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CSM Will Stay in Restricted Operations Through the End of the Academic Year

Last Updated: 9/28/2020

College of Southern Maryland (CSM) announces it will remain in Restricted or Reduced Operations for the remainder of 2020-2021 academic year, ending in May 2021. Physical access to the campuses will remain limited and strict health precautions will continue to be rigorously enforced to prevent the spread of COVID-19 at all of its campuses.

In addition, and in light of the ongoing pandemic, the following services will remain closed: the St. Charles Children’s Learning Center on the La Plata Campus, the Brad and Linda Gottfried Theater on the La Plata Campus, and the fitness centers, including the pools on the La Plata and Leonardtown campuses. Onsite library services at the La Plata, Leonardtown, and Prince Frederick campuses will also remain virtual. These facilities will reopen when the college determines it is viable to do so.

You can find greater detail on the Return to Campus Plan here.

INSTRUCTION

The majority of instruction will remain in a virtual environment. In-person instruction will resume only for courses whose learning outcomes can’t be measured or achieved remotely. Your instructors will advise you if this pertains to you and, if so, what the schedule and procedures will be.

LIMITED CAMPUS ACCESS

Our campuses are open every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to allow for some in-person student services on a carefully-regulated basis. Appointments are required for most services.

STUDENT SERVICES

In-person student services are available on a limited basis; most services require an appointment, although walk-ins will be accepted for some, such as the College Store and Student Account Services (Bursar).

Learn More about Campus Access

Please be aware that the availability and type of service (appointment or walk-in) will vary.

As with instruction, student services will continue to be provided primarily online, and we recommend that, for your well-being and that of your college community, you continue to take advantage of online options whenever possible.

HEALTH AND SAFETY PRECAUTIONS

The health and well-being of our students, our employees, our faculty, and our larger community is our utmost priority. To ensure that we are acting safely and responsibly, CSM’s Return to Campus Plan has been vetted by the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) and the health officials of St. Mary’s, Charles, and Calvert Counties.

We have enacted rigorous, COVID-19-specific improvements to cleaning and sanitization of college facilities, including more frequent cleaning of high-contact and -traffic areas, UV sanitization, physical barriers, and personal protective equipment.

In conjunction, the college has implemented comprehensive health and safety guidelines governing on-campus activities and interactions.

Everyone—whether student, faculty​​​​​​, employee, or visitor—must abide by these guidelines at all times while on campus.

These include: mandatory temperature screenings; the use of face coverings or masks by persons over the age of 2; strict physical distancing; and more. We strongly urge all members of the college community to read these guidelines before arriving to avoid delays or difficulties.

COVID-19 TRAVEL ADVISORY

In response to the Maryland Department of Health’s Out of State Travel and Public Travel Advisory (issued July 29, 2020), CSM is implementing the following guidelines regarding out-of-state and out-of-country travel:

Employees and students are strongly advised against traveling to states with positivity rates above 10%. This applies to personal, family, or business travel of any kind. Public health officials advise you to postpone or cancel travel to these areas until their positivity rates decline.

Any employee or student who travels to a state with a COVID-19 test positivity rate above 10%, or travels out of the country, is required to self-quarantine for 14 days upon return.

As of August 10, this advisory applies to Florida, Texas, Georgia, Louisiana, Arizona, Alabama, South Carolina, Nebraska, and Idaho. An up-to-date list can be found at: https://www.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#testing.  The District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Virginia are exempt from these guidelines.

Employees must notify their supervisor and the Human Resources Office at hrd@csmd.edu if traveling to one of the states or receiving visitors with a high COVID-19 positivity rate. Employees who are able to telework may continue to work during this quarantine period. Employees who are required to report to campus in order to perform their work duties need to take sick and/or annual leave on the days they are scheduled to work during the 14-day quarantine period.

Employees who have visitors from states with positivity rates above 10% are subject to the same quarantine requirements.

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding. If you have any questions, please contact us at www.csmd.edu/LetsTalk.