To the University Community, 

We are preparing for the return of our students to campus in August and taking the necessary steps to continue keeping our community healthy and safe. Please take some time to look over this information as you prepare to be on campus.

Montana Western Face Covering Practices and Protocols

• Face coverings are required in all indoor spaces (with some notable exceptions listed below), and all enclosed or partially enclosed outdoor spaces.
• Face coverings will be required in all outdoor spaces where social distancing is not possible or difficult to reliably maintain.
• These requirements will apply to all UMW students and employees, and all visitors including service providers, contractors, vendors, suppliers, families, and community members.

UMW face covering requirements will supplement measures such as social distancing, frequent hand washing, and frequent cleaning of office, work, and living spaces.

CDC guidance suggests that face coverings may help reduce the spread of COVID-19 when they are widely used in public settings. Face coverings help prevent people who are unaware they have the virus and are either asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic from unknowingly spreading it to others.

Exceptions

UMW students, employees, and visitors are exempt from face covering requirements in the following circumstances:

• when alone in an enclosed office or study area;
• when in campus residence hall rooms or apartments; however, face coverings are still required in common areas such as hallways and lobby areas;
• when eating or drinking in a situation where social distancing is practiced;
• when working outdoors or spending time outdoors (e.g. walking, exercising) and at least a six-foot distance can be consistently and reliably maintained;
• in instances or spaces in which other requirements for personal protective equipment (PPE) make it either impractical or unsafe to wear an additional face covering;
• when alone in a vehicle or utility vehicle used for UMW business; however, face coverings are required in vehicles used for UMW business when there is more than one person inside the vehicle; and
• when an accommodation is necessary as indicated by a medical or similar subject matter expert and granted by express written permission of the University (see below for information on accommodations).

Accommodations 

Individuals with circumstances that require an exception to the face covering requirement – as indicated by a medical or similar subject matter professional – can request one from the University. To request an exception, UMW students should contact Dean of Students and ADA Coordinator, Nicole Hazelbaker ([email protected] or 406-683-7900). Faculty and staff should email Human Resources. If you are exempt from wearing a mask, you will be issued an exemption card. Please show your exemption card if asked to put on your mask.

For more information, please visit https://www.umwestern.edu/fall-2020-plan/.

Building Hours on Campus

Classroom and office buildings are open during regular business hours Monday through Friday. For weekend hours, please contact Facilities Services by calling 406-683-7141.

Residence halls will remain locked at all times. Those living on campus will receive a key to access the outside doors. The only entrance that will be open from 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. will be the Dining Hall entrance in Mathews Hall.

In order to care for the health of the UMW residential community, for the first month of classes (August 24, 2020- September 21, 2020) students will not be permitted to have off-campus guests in the residence halls.   

Residential students may visit lobby areas of other residential buildings, while adhering to the mask requirement. Students are required to maintain social distancing protocols with all residential students in order to help protect the health of the campus community.

Facilities Services and Cleaning

• Classrooms will be fully sanitized between morning and afternoon block, and again in the evening.
• Desks and seating in all classrooms will be set up to ensure appropriate social distancing.
• Bathrooms will be cleaned frequently with sanitizing cleaners.
• Hand sanitizer stations will be installed in each classroom and at building entrances.
• Custodial staff will be especially diligent about frequently sanitizing all touchable surfaces.
• Disinfectant cleaners will be provided to campus offices so employees can regularly disinfect their workstations and surrounding areas.

Items to Bring with you to Campus: Hand Sanitizer and Thermometer

We encourage our campus community to keep hand sanitizer made with 60-95% alcohol close at hand at all times (i.e. in your backpack, bag, briefcase, etc.), as well as a personal thermometer to measure your temperature at the beginning of each day before coming to campus and whenever you feel ill. We also have hand sanitizer stations located throughout all our buildings on campus. You can learn more about using hand sanitizer and the importance of hand washing on the CDC website.

According to the CDC, people with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. People with these symptoms may have COVID-19:

• Fever or chills
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Fatigue
• Muscle or body aches
• Headache
• New loss of taste or smell
• Sore throat
• Congestion or runny nose
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea

If you have a fever of 100° F or above or any of the COVID-19 symptoms listed above, please do not attend work or class and call your healthcare provider immediately for further instruction.

Dillon Healthcare Providers

• Southwest Montana Community Health
  44 Barrett St., Dillon, MT, 59725    Phone: 406-683-4440

• Barrett Hospital Provider Clinic
  30 MT HWY 91 S., Dillon, MT, 59725    Phone: 406-683-1188

• Beaverhead Urgent Care
  120 South Atlantic St., Dillon, MT, 59725    Phone: 406-683-4400

For more information, visit https://www.umwestern.edu/fall-2020-plan/.

The Bulldog Way

We want you to come to campus with the mindset that Montana Western is your second home and we are family. We are a pack–and we protect and watch out for each other.

Promote Safety the Bulldog Way, which means we do our part to keep the pack healthy: 

1. Wear a face covering at all times when indoors and when you cannot socially distance outside.  
2. We encourage you to remain close to campus and within the community for the duration of the semester. By limiting trips outside the area, we can help keep the pack safe. 
3. Wash your hands frequently with soap and water and use hand sanitizer.  
4. Take your temperature every day before you come to work or class. 
5. Maintain physical distancing between others of at least 6 feet. 
6. Cover your cough and sneeze. 
7. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth. 
8. Do not attend class if you are sick and get medical care if necessary. Contact your instructor to let them know you will be missing class due to illness and to make arrangements for accessing course materials/assignments online. 
9. If you are contacted by Beaverhead County Public Health, please participate in testing and contact tracing to ensure the safety of the Bulldog Pack. 
10. Keep your clothing, belongings and personal space clean. 

We hope you’ll commit to the Bulldog Way. Welcome to the pack!

If you have any questions about the information in this email, please contact Dean of Students, Nicole Hazelbaker by calling 406-683-7900 or email [email protected].  

Thank you,
The Montana Western Safety and Security Committee