Campus Operations FAQs

The Health and Safety Levels guide our behavior on campus. More information is available in the Health and Safety Levels Protocol, or on the Health and Safety Levels web page located on the MTU Flex website.

The current campus Health and Safety Level will be posted on the MTU Flex site, the mtu.edu home page, and communicated via email, text messages, and digital signage. Our goal is to keep our campus community safe—both to protect individuals' health and to keep our campus open and educating students.

Decisions to change the Health and Safety Level on campus are made using real-time data regarding the public health situation on campus and in the community, the capacity of the local health care system, and any governmental mandates.

Decisions to change the Health and Safety Level on campus are made using real-time data regarding the public health situation on campus and in the community, the capacity of the local health care system, and any governmental mandates.

When considering the public health situation, campus leadership looks at data from MTU's testing program, data from Houghton county, and the academic calendar (i.e., the likelihood of travel). 

MTU employee presence on campus will be guided by the current Health and Safety Level. For more info, see the Health and Safety Levels web page and the Health and Safety Levels Protocol. If you have questions on how the current Health and Safety Level at Michigan Tech affects you, please reach out to your supervisor.

In Health and Safety Levels 1-2, students and employees are not required to monitor their symptoms daily prior to coming to campus. But, it remains recommended that individuals be mindful of their own symptoms. A useful monitoring tool, if desired, is available from the CDC.

Depending on State rules and requirements, students, employees, and visitors may be required to monitor their symptoms daily prior to coming to campus when in Health and Safety Levels 3-4 in order to protect the health and safety of the campus community.

The presence of visitors on campus will be guided by the current Health and Safety Level. For more info, see the Health and Safety Levels web page and the Return to Campus - Health and Safety Levels Protocol.

Federal Contractor Vaccination Mandate

University employees with documented medical reasons or sincerely held religious beliefs, practices, or observances that prevent them from receiving a COVID-19 vaccine may be entitled to a disability exception from the federal contractor vaccination mandate. For more information, visit the Vaccination for Federal Contractors page.

Accommodations Due to a Disability

As always, any employee or student who feels they may need an accommodation due to a disability can request one. To begin the process to request an accommodation, employees should visit Request An Accommodation and Students should visit Student Disability Services.

Whether face coverings are required on campus or not will be guided by the current Health and Safety Level. For more info, see the Health and Safety Levels web page and the Health and Safety Levels Protocol.

Students, staff, and instructors should feel free to wear a face covering in their personal work or living space. We encourage those who wish to ask their guests or hosts to mask up to do so. And, office door signage indicating that face coverings are preferred inside is now available for download by employees.

For those who prefer that face coverings continue to be worn during meetings, but do not wish to ask others to wear one: We encourage you to find larger meeting spaces or hold meetings outside to allow more space between individuals. Alternatively, staff meetings can be held on Zoom or over the phone with supervisor approval.

Yes. Regardless of Health and Safety Level, instructors may wear specially designed face shields while teaching class. Instructors will be expected to wear cloth face coverings to and from class, but will be permitted to wear specially designed face shields while teaching credit-bearing courses. The face shields will allow for better airflow and allow students to see the instructor's face.

Please remember that face coverings do not have to be a mask—similar face coverings are permitted. 

If students in your class are not in compliance with Michigan Tech's face covering requirements, politely remind them that they are required to wear a face covering. If they are not willing to wear one, you must ask them to leave class until they are able to comply.

If a student indicates they are unable to medically tolerate a face covering, please ask them to contact Student Disability Services at sds@mtu.edu. Report any chronic concerns regarding students to the Dean of Students office at deanofstudents@mtu.edu.

If you are the supervisor of someone who is not in compliance with Michigan Tech's face covering requirements, please provide them with a face covering and ask them to follow the requirement, emphasizing the leadership role we all play in setting the social standard across campus. If they are not able to medically tolerate a face mask, please refer them to the ADA Coordinator at adacoordinator@mtu.edu for an appropriate accommodation, which will vary by person. 

If you are not their supervisor, please feel free to let them know where they are able to obtain a face covering. Students and employees may obtain one by calling Public Safety and Police Services at 906-487-2216. 

If you have concerns regarding ongoing interactions with someone not in compliance, please email mtuflex@mtu.edu.

As always, any student or employee who feels they may need an accommodation due to a disability can request one.

Employees can request an accommodation by contacting the Michigan Tech ADA coordinator at adacoordinator@mtu.edu. Students can request accommodations by contacting the coordinator of Student Disability Services at sds@mtu.edu.

Facilities Management will continue to focus on public spaces and other high-contact areas. Building custodians will be spending less time in departmental spaces so that they can redirect their effort to more frequent sanitizing of high-frequency touchpoints such as water fountains, doorknobs, light switches, elevator buttons and handles.

Departments will need to do their part by continuing to bring their trash and recycling to the common designated area(s) within their building and regularly wiping the high-frequency touchpoints within their individual offices, office suites, kitchenettes and break rooms. Food waste and anything that can cause odor must be removed daily. Custodians will visit offices on a biweekly basis for vacuuming and maintenance checks.

Garbage cans are available in designated common areas in each building. Food waste and anything that can cause odor must be removed daily. Please close bags securely. 

If you have any questions about where and when to dispose of garbage or drop off recycling, please email Shared-Services@mtu.edu or call 906-487-2303.

In accordance with heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), Michigan Tech is implementing the following best practices on our campus:

• Increase the volume of outdoor air  
• Extend HVAC operating schedules before and after normal occupancy times to flush the building with fresh air.
• Continue to monitor and maintain HVAC systems to maximize effectiveness.

In most cases, yes. Windows in research spaces designed to be at negative pressure to avoid migration of contaminants into other areas of the building should not be opened. Windows in all locations should be closed at night, during cold weather, and when the room is unoccupied.

Yes. When properly sized and operated per manufacturer's instructions, an air cleaner can help reduce airborne contaminants—including viruses—in a confined space. However, by itself a portable air cleaner is not enough to protect people from COVID-19. Portable air cleaners should be used along with other best practices recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). 

More FAQs specific to Michigan Tech's heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems can be found on the Facilities Management: COVID-19 Information web page.

For information on best practices, see HVAC recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO), American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 

The answer depends on Michigan Tech's current Health and Safety Level.

Information on travel restrictions in place at each Health and Safety Level is available on the Health and Safety Levels web page and in the Return to Campus - Health and Safety Levels Protocol.

Michigan Tech's Health and Safety Levels will determine whether group gatherings are permitted and how many people are allowed to gather indoors and outdoors. To see the current Health and Safety Level and group gathering limitations, visit the Health and Safety Levels web page on the MTU Flex website. 

Face covering requirements must be observed during gatherings, depending on the current Health and Safety Level.

Any social gathering or organized event attended by people from different households is considered to be a group gathering. Limitations on group gatherings do not apply to classrooms, the workplace, or incidental gatherings in public places, such as the grocery store.

Michigan Tech’s Student Development Complex (SDC) is open to current students, faculty, and staff members.

Please visit the Michigan Tech Recreation website for more details regarding hours of operation and requirements for SDC access.