Update: March 17, 2020
Coronavirus/Covid-19 update as of March 17, 2020
Message from President Knapp
Students, Faculty and Staff:
The circumstances in which we now find ourselves have produced changes in virtually all parts of our lives. I am sure that we are all doing our best to remain calm and understanding. I am personally heartened by the level of professionalism, determination and resilience exhibited by our College community. I am not surprised by your reaction to our current situation. In fact, knowing each of you as I do, it is exactly what I would have expected.
I have set forth below some actions that the MCCS and CMCC have taken to protect the health and safety of our community and to provide as much as is reasonably possible for the continuity of our operations.
Academic Affairs
As you know from my previous communication, the College’s semester break has been extended by one week. During that period of time, faculty are working to restructure courses in such a way that instruction will be delivered remotely. Additional communication from Vice President and Dean of Academic Affairs Libby will be sent to faculty, and sometime during the week of March 23, and likely later in that week, faculty will be in touch with students via email to inform them of the changes to their class. A support page for students with resources for remote learning will be available in CMConnect by early next week. In addition, how to access academic and student support services, such as tutoring and advising, remotely will also be posted on that page.
Student Affairs
Orientation for incoming students will now be offered exclusively online. Due to the fact that faculty department chairs are working to move our course offerings to remote instruction, I have asked that staff in the Learning and Advising Center temporarily take over the advising of incoming students. This advising will be accomplished electronically and telephonically. When department chairs feel comfortable with resuming academic advising functions for new students, those department chairs should contact the Director of Learning and Advising and advise her that the students should now be referred to their department chairs.
Campus Housing
Campus housing will be closing immediately and will remain closed for the remainder of the semester. Students should make arrangements to pick up their belongings sometime in the next three weeks by first contacting the office of Residence Life at reslife@cmcc.edu or 207-755-5251. Resident students with personal extenuating circumstances may request an exemption. Those students who do remain in campus housing will not be allowed visitors and will be subject to additional safety protocols that will be outlined in a separate communication. Additional communication from the office of Residence Life will be sent to students currently living on campus.
Faculty and Staff
The College’s facilities will be open between 7 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. During those hours, however, we will be taking steps to minimize the number of people on our campus. We will try to keep each service office open with minimal staff working on a rotating basis. We will also try to restrict visitors to the campus and attempt to communicate almost exclusively via telephone and email. Staff members who do not come to the campus will be working from home. For those people who are on campus, in-person meetings should be minimized and those individuals should communicate with their colleagues via telephone. Where that does not happen, people should be mindful of the protocols associated with social distancing in that we should distance ourselves 6 feet apart.
Facility Use and College-Sponsored Events
All external use of the College facilities has been cancelled as have all College-sponsored events. The College’s Annual Dinner has been postponed indefinitely. The College passport facility, testing center, gymnasium, fitness center, esports arena and athletic fields are closed.
While the Dining Commons will remain open, staff is at a minimum, the seating areas are closed, and only “Grab and Go” items will be available.
The on-ground meeting for faculty and staff scheduled for next Monday is cancelled. We are replacing this meeting with a Zoom meeting. Details will follow in that regard.
Finance
The MCCS and the College are working to establish terms and policies that will guide financial implications for students and their families. These terms and policies will be made available as soon as they are complete.
I know we all realize that we are dealing with a serious and changing set of circumstances. Please refer to www.cmcc.edu/coronavirus for the latest information and updates regarding the College’s response to COVID-19.
Thank you for you continued calmness, patience and understanding. Once again, I remain proud to be associated with you.
Scott E. Knapp
President
