|
|
|
|
|
|
Welcome
Welcome to issue 13 of Recap, MICA’s regular communication on the College’s progress and planning around the return to campus for Spring 2021 and beyond.
Recap is also a place for dialogue, so we encourage you to use the Comment on This Topic button at the end of each story. We use your feedback to help build our shared understanding as One Team MICA.
And as always, some information may not apply to all programs and constituents, such as Open Studies. For specific information, please use the departmental directory at the end of this issue.
|
|
|
In This Issue: - Important Information: Vaccinations
- Summer Plans: Testing Changes
- Follow Up: Time Off Carryover Deadlines FAQ
- Looking Ahead: International
Study in the Fall
- Transparency Report: Comments from the Community
|
|
|
|
|
| IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Vaccinations
|
|
|
MICA continues to work diligently to put infrastructure in place to provide our community with COVID-19 vaccinations.
After first partnering with a clinical provider to vaccinate our frontline employees, as well as some students living on campus, MICA is pleased to announce we are now able to begin vaccinating the rest of the campus, thanks to a partnership with The Notre Dame of Maryland University (NDMU).
NDMU is opening its COVID-19 vaccination clinics (operated through a partnership with Safeway) to the MICA community this week, Those who have filled out our Vaccination Waitlist Form—which was initially announced on March 20—were contacted over the weekend and notified of the NDMU opportunity. Additionally, off-campus students who have been registered in MICA’s weekly testing program were contacted as well.
If you are still in need of a vaccination and did not fill out MICA’s form, you are eligible to register with NDMU/Safeway to receive a vaccination. (You do not need to
be a permanent resident of Maryland to do so.)
To register, click here. Please note that you are registering directly with Safeway. Effective April 12, 2021, all individuals 16 years or older are eligible to receive the vaccine. This link is being provided to you in advance of its availability to the general public, so please register as soon as you receive this message.
After you register, you will receive a confirmation with instructions to print three documents. Be sure to complete the consent form PRIOR to arrival for your appointment and bring it with you to the appointment.
Mass COVID-19 Vaccination Clinics co-sponsored by Safeway Pharmacies and the NDMU’s School of Pharmacy will operate clinics on the following dates:
- Tuesday, April 13
- Wednesday, April 14
- Thursday, April 15
- Sunday, April 18
Appointments will be available from 9 a.m. to 6
p.m. each day for the Pfizer vaccine.
Also bring your driver’s license and your medical insurance card. If you do not have a driver’s license, bring your MICA ID card or other forms of state-issued ID.
After receiving your first dose, you will also be able to sign up to receive your second dose in clinics held three weeks (21 days) later. If you are an out-of-state student, you still must receive your second dose in Maryland. You cannot get your second dose out of state.
If you are unable to get a vaccination appointment through this link, we encourage you to continue to try at any of the other sites in Maryland, including mass vaccination sites, pharmacies, and more. Additionally, MICA will continue to work to vaccinate our community through these types of partnerships. If you have not yet done so, please fill out our vaccination waitlist form.
Walking through the online registration form:
|
|
|
|
|
Step 1: Be sure to check the box attesting that you belong to a subgroup of the population that is being prioritized for the COVID-19 vaccination.
|
|
|
|
|
Step 2: Click “COVID Vaccine (First Dose)”, then hit “Next”.
|
|
|
|
|
Step 3: Select the date and time of your appointment.
|
|
|
|
|
Step 4: Complete all required information (including if you are suffering from any conditions that put you at a higher risk for extreme complications from COVID-19), then hit “Submit” at the bottom of the screen.
|
|
|
|
|
Step 5: This is the confirmation for your appointment, which will also be sent to your email address.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| SUMMER PLANS
Testing Changes
|
|
|
For the spring semester, MICA continues to run an on-campus COVID-19 surveillance testing program, which is testing an average of 400 people each week, returning positivity rates of near zero throughout the semester.
After conversations with our epidemiologists and in considering the College’s planned operations, success to date, and the anticipated very low density of the campus this summer, MICA will be pausing its asymptomatic weekly COVID-19 surveillance testing this summer.
