September 3

Dear Jimmies,

As the second week of classes draws to a close, we thank you for showing care for your fellow students, faculty, and staff through your use of masks and your practice of social distancing. As we prepared for the return to campus throughout the summer, we anticipated, and are aware of, the spread of COVID-19 on our campus, as well as in the community of Jamestown. We are working through our protocols to manage our positive cases and close contacts.

For transparency purposes, the University has established a COVID-19 dashboard indicating positive cases and close contacts. This information will be updated daily with the previous day’s results. Find this by logging on to MyUJ and clicking the tab in the header menu named “CoVID-19.”

With Labor Day weekend coming up, we urge students living on campus to stay here, and we urge all to minimize travel outside of the community. It’s also important to avoid large gatherings which have been shown to increase transmission of the virus. We encourage you to take advantage of the weekly testing offered by Central Valley Health District on Fridays at the Jamestown Civic Center and to download the Care19 Alert app.

Apple App Store
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/care19-alert/id1513945072

Google Play
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.proudcrowd.exposure

Our goal is to hold in-person classes all semester until Christmas break and to maintain a robust schedule of co-curricular activities. Remember my words from the beginning of this semester:

We can. We will. We must!

Dr. Polly Peterson
President

September 2

Updated policy

Face coverings (masks, shields, scarfs, etc.) will be required by all students, staff, and faculty under the following circumstances:
• If you are leaving your personal space (residence hall room, office, etc.)
• If anyone enters your personal space (residence hall room, office, etc.)
• Masks are required in the classroom and other group spaces (meeting rooms, dining facility when not in the process of eating, shared spaces such as the Student Success Center, Library, Student Engagement Center, etc.)
• Anytime you unable to appropriately social distance.


You do not have to wear a face covering if:

• You are alone (or with your roommates) in your personal space (residence hall room, office, etc.)
• You are outside – freely breath the refreshing ND air (as long as you are socially distant)!
• You are able to distance yourself and anyone in your personal space (residence hall room, office, etc.) by 6 feet and you will not be in the room together for more than 15 minutes

August 26

During the upcoming year we will undoubtably experience COVID related situations across our campuses. Below you will find four core areas that individuals may experience and a protocol for each that we ask that you review.

Thank you all for your diligence, care, and compassion as we navigate these issues that arise.

Presenting Symptoms Protocol

I am experiencing some/all of the symptoms of Coronavirus (COVID-19).

• Stay home if you are “presenting symptoms”.
• See image below for symptoms of Coronavirus (COVID-19)
• Inform the UJ COVID Coordinator. Immediately contact the UJ COVID Coordinator by text, call, or email at 701-320-9122 or COVID@uj.edu.
• Inform program director (performing arts, club program, etc.), coach, and athletic training staff (if an athlete).
• Work with UJ COVID Coordinator (and athletic training staff if an athlete) to determine if you will be tested or remain in self-isolation. Contact each faculty member informing them that you will be out of class for health reasons. Do not attend class again until you are cleared by the UJ COVID Coordinator (or you work through the “Close Contact” or “Positive Test” protocols).




My Friend/Teammate/Roommate/Classmate/etc. is a Close Contact

My friend/teammate/roommate/classmate/etc. have been deemed a “Close Contact”. Do I now have to self-isolate?

• No. The Department of Health does not identify connections of “Close Contacts” as “Close Contacts”. Individuals in this situation should monitor for symptoms. If they appear the individual should follow the “Presenting Symptoms” protocol.




Close Contact Protocol

I’ve been named a Close Contact by the Department of Health.

• Department of Health is defining close contacts as anyone who has been within six feet of a positive case for a sum total of 15 minutes over a three day period.
• “Close Contacts” will be contacted by the Department of Health.
• “Close Contacts” will be contacted by the UJ COVID Coordinator.
• If you are contacted by the DOH please immediately email, text, or call the UJ COVID Coordinator (701-320-9122 or COVID@uj.edu) informing UJ of the situation if you have not already heard from us.
• Individuals in this situation will be required by the Department of Health to self-isolate for 14 days from the last point of exposure. Details and supporting options will be shared with the individual by the UJ COVID Coordinator.
• Following notification:
• Inform program director (performing arts, club program, etc.), coach, and athletic training staff (if an athlete).
• Work with UJ COVID Coordinator for meals and with other questions or concerns.
• Contact each faculty member informing them that you will be out of class for health reasons.
• “Close Contacts” cannot attend class or any other events until they are cleared by the Department of Health and clearance paperwork is filed with the UJ COVID Coordinator.




