Weekly VP Update August 20

Dear MIIS Community,

I have an important addition to our health and safety rules to share with you today.

Mandatory Indoor Masking. Effective Monday, August 20, masks must be worn in all indoor spaces by everyone on campus, both vaccinated and unvaccinated (who have an approved medical or religious exemption). This requirement applies to students, faculty, staff, contractors, and any approved visitors in all areas, including classrooms, offices, and common and public spaces inside campus buildings and Munras Housing. Masks are not required in single-occupancy private offices or single-occupancy Munras Housing rooms. Graduate assistants and other employees working in common areas or at reception desks should be masked.  

The combination of an indoor masking requirement and the campus vaccine requirement strengthens our campus’s approach to protecting the health of all our students, faculty, and staff. The recent increase in Delta variant cases and the upsurge in breakthrough infections of vaccinated people motivated these additional health and safety rules.

Faculty and staff vaccine-policy compliance is nearing 100%. Students who will be on campus this fall have until August 27 to upload their vaccine documentation into the Sentry system. Any student who anticipates arriving in Monterey without having been vaccinated should send a notification email to VPMIIS@middlebury.edu and then get their first vaccine as soon as possible after arrival. Information on how to access COVID vaccines and testing at locations close to campus can be found here.

Lanyards, MIIS ID card, and COVID compliance stickers are required while on campus. Lanyards are available for pick-up from Security for all faculty, staff, and students and must be worn at all times on campus unless in your personal office.  COVID vaccine-policy compliance stickers are available for those that have uploaded their vaccine verification or have an approved exemption. Stickers are available in Security for students and in Human Resources for faculty and staff. Only faculty, staff, and students who are fully vaccinated or have an approved exemption are allowed on campus. 

If you need a new MIIS ID card: 

• Upload a headshot photo to the MIIS directory. Be sure to log in with your Middlebury.edu email address and then click “Upload Photo” at the top of the web page.  A square photo is preferred.
• E-mail miissecurity@middlebury.edu your name, Institute ID number, and best email address.
• Security will make your ID card and notify you when it’s ready for pick-up in person.
• Security is able to mail ID cards to online-only faculty, staff, and students. Follow this process and include your mailing address in your email to Security.

Coffee Vending Machine Now Available at Samson. A new coffee vending machine has been installed in the vending kiosk at the Samson Student Center Patio. Give it a try! And all snacks and drinks in vending machines across campus have been refreshed as we reopen the campus.  Vending machines are located in the Samson kiosk, the lower floor of McCone, and at the back of the McGowan lobby, next to the restrooms.

Hybrid Learning Open House: Want to learn more about what hybrid teaching and learning will look like this fall? Join us at the hybrid learning open house sessions taking place August 30 through September 3 every afternoon from 2 to 4 pm Pacific Time. Join us in person at the Design Space in the Digital Learning Commons or online via Zoom at this link. Students, staff, and faculty will have the chance to observe, interact, and engage with new academic technology that supports the presence of in-person and virtual participation. These informal hands-on sessions will introduce participants to the new Poly Studio video conferencing system along with inclusive approaches to assist our remote learning community in hybrid courses and spaces this fall.

We thank you for everything you do to keep our community safe. Welcome Week is just one week away and the countdown is on to the first day of class on Tuesday, September 7.

Sincerely,

Jeff Dayton-Johnson

VP of Academic Affairs and Dean of the Institute