Update: July 9, 2020

A Message to Students About the Fall Semester from President Knapp and Vice President Libby

Dear Students,

I know you’re eager to hear about the fall semester and what you can expect on campus given the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. To keep you and the rest of our campus community safe, we are taking several steps to reduce the number of people on campus this fall.

On-campus instruction will be limited to those students whose courses require hands-on learning in a shop/lab or demonstrations on equipment located on campus. All courses that can be taught remotely will be. Shop and lab spaces will be set up to meet physical distancing needs, and parts of the class, such as lectures, will be online.

To find out if your classes will be face-to-face or remote, check the class schedule in CMConnect. The schedule will be updated daily with all updates completed by Wednesday, July 22. Please allow until that time for faculty to make decisions and update schedules as needed. We do not plan to alter the semester calendar so holidays and breaks will be followed as normal.

We hope that limiting access to campus, in addition to public health measures, will help us expand the number of people on campus in the spring semester. That will depend on the course of the virus and our collective effort towards minimizing exposure to the virus. More detailed information about re-opening and safety protocols will be forthcoming in the next few weeks, but to minimize exposure we will:

• Require everyone on campus to follow safety protocols, including wearing face coverings inside buildings and maintaining a safe physical distance from others. Details about those protocols are posted on campus entrances and on the Maine Community College System COVID FAQ page.
• Open the residence halls to less than half capacity. Students who have expressed an interest in living on campus will receive a follow-up letter today about housing. If you do not receive that letter via email, please contact David Gonyea at dgonyea@cmcc.edu.
• Suspend fall sports, with the hope of introducing winter sports in January.
• Open the campus, but limit access to many buildings and facilities to the people who must be on campus.
• Limit seating or access to common areas on campus, including dining facilities, gyms and lounges, and face-to-face student support services by appointment with plenty of opportunity to receive services remotely.
• Continue to work with Follett to offer online ordering and curbside pick-up of course materials.

We know this will make for a far different college experience than we all wanted. But after a great deal of analysis, we’re confident that this is the best way to provide you with the education and training you are seeking, while keeping our community safe and sustainable. We are all in this together.

Thank you for your patience as we continue to develop our fall plans. We will be updating this information in the upcoming weeks, and encourage you to regularly check your College email and the Remote Learning page in CMConnect for how to access the services you need to be successful. If you have questions or concerns please reach out to studentsupport@cmcc.edu.

Sincerely,

Scott E. Knapp                         Betsy H. Libby

President                                   Vice President