Positive Test Protocol

I’ve tested and been informed that I am “Positive” for COVID by the Department of Health

• “Positive Test” individuals will be contacted by the Department of Health.
• “Positive Test” individuals will be contacted by the UJ COVID Coordinator.
• If you are contacted by the DOH please immediately email, text, or call the UJ COVID Coordinator (701-320-9122 or COVID@uj.edu) informing UJ of the situation if you have not already heard from us.
• Individuals in this situation will be required by the Department of Health to quarantine for a period of time determined by the Department of Health (7-14 days pending case specific details). Details and supporting options (including quarantine accommodations) will be shared with the individual by the UJ COVID Coordinator.
• Following notification:
• Inform program director (performing arts, club program, etc.), coach, and athletic training staff.
• Work with UJ COVID Coordinator for meals and with other questions or concerns as well as details about being tested.
• Contact each faculty member informing them that you will be out of class for health reasons.
• “Positive Test” individuals cannot attend class or any other events until they are cleared by the Department of Health and clearance paperwork is filed with the UJ COVID Coordinator.

QUESTIONS? Contact the UJ COVID Coordinator
Email: COVID@uj.edu
Call/Text: 701-320-9122

GET TESTED. MAKE SMART CHOICES. WEAR MASKS.
PRACTICE SOCIAL DISTANCING. MAKE 2020-21 A GREAT YEAR AT UJ!

Dustin Jensen
Dean of Students/Vice President for Student Affairs

August 23

Hello Jimmies,

I am excited to have you back on campus after over five months of having online courses. It is pretty boring around here without you around! Our goal, of course, is to keep our face-to-face classes and labs here on campus for the entire semester. I know you have heard a lot about this already, but I wanted to give you one last reminder of what we expect in our classrooms and labs:

• You will need to wear a mask that covers your nose and mouth.
• If you have a lab where you cannot maintain a proper social distance, you will be given a facial shield in the lab. You will be expected to wear both a mask and the shield in the lab; do not lose your shield.
• Please keep the furniture where it is to allow for proper social distancing.
• Do not congregate outside of classrooms when waiting to go into class; do stay a good social distance from each other.
• Help sanitize the chairs and desks in your classrooms at the end of each class session.
• Wash or sanitize your hands at least 10 every day.
• Be patient with each other and with our faculty as they adjust to our new protocols and technology in the classroom.
• Communicate with your instructors.
• DO NOT GO TO CLASS IF YOU ARE SICK.

I look forward to this semester, to talking with you on campus, and to watching you sing, act, play your instruments, and compete athletically. You are why we are here; help us do everything we can to keep you here all semester. Be smart both inside and outside of the classroom.

Go Jimmies!

Dr. Olson

August 18

Welcome back returning students and Welcome all NEW students as well, be it transfer or incoming freshman! I wanted to take a moment to make a quick summary of changes in Knight Hall this Fall semester. All changes made have been made for the safety and well being of every person involved with Dining Services and our guests.

Entry and Exits:

• The ENTRY is still the same. Our cashiers will help with getting your ID swiped and have you on your way to get your food and beverages.
• The EXITS will be either through the south exit door (by the end of the dish room) or the north glass doors. Each of these areas will be marked with arrows point to the exit. We will also add signs above the respective doors in the dining room as well.




To Go Containers:

• White Styrofoam containers will be the only containers allowed to leave the dining hall during the first few weeks of the year.
• Green to-go containers are on their way! After you have used yours for the first time, simply bring it back and we will replace it with a clean one and you are good to go. If, after you have eaten your meal, and you want to drop the dirty container off, we will give you your green carabiner clip (that you will receive in your welcome packet) to simply return for a clean container the next time you come in to eat.
• If you lose your container or the carabiner, a replacement container will cost $5. You can pay cash, card or use $5 of your Jimmie bucks. That simple.




Dining Times:

• Especially during the beginning of the year, we get PACKED! Especially lunch time @ 11:50 and Dinner time @ 5:30-6:30. We are requesting that you consider some “alternative” times to eat. We are going to extend lunch service from 1:15 to 2pm. At Dinner time, the service will extend from 7:15 to 7:45 Monday-Thursday evenings.




Follow the yellow brick road!:

• Yes, they may not be yellow, and they are not bricks, but stickers. We have mapped out the paths we will request you to follow. There are distancing stickers, one way stickers and arrows to point you to the exit.




Masks:

• We, my staff and I, would request you keep your mask on while getting your food and leaving or sitting down to eat if you prefer to eat in. As the University has said, in all public areas with other people, a mask is required. I know Marge, Mary, Barb and the rest of the staff would greatly appreciate this.




Tables and chairs:

• All tables and chairs are spaced out according to State Protocols and Expectations. Do not move the tables together. There is a requirement of 6’ between tables and limitations on how many people can sit together.




