Campus Operations FAQs

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Pause to Save Lives emergency order places restrictions on gatherings and establishes procedures to protect the public health. Some of these restrictions and procedures affect higher education and impact operations at Michigan Tech.

The order is effective from 12:01 a.m. on November 18 to 11:59 p.m. on December 8.

While the order is in effect, all employees of Michigan Tech who are able to do so must complete their work remotely. This includes faculty, staff, and student employees.

Please reach out to your supervisor for further information.

While the order is in effect, campus facilities that remain open must operate at 30 percent capacity or COVID-19 physical distancing capacity, whichever is lower. Details will be provided on the Status of Events and Services page of the MTU Flex website.

Furthermore, employees who must come to campus must avoid being in the same room with others to the maximum possible extent—gathering in groups is not allowed.

The Health and Safety Levels will guide our behavior on campus this fall. More information is available in the Return to Campus - 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 (symptomatic and asymptomatic), 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.

• Level 1: Employees are present as usual.
• Levels 2-3: Employees are present as usual, with COVID-19 Accommodations taken into account.
• Level 4: Only essential employees, research personnel, and those unable to work remotely are present on campus.
• Level 5: Only employees who are unable to work remotely are present. All work that can be done remotely, including research activities, must be done remotely.

During any level, anyone who reports symptoms the CDC considers to be related to COVID-19 will not be allowed on campus.

For more info, see the Health and Safety Levels web page and the Return to Campus - 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.

Employees who trigger the symptom tracker will be contacted by Human Resources. Human Resources has a great deal of useful information for those exhibiting symptoms, including remote work options, available leave, support resources—and the ability to reset symptom tracker so you can return to campus when the time is right.

The answer depends on the current Health and Safety Level on campus.

During Level 1, visitors are permitted with no restrictions.

During Levels 2-3, visitors and guests are allowed. However, they must fill out the Visitor Symptom Tracking Form before their arrival on campus. The form will be used to record and monitor the number of visitors on campus. After the visitor form is submitted, an email with a confirmation number will be sent to the visitor. They will need to have that confirmation number available when they are on campus. And, all visitors and guests will be expected to follow the same safety protocols as the campus community.

During Levels 4 and 5, only certain visitors will be allowed on campus. For more information on visitor restrictions during Level 4 and Level 5, see the Health and Safety Levels web page and the Return to Campus - Health and Safety Levels Protocol. 

COVID-19 High Risk Accommodations are reasonable modifications or adjustments to a learning environment, job, or work environment intended for MTU students and employees (including student workers). To qualify as high risk, you should either belong to an at-risk population identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), or have an at-risk person in your immediate household.

Students can request academic COVID-19 High Risk Accommodations by contacting the Coordinator of Student Disability Services at sds@mtu.edu. Employees and student workers can request workplace COVID-19 High Risk Accommodations by contacting the ADA Coordinator at adacoordinator@mtu.edu.

If the Health and Safety Level on campus is set to Levels 2-5, the answer is yes.

For Levels 2-5, if you can medically tolerate it, you must wear a protective face covering indoors, unless you are alone in your office with the door closed. Face coverings are required for all face-to-face meetings, in restrooms, and in hallways. Face coverings are not needed outdoors, as long as you are able to stay six feet apart. If six feet of distance cannot be maintained, face coverings must be worn.

If the Health and Safety Level on campus is set to Level 1, you are encouraged to wear a protective face covering indoors, and outdoors where six feet of distance cannot be maintained. However, you are not required to do so.

Employees (including student workers) who are medically unable to tolerate wearing a face covering should contact Michigan Tech's ADA Coordinator at adacoordinator@mtu.edu to ask about a COVID-19 accommodation.

Yes, but only while teaching credit-bearing courses where six feet of distance can be maintained. 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 where six feet of distance can be maintained. The face shields will allow for better airflow, allow students to see the instructor's face and will be equipped with headsets to enable remote learning for those students who are not able to be in the classroom.

The shields will also allow faculty members the flexibility to move and instruct in their traditional manner versus locked in behind a plexiglass barrier. The team working on these classroom-based mitigations will continue to review new information and make changes where necessary.

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

If students in your class are not in compliance with the face covering protocol, 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 with the protocol.

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.

Not everyone is able to medically tolerate face coverings, and we ask you to always assume the best of people.

If you are the supervisor of someone who is not in compliance with the face covering protocol, please provide them with a face covering and ask them to follow the protocol, 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.

A specific plan will be put in place for public spaces, water fountains, 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. Custodians will visit offices on a weekly basis for vacuuming and maintenance checks.

Garbage cans are available in designated common areas in each building. 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 to the maximum level that the heating and cooling capacities of each unit will allow.
• Extend HVAC operating schedules before and after normal occupancy times to flush the building with fresh air.
• Upgrade air filtration where possible. 
• 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.

When group gatherings are allowed, group members must maintain at least six feet of distance between themselves and others when gathering, whether the group is meeting indoors or outdoors. If the gathering takes place inside, face coverings must be worn. Face coverings are not required outdoors, unless group members are not able to maintain six feet of distance.

To check the status of events, visit the Departments, Events, and Services: Status Updates web page.

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.

On June 11, 2020, a link to the COVID-19 training was sent to all employees who had not yet completed it.

If you did not receive this link, please send an email to mtuflex@mtu.edu.

Employees returning to campus anytime after June 22 must complete the training within seven days of their return.

If you do not plan to return to campus until fall, you must complete COVID-19 training by the end of the summer.

Yes, all Michigan Tech employees need to complete the online training, regardless of whether they work on the main campus or not. This training is mandated by the state, and it helps to ensure that everyone is able to return to work safely with the necessary knowledge relating to COVID-19.