The last week of the current asymptomatic testing will be May 17-19, and all relevant individuals should continue to be tested through that time. No decision on testing has yet been made for the fall semester, and we will communicate that
information once known.
Many other public health measures will remain in place, such as using face coverings, self-monitoring symptoms (and not coming to campus if symptomatic), reducing area density, and temperature screenings at building entrances.
Student Health Services will be able to test and care for any students in the Baltimore area who are symptomatic or deemed close contacts of someone COVID-19 positive, and employees who are symptomatic or close contacts should not report to campus and work with their primary health care provider.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| FOLLOW UP
Time Off Carryover Deadlines FAQ
|
|
|
We know there was confusion surrounding vacation carryover deadlines after Recap 12. To try to provide additional clarity, we’ve developed an FAQ to help answer those questions.
If additional questions remain, use the Comment on This Topic button at the end of this story to submit them, and we’ll do our best to get them answered and added to the FAQ so that all MICA employees can take their well-deserved time off after this chaotic year.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| LOOKING AHEAD
International Study in the Fall
|
|
|
As announced in a memo sent on April 2, MICA outbound study abroad programs for Fall 2021 have been suspended.
MICA continues to closely monitor the global public health situation and its potential impacts on international programs, travel, and the issuance of international student visas for the Fall 2021 semester.
Here’s what you need to know regarding our decisions and planning in these areas:
All outbound study abroad and international exchange programs are suspended for Fall 2021
- This difficult decision was made after careful deliberation and discussions with our epidemiological consultants.
- Many of MICA’s study abroad partner institutions have already made similar decisions to cancel Fall 2021 programs, including the SACI program in Florence, Italy.
- MICA’s decision encompasses all semester-long programs, including all programs offered by MICA's international exchange and affiliate partnerships.
- The College will continue to assess all related guidance for the Spring 2022 semester, and we are very hopeful that full
participation will be possible in light of expanding vaccination rates and more optimistic predictions for international travel.
All inbound (on-campus) international and domestic exchange programs will resume in Fall 2021
- With a plan for near normal campus operations in Fall 2021, and our high level of confidence in the rates of vaccination, and our public health measures, MICA will resume all inbound (on-campus) international and domestic student exchange programs for the fall.
- While MICA anticipates some reduction in the numbers of participants due to travel restrictions and other elements of the pandemic
recovery process, we are pleased to be able to welcome students accepted for these programs to join us on the MICA campus this fall.
International students should plan for a return to in-person instruction on the MICA campus in the fall
- The College is strongly
encouraging all international students to make the necessary preparations for the resumption of their studies in Baltimore this fall as we continue to plan for a full return to campus for in-person instruction.
- All international students should be in touch with their academic advisors as needed and enroll for the fall semester during the registration period beginning on April 26, 2021.
- In addition to holding international student’s places in these classes, MICA will use this information to determine what classes or programs may need to be offered online for international students should their return to campus in the fall be delayed by travel restrictions or visa issues.
Have questions about study abroad and exchange programs, or you are an international student and have questions or concerns
regarding your visa and travel plans for the fall? Please contact the Office of International Education at internationaleducation@mica.edu or 410-225-2243.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| TRANSPARENCY REPORT
A Snapshot of Responses from the Previous Issue of Recap
|
|
|
As mentioned previously, we’ve included the ability for you to submit comments on individual topics for each issue of Recap in order to help provide an open dialogue around the complex and evolving issues of mounting the 2021 semester.
We thank all of you who have submitted thoughtful comments from past issues. Those comments are used to inform future issues, raise awareness on topics, and ultimately help build shared understanding as One Team MICA. And while we cannot provide individual recognition for each comment, we are providing a summary snapshot of those comments to promote transparency.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| DEPARTMENTAL DIRECTORY
Please address specific questions to an appropriate departmental contact.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
That’s it for this installment of Recap. Thank you for your engagement in this ongoing dialogue and building of shared understanding. If there are any topics you would like to have addressed in future installments, please provide your ideas here.
Stay safe and be well.
|
|
|
|
|