Communicate:

• I am looking for a few volunteers to be on a Student advisory Board. This group will meet bi-weekly for 30 minutes to discuss the dining room, Java Hut and Knight & Day. I would like this to become a proactive group and not a reactive group. Touch base with myself or Levi, our new Dining Manager.
• Please… let us know of an issue when it is happening, not a week later. Let us do our best to resolve the issue at that time.

We are aware that many of you do not have a car or extra $ to go out to eat and you might be in this dining room 19 times a week… keep in touch. Sodexo’s most important goal is to offer a safe environment and to offer an exceptional university dining experience. As partners of UJ, we want to ask you to help us fulfill this goal. Thank you in advance and please remember, “embrace the unconventional”, this too shall pass!

Have a fantastic Fall semester and be safe for yourself and all others on campus.

Sincerely,

Daniel Kucera
catering@uj.edu
(701)320-1535

July 1

Dear Jimmies,

Although we are still more than a month away from the start of the fall semester, move-in day will be here quickly and classes will be starting before we know it on August 24. With that understanding, I want to give you a bit of a preview about what you can expect from your classes this fall. This is a long email, but I want to be thorough. Also, this email only deals with the academic side of life at UJ and not residence life, athletics, or student life and only applies to students taking courses in Jamestown.

Our feedback from the spring tells us that the vast majority of you want to be on campus and have face-to-face classes this fall. We also know that the musicians among you want to have concerts and other performances. The actors want to act. The student chaplains want to have chapel. The athletes want to play their sports. We want all of these things to happen, too, and you play an important role in this. Our mission statement ends with the sentence:

Having a successful fall will require you to have self-discipline, act responsibly, and have concern for the continued growth of your fellow Jimmies. We know you can do it, and we expect you to do it.

We have completed an audit of all of our classrooms, and I’m happy to report that we will be able to have almost all of our courses face-to-face at the times you registered for this coming semester. The rooms, however, will look different when you get back. We will practice social distancing in the classrooms, and that means that our classrooms will have far fewer tables, chairs, and desks than you are used to seeing. Most of our classrooms will operate at about 25%-40% capacity. We will also be using the DeNault Auditorium more than we typically do. In classrooms with two doors, one will be designated the entrance and one the exit to help with social distancing. We expect you to stay six feet apart from each other in the classrooms and as you enter and exit the classrooms.

Even with social distancing in place, we will expect you to follow some other guidelines:

• All buildings will be equipped with hand sanitizers or have places to wash your hands. Wash your hands whenever you go into a building; you should do this at least 10 times each day. You may also want to purchase hand sanitizer for your backpack and residence hall room.
• We have not yet made a campus-wide decision about requiring masks in all public areas, but you will be required to wear a mask in all of our classrooms. YOU SHOULD PLAN TO BRING SEVERAL MASKS WITH YOU TO CAMPUS THIS FALL.
• We will be encouraging students to sit in the same seat for every class session with the practice being required in some rooms.
• Finally, DO NOT GO TO CLASS IF YOU ARE SICK. We are investing heavily in technology this summer and will be able to record many of our classes this fall. We would rather have you attend class virtually than be in class if you are sick.

Because labs often require that students and faculty work in close proximity to each other, we will require the use of masks, plastic facial shields, and gloves in all of our labs this fall. The university will supply you with a facial shield and gloves for your labs. The same protocols for entering and exiting the classrooms mentioned above will apply to our labs.

Our computer labs will function at about 50% capacity this fall. IT is removing the keyboard and mouse from alternate stations over the summer so users will not be able to sit within six feet of each other. The same protocols that apply to our classrooms also apply to our computer labs.

A small number of courses, particularly those that meet in computer labs, will operate in either a hybrid or HyFlex model this fall with some of the course content delivered online and some being delivered in a face-to-face format. Some of these courses will have half of the students attend on one day and the other half attend on the next. In those courses, the students not physically in attendance will participate virtually. You will be notified by the Registrar’s Office prior to the start of the fall semester if one of your courses will be offered in this format.

Similarly, a few courses will be offered exclusively online as a result of COVID-19. We have done our best to minimize the number of courses offered this way, but some courses will only be available online. You will be notified by the Registrar’s Office prior to the start of the fall semester if one of your courses will be offered online.

If you have a medical condition that puts you at-risk, are an international student who is unable to return to campus, or are concerned about your ability to be on-campus for the fall semester, please contact Mike Woodley (registrar@uj.edu) or John Lynch (JoLynch@uj.edu) to discuss your situation. Part of what makes UJ who we are is our willingness to work with students to keep you on track for graduation, so if you have specific concerns, please let us work with you to find solutions.

Paul J. Olson, Ph.D.
Provost

June 12

Executive Summary, University of Jamestown Fall 2020 Plan

Since 1883, the University of Jamestown has been a student-oriented institution of higher education with a faculty and staff committed to providing the highest quality of education to our students.

