will keep you informed of any updates to additional testing opportunities on the campus. In the meantime, there are also other free testing clinics in Montgomery County and throughout the state.

• Information on how to report a positive COVID-19 case or to ask questions about possible exposure can be found on the USG Onward website. There are specific hotline phone numbers, emails and contacts for each institution.

Reminder - Individuals should not come to the campus if: (1) they are experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms; (2) they are waiting for the results of a COVID-19 test because of symptoms; or (3) they are sick in any way, even with a mild illness.

The pandemic has proven to be unpredictable in many ways and while we expect our USG community to be back on campus (with regular scheduled telework) after February 7th, we urge those who are planning large, in-person events for February or March to consider planning with hybrid or virtual alternatives, should COVID-19 measures require a greater shift to remote activities. Delaying events until later in the semester is also an option to consider. 

For more updates on health and safety guidelines and information, please visit the USG Onward website. 

Thank you for continuing to do your part in following these important measures. We wish everyone much success and good health this semester!

KEY POINTS

• Spring semester classes will begin as scheduled on January 31.

• Spring telework agreements will be in effect beginning January 24.

• All in our on-campus community must be up to date with our vaccination requirement, including a “booster shot” when eligible.

• PCR tests are required for all returning to campus.

• KN95 or equivalent masks must be worn in all spaces where masking is required.

Dear UMBC Community,

As promised, we are writing to update you on the University’s plans for the spring semester. Classes will begin as scheduled on January 31, and spring telework agreements will be in effect beginning January 24. 

It is clear that the COVID-19 Omicron variant will affect many in our campus community as we begin this semester. Knowing that many of us and our families have and will continue to be impacted by this virus, we will continue our multi-layered approach to health and safety precautions and our commitment to compassion and flexibility for students, faculty, and staff. If you need additional support or flexibility as the semester starts, please ask for help. Students can reach out to their instructors and advisors, faculty should work with their department chairs and keep their students informed, and staff can work directly with supervisors. We will get through this together.  

Three safety requirements will allow us to continue teaching and learning, research and creative achievement, and other community activities as safely as possible. We expect all students, faculty, and staff on campus to comply with these measures:

1. Be up to date with our vaccination requirement, which will include an additional dose of the COVID-19 vaccine—a “booster shot”—when you are eligible. More information is located on this page.

2. Take an on-campus PCR test on the first day that you return to campus. We will share particular information on how to test for the spring semester directly with commuting and residential students. Instructions on how to test are available here. 

3. Wear KN95 or equivalent masks in all spaces where masking is required. The campus continues to require indoor masking for all community members and visitors. More information, including locations to obtain free masks, is available here.

Finally, please remember that community members who have been on campus and have tested positive, or been a close contact of someone who has tested positive, should file a Case Report Form. We also have added guidance for community members who have recently tested positive.

Thank you for your continued commitment to keeping our community healthy and strong. Additional guidance for faculty members, residential students, and our Universities at Shady Grove students and faculty will be forthcoming soon. If you have any questions, contact us at covid19@umbc.edu.

Provost Philip Rous

Vice President of Information Technology and CIO Jack Suess

COVID-19 Planning Coordinating Committee Co-Chairs