UMaine System unveils plan for return to campuses this fall

Screenshot UMS Chancellor Dannel Malloy explains the fall reopening plan in a virtual news conference on Wednesday morning.

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By William Hall and Renee Cordes

The University of Maine System on Wednesday unveiled its plan for safely returning students, faculty and staff to the state’s seven public universities and law school this fall.

The fall semester begins Aug. 31, and the UMaine System is preparing for face-to-face instruction at its campuses.

Key elements of the plan, summarized at a virtual news conference Wednesday, include screening to identify and isolate individuals with COVID-19 at the start of the semester, and a commitment to keep members of the academic community together on campus, following science-based practices and guidance from public health authorities.

However, schools will end in-person instruction and ask students to depart residence halls before the start of the Thanksgiving holiday. The final two weeks of instruction and exams will be completed remotely to help limit travel-related spread of infection.

The university system will also make changes in its campuses to allow more social distancing, such as alterations to facilities, residence halls, and classrooms, and the installation of physical barriers where people congregate.

In response to a question from Mainebiz during Wednesday's virtual press conference, UMS Chancellor Dannel Malloy said the system is investing “tens of millions of dollars” related to the reopening. The spending includes purchasing technology to make classroom experiences better as well as a variety of enhancements that will be made over the summer.

The system is aiming to teach a large percentage of small classes on campus, while lectures intended for many students will be delivered online, Malloy said earlier.

The full plan is available by clicking here. The UMaine System plans a “cascade” of student and community messages to provide information about campus-specific plans over the summer, according to a news release.

“Because our state leaders and public health authorities have kept the coronavirus from spreading unchecked, we have an opportunity to come together for Maine and our students this fall with science-informed plans to protect student health and limit the spread of infection on campus and in our communities,” Malloy said in the release.

“Staying together and staying safe means we all have to do our part. Until there is a medical breakthrough ending the pandemic, we will all have to prioritize personal health and public safety.”