As our mission states, the University of Jamestown is a community dedicated to the development of wholeness in our students. We adhere to a curriculum of academic excellence which blends the liberal arts with sound professional preparation. Our commitment to the Christian faith encourages an atmosphere of self-discipline, responsibility, and concern for the growth of the individual.

With our mission at the center of all University activity, we prepare to resume in-person instruction and activity in both our Jamestown and Fargo locations guided by the following principles:

1. We are committed to providing a healthy and safe environment for faculty, staff, and students.
2. A robust on-campus experience including face-to-face instruction, rich co-curricular activities, engagement with our broader community, and a vibrant campus ministry program guides our undergraduate operations, when possible.
3. We are committed to face-to-face instruction at the undergraduate level and in our Doctor of Physical Therapy program while minimizing risk to all. We recognize that intentional and purposeful use of hybrid, high flex, and online modalities, coupled with our commitment to highly interactive faculty-student relationships, can also provide meaningful educational experiences for students.
4. We value the ingenuity and problem-solving ability of all University community members, and welcome their input and feedback regarding our planning and processes.
5. All of our decisions are informed and guided by the advice and practices recommended by federal, state, and local public health organizations. We expect all members of our community to practice self-discipline and to act responsibly in accordance with good health practices.

The President’s Cabinet members devised fall 2020 plans for their respective areas that address safe practices related to COVID-19 including hygiene, social distancing, screening/testing, identification, and isolation. The plans consider the uniqueness of our campus and Fargo location, including available residence halls, dining services, student activities, the Student Success Center, auxiliary student services, enrollment management (recruitment and retention), and technology needs. Specific attention was paid to classroom and labs and the characteristics of operations and student movement related to fine arts participation, athletic events, and course enrollment. Plans for staff safety in marketing and development include plans for large events and travel.

To ensure the health and safety of our students, faculty, staff and visitors, the University is committed to the following general practices guided by the five basic principles of overall wellness: Hygiene, Social Distancing, Screening/Testing, Identification, and Isolation as outlined below. Due to evolving recommendation at the local, state and federal level, this list is not exhaustive and will continue to be monitored throughout the summer and updated as necessary.

• Routinely clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces, equipment, and objects under the guidance provided by the CDC including classrooms, event centers, and other public spaces using EPA-approved disinfectant solutions: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/disinfecting-building-facility.html
• Encourage frequent hand washing, and refrain from touching face including nose, mouth, and eyes
• Use of hand sanitizers placed at entrances and exits of buildings
• Use of non-medical or cloth masks when not able to social distance
• Use of PPE for employees and students, when necessary
• Utilize windows for outside air intake when possible
• Limit use of equipment, classrooms, and facilities when necessary
• Follow prescribed procedures for cleaning and disinfecting in the event of a COVID-19 positive test: https://sf.gov/business-guidance-if-staff-member-tests-positive-covid-19

• Follow guidance provided by ND Smart Restart: https://ndresponse.gov/sites/www/files/documents/covid-19/ND%20Smart%20Restart/Standards%20for%20all%20Industries.pdf
• Label entrances and exits to buildings for purposes of proper social distancing
• Reduce occupancy and/or increase space between furniture in classrooms and public spaces
• Stagger work stations when possible
• Provide physical barriers such as Plexiglas sneeze guards where appropriate to avoid direct contact between individuals
• Provide signage on walls, floors, and other areas as needed to identify safe spacing, walking patterns, etc.
• Consider time limits for planned activities
• Alternate days and/or locations to accommodate appropriate classroom safety protocols
• Allow employees to work remotely when necessary
• Utilize technology for large meetings
• Consider use of technology and specific ticket entrances and assigned seats at athletic, fine arts, and other large events: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/large-events/index.html

• Educate and encourage self-monitoring procedures daily
• Utilize health screening questionnaire and temperature checks daily for individuals who are in activities where social distancing options are limited
• Encourage individuals to stay home/in their residence hall room if not feeling well
• Work with local health care providers to provide testing for symptomatic individuals
• Work with CDC to support contact tracing in the event of a positive test
• Encourage individuals with pre-existing health concerns to avoid high traffic areas and events and provide necessary accommodations when possible

• Reserve campuses houses 2 and 3 as designated residences in the event of a COVID-19 infection
• Provide for food and other needs for those who are quarantining or are in isolation due to the virus
• Follow CDC and North Dakota State Health Department guidance related to isolation and readiness to return to work or class https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/strategy-discontinue-isolation.html
• Support continuation of study through use of technology for students in quarantine or isolation
• Support continuation of essential job functions for employees, allowing employees to work remotely or to seek temporary leave options

With a commitment to the health and well-being of all members of our community, this plan was created to allow us to continue to care for each other, grow together, and experience the fullness of collegiate life in the fall of 2020.

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