Welcome to the fall 2020 semester at UMBC! We’re excited to welcome you back even though these extraordinary times create unique challenges for many of us. We want to provide you with information about how to protect yourself, support the health and safety of our campus community, and reduce the risk of spread of COVID-19 at UMBC and beyond. We also write to share UMBC’s community expectations during the transition back to campus.
All students who will be attending face-to-face classes and/or living or working on campus this fall are required to complete the Return to Campus COVID Awareness training by August 27, 2020. To access the training, please use the following instructions:
· Log in to your UMBC Blackboard site.
· Select the “Organizations” section located on the left side of your screen.
· Select the training “Return to Campus COVID Awareness.”
· Select Module 1 to begin the training.
· This training does not have to be completed in one sitting; however, you must complete all five training modules.
If you are having any issues accessing the training, please follow the instructions located at this FAQ page to self-enroll in the Return to Campus COVID Awareness.
At the end of module 5, you will be asked to acknowledge and sign the Retriever Community Agreement making a personal commitment to precautions and actions required in order to minimize the potential spread of COVID-19 on our campus and beyond.
If you do not complete the training and sign the Retriever Community Agreement by August 27 you will be required to take classes online and/or live off campus until circumstances allow for a return to campus.
Additional information on all of the requirements for students approved to return to campus, including information on COVID-19 testing options and daily symptom tracking, is available on the Retrievers Return Roadmap site.
Thank you very much for your commitment to helping us keep our UMBC community as healthy as possible. We look forward to seeing you soon!
]]>Campus Status: UMBC is open, with most students, faculty, and staff studying, teaching, and working remotely. Facilities remain closed. If you have an emergency, please call UMBC Police at (410) 455-5555. Maryland is currently under a Safer at Home Order. However, travel and other restrictions remain in Baltimore County and other areas.
The latest campus updates are posted on the Retriever Ready website.
COVID-19 Testing and Tracking
Check out UMBC’s COVID-19 Testing and Tracking page for the most up-to-date information on requirements for students, faculty, and staff who are approved to be on campus for the fall 2020 semester.
Student Services and Support
On Friday, August 14, students who will take face-to-face classes and/or live on campus this fall received instructions to complete an online Return to Campus COVID Awareness training by August 27. The training includes the Retriever Community Agreement to complete and sign. The Retriever Community Agreement also includes links to the Addendum to the Code of Student Conduct and the Addendum to the Code of Student Organization Conduct. Students who are not required to complete the module but would like the option to do so can find it by logging in to UMBC Blackboard, selecting the “Organizations” section located on the left side of the screen; and selecting “Return to Campus COVID Awareness.”
The Albin O. Kuhn Library & Gallery is now lending physical items, including books, media, laptops, and digital media equipment from the library’s collection, with curbside contactless retrieval.
Students can sign up for Start of Semester Student Technology Sprints to make sure they are tech "self-sufficient" to learn online.
Welcome Week kicks off with Playfair online this Friday, August 21. Check out welcomeweek.umbc.edu for more information and event listings.
The Career Center continues their summer virtual events this Thursday, August 20, with SEO Playback Series: Explore technology internship opportunities and Building Your Brand: Join Google as they teach how to build a personal brand.
Do you know students looking to get involved at UMBC? Involvement Fest is just around the corner. Check out the full list of student organizations and online events September 8 – 11.
Registration is now open for Leadership Blueprint, a program that helps students craft a more fulfilling college experience through practical design thinking tools and involvement plans.
Business Continuity and Employee Support
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) remains available to all employees. Up-to-date information and FAQs around the FFCRA can be found here.
Join the Professional Staff Senate, Non-Exempt Staff Senate, and Human Resources on August 19, 3 – 4:30 p.m., for a virtual town hall to discuss leave options for staff as we prepare for the fall semester. Please RSVP to this myUMBC event if you plan to attend.
Campus Access
UMBC’s buildings are secured, with some employees and research teams on campus and taking appropriate health and safety precautions. Only employees with permission from their supervisor, approved researchers, and approved students should be on campus.
If you have a one-time emergency need to visit campus and have gained appropriate approval(s), but do not have keys to gain access to the building/office that you need to visit, please call UMBC Police Deputy Chief Bruce Perry at (443) 677-2195 or Lieutenant Derrick Johns at (410) 207-0850.
While the RAC will remain closed for the Fall 2020 semester, UMBC Recreation will continue to provide virtual programming for the entire campus community, includingfitness and wellness, intramurals, and club sports. See more information on the UMBC Recreation website and on Twitter and Instagram @UMBCrec. Virtual programming will be available through YouTube (UMBCRec TV), IGTV, Webex, and Zoom.
Mask up in style with a UMBC mask, available at the UMBC Bookstore. More styles are coming soon.
Visit the UMBC Together myUMBC group for a weekly event spotlight.
If you have questions or concerns, please email covid19@umbc.edu.
]]>Give a round of applause to our Summer 2020 Online Leadership Challenge winner: PAVANKUMAR UMASHANKAR!!! Pavankumar is an incoming first year student majoring in Chemical Engineering.
He has this to say about the challenge: “Reflecting back on the challenge, I have realized that I can engage in meaningful & effective conversations when I dedicate the time & effort. I have also realized that I haven't fully explored some components of one's social identity, like religion & spirituality, and hope to work on them in the future. And most importantly, I have been able to identify my core values, and hope to conduct my life accordingly. By understanding myself better through exploration of my values, goals, responsibilities and abilities, and through exploration of leadership themes, I believe I can make a positive impact at UMBC in the years to come.”
Congratulations again, Pavankumar! We look forward to seeing you and all that you’ll do during your time here at UMBC!
To all of our CHALLENGERS who participated and engaged with us: Thank you for taking on the challenge and contributing to the conversation! We hope that you discovered, or even rediscovered, the leader within you! The personal insights you shared and your inquiring minds were invaluable to the experience. We hope to see y’all at our upcoming leadership programs! Make sure to follow our myUMBC page and Instagram page @umbccampuslife to stay tuned for more leadership development opportunities to come.