May 6, 2009
Dear Members
of the USM
Community:
USM remains
in close
communication
with the
Maine Center
for Disease
Control and
Prevention
(Maine CDC) on the status of H1N1 influenza (swine flu), first reported nationally on April 26, 2009.
As vice president for Student and University Life, I have pulled together USM’s Critical Incident
Response Team (CIRT) to ensure that we are prepared to address the health and safety of our
USM community in the event of an outbreak. Of course, we must take our guidance from the
Maine CDC but please know that USM is actively involved in developing contingency plans to
support a successful completion of this spring semester. As members of a community, we have
individual and collective responsibilities.
What You Can
and Should
Do:
• Follow the
basic health
and safety
guidelines
from the
Maine CDC
http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/boh/index.shtml.
• If you are
experiencing
conditions
such as a
fever, cough
and/or sore
throat that
concern you, please consult your health care provider. If your health care provider
has advised you that you might have H1N1 influenza and has recommended quarantine, please
call University Health Services at 780-4211. Information about suspected cases is being
gathered to
help
identify
clusters of
illness in
the USM
community.
• Check
USM’s Web
site (follow
the link on
the front
page)
regarding
any news
that
might affect
classes,
events, and
the
university
as a whole.
• Pay
attention to
any official
emails you
receive from
the USM
administration
regarding
this topic.
Faculty members may also be connecting with students in their classes.
What USM Has
Done:
• Faculty
members have
been
provided a
protocol to
ensure
completion
of this
spring 2009
semester.
They will
inform
students of
any changes
with regard
to this
final week
of classes
and the
final exam
period.
• USM has
taken
additional
measures
including
signs, an
increased
Web
presence,
and expanded
distribution
of
sanitizers
to help
further
protect the
health and
safety of
the members
of our
community.
•
Commencement
and Summer
Session
Programs: We
are
optimistic
that these
will occur
as planned.
However, please check the USM Web site for updates.
For More
Information:
The
following
individuals
may be
contacted
should you
have any
questions:
Questions
about
Residence
Halls:
Denise
Nelson (dnelson@usm.maine.edu
780-5644)
Questions
about Spring
Classes:
In addition
to your
faculty
members and
academic
advisors,
the
following
individuals are ready to assist you:
Arts & Sciences - Pam Edwards
(pedwards@usm.maine.edu 780-4396)
ASET - Bonnie Stearns
(bstearns@usm.maine.edu 780-5050)
Business - Alice Cash
(acash@usm.maine.edu 780-4184)
CNHP - Nursing: Brenda Webster
(brenda@usm.maine.edu 780-4802)
Exercise, Health and Sport Sciences: Vic Liberi
(vliberi@usm.maine.edu 228-8206)
Recreation and Leisure Studies: Bill McCullough
(wtmccull@usm.maine.edu 780-4645)
Lewiston-Auburn College - Kim Jenkins
(kjenkins@usm.maine.edu 753-6560)
CEHD - Kim Warren
(kwarren@usm.maine.edu 780-5902)
Undeclared, GO and Non-Degree Students - Rodney Mondor
(rmondor@usm.maine.edu 780-5281)
Law - Sherry Abbott
(sherry.abbott@maine.edu 780-4345)
Muskie School - Deb Arbique
(darbique@usm.maine.edu 228-8593)
Off-Campus Centers - Monique LaRocque
(mlarocque@usm.maine.edu 780-5422)
Women’s Studies, Honors, and Russell Scholars - Susan Campbell
(scamp@usm.maine.edu 780-4547)
Questions about Health:Ann Conley
(aconley@usm.maine.edu 780-4211)
Questions about Benefits/Personnel Policies: Claire Hassler
(chassler@usm.maine.edu 780-5175)
We will keep you updated with information about the status of the H1N1 influenza
virus at USM as it becomes available to us. As we move from Spring 2009 into our
Summer Session programs, the CIRT committee is actively developing contingency
plans to assist us in accommodating the academic needs of our summer
students in the event of an outbreak.
Sincerely,
Craig
Hutchinson
Vice
President
for Student
and
University
Life
