Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)

University of Mississippi

Friday, March 13, 2020 COVID-19 Update

To date, no cases have been confirmed at the University of Mississippi. Six cases have been confirmed in the state of Mississippi, and President Trump has declared a national emergency. We have entered an unprecedented time for our university and our nation during our lifetimes.

For the university, we know there are a lot of unanswered questions, and we are working diligently to develop answers. Due to the range of demands on our faculty and staff, we are unable to respond to individual inquiries at this time. We urge you to monitor the COVID-19 Update page, which will be continuously updated as more information becomes available.

University Updates

HR Related Topics

Frequently Asked Questions page available for HR-related questions pertaining to coronavirus: https://hr.olemiss.edu/coronavirus_faq/

Ole Miss Student Union Reservations

All reservations for space managed by the Ole Miss Student Union have been suspended until further notice.

Contact: Carole Webb, clwebb2@olemiss.edu

Students

IMPORTANT: Students should stay at home

One point that we want to reiterate to our entire university community: All students, whether they live on- or off-campus, are strongly encouraged to return to their family home, or a place where they can stay away from others, and remain there during this period. It is imperative that we all do our part to stem the spread of this pandemic by promoting social distancing to minimize the risk of spreading the virus. This is not a time to get together for parties or treat it as an extended vacation. You may not get sick, but failing to practice social distancing may lead you to transmit the virus to someone else who could die from it. So, please act in the interest of the greater good and stay home.

Update from University Housing

  • In preparation for the upcoming period of online instruction, on-campus residence halls will be open for residents for the limited purpose of retrieving essential belongings needed to continue your studies remotely.
  • If you only need textbooks, please know that we are exploring options to digitize textbooks where necessary, and we are working with faculty to work with students in their given circumstances.
  • In response to requests from students, we have expanded the hours when the residence halls will be open – now beginning Saturday, March 14 at 8 a.m. and running until Wednesday, March 18 at 5 p.m., at which time all residence halls and university-owned apartments will close until further notice.
  • For students who have no other living option available, an Alternative Housing Request for temporary housing must be made no later than Tuesday, March 17 at 5 p.m. by filling out the form in the Student Housing Portal. Campus dining and other services will be available to those students on a limited basis.
  • PakMail Packages will be open in Brown Hall on Saturday and Sunday from 9 am-5 pm and Monday-Wednesday of next week from 8am-5 pm.
  • If you have any questions, please contact Student Housing at 662-915-7328 or housing@olemiss.edu.

UM Writing Center

Online consultation and appointment reservations for the Writing Center are available at https://rhetoric.olemiss.edu/writing-centers/online/.

Fraternity & Sorority Life

All fraternity and sorority events, including all registered on- and off-campus social events, have been canceled until further notice. Any meetings should be conducted remotely. Contact your chapter leadership for more information.  Fraternity & Sorority Life will be working normal hours (M-F, 8 am-5 pm) during this period and will be available to answer questions and provide support to chapter officers, advisors and house corporation members.

Faculty

Workplace Considerations

https://hr.olemiss.edu/coronavirus/

Academic continuity

The university’s Academic Continuity Task Force has launched a webpage as a hub for faculty and academic support staff to find all of the resources available to help you deliver your courses going forward. The Keep Teaching: Academic Continuity page will be updated regularly over the coming days as plans for the transition to online and alternative means of instruction take shape. There is also a dedicated email address (keepteaching@olemiss.edu) where you can send all questions to help you in this transition.

Research update

The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs has launched a web page specific to Research COVID-19 Information. The web page is intended to provide complimentary guidance to that provided by other administrative offices, and answer common questions as they occur, related to research and sponsored programs.

Faculty Workshop

“Moving Your Course Online”

Daily: March 16-20

Contact: Josh Eyler at jreyler@olemiss.edu.

Chair and Director Workshop

“Open Forum on Academic Continuity”

  • March 17 at 8:30 am via Zoom (Zoom details to follow).

Staff

Other Things to Know