01/13/2021
By Steve O’Riordan
After holding 8 percent of courses on campus last fall, we still plan to increase face-to-face classes to 25 percent this spring. However, to ensure a safe and successful transition into our residence halls, classrooms and laboratories, the week of Jan. 25 will be conducted remotely for all courses. Additionally, all employees who are able to work remotely should continue to do so until notified otherwise by their supervisors.
UMass Lowell had a far lower COVID-19 positivity rate in the fall than surrounding communities because our students and employees took risk reduction efforts seriously. We wore masks, physically distanced, washed our hands, checked for symptoms every day and – most importantly – stayed home or in our rooms if we felt ill.
We need to redouble our efforts and commit again to these simple but effective strategies as the semester starts.
Our positivity rate was also low thanks to our surveillance testing program. As we increase our on-campus population starting the week of Feb. 1, we are already expanding our surveillance testing program to account for the increased numbers of students and employees on campus. Residential students are still required to be tested at least weekly and all faculty, staff and commuter students who will be on campus are also expected to participate in the weekly surveillance testing program.
We will continue to follow guidelines from state and federal public health organizations and observe gathering and building capacity limits. And through testing, risk-reduction behaviors and implementing lessons learned from the fall, I have no doubt we will be able to safely increase our on-campus interactions, which are a critically important part of the college experience for our students.
College, office and department leaders must continue to submit plans for any increases or changes in employees’ on-campus activity to ensure Facilities, UML Police, Public Safety, Parking Services, Health Services, remote card access and other campus services know who is on campus and can prepare to deliver support as needed.
While many challenges remain, spring 2021 begins with an end to this pandemic in sight. University leaders will continue to evaluate campus population levels as vaccines are administered more broadly and the spread of the virus decreases in the weeks and months ahead.
Thank you for your efforts in the fall and for your preparation for the spring. This has been one of the most difficult periods in UMass Lowell’s history. Your work and dedication have been essential to our success as we continue to navigate this unprecedented time together.