The Newsroom has solicited a series of letters for students as they return to campus amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. This letter is from Facilities Management team member Candy Sauer.
Dear Tommies,
Welcome to your college home! We are all so excited and thrilled to have you back on campus after being away these last several months, as well as if you are new to our Tommie community.
We have developed and implemented a plan for cleaning and disinfecting. We will continue to maintain that plan and revise it as needed throughout the year.
We’ve worked hard during this time to prepare the campus for your return. In addition to the normal thorough cleaning that takes place over the summer months, we have disinfected all the dorms, classrooms and all other areas of every building. After cleaning and disinfecting, the area is checked for quality. Your safety, as well as the safety of the faculty and staff, is our goal.
Routine cleaning and disinfecting are an important part of reducing the risk of exposure to COVID-19. Normal routine cleaning with soap and water alone can reduce risk of exposure and is a necessary step. We also disinfect surfaces frequently.
We have installed more than 600 new hand sanitizer stations throughout the campus. We will check these hand sanitizers daily; however, if you notice one that is empty or almost empty, please
Facilities Management staff Candy Sauer, right, and Dennis Hollie work together to sanitize surfaces in the Anderson Student Center. Liam James Doyle/University of St. Thomas
notify your RA or a building service worker (BSW). In addition, paper towel dispensers were added to restrooms in the public areas of buildings.
When not in your dorm room or when not alone, you are required to wear a mask. Always maintain social distancing.
Bathrooms and showers will be cleaned and disinfected on a regular basis. Common touch areas of high volume buildings will be cleaned and disinfected on a daily basis. Many will have a secondary cleaning and disinfecting process occur overnight.
Common touch surfaces in dining areas will be cleaned and disinfected throughout the day. Disinfection stations have been added to dining areas so that you too can support a safe environment.
There are isolation and quarantine dorm areas designated in select locations if you are unable to isolate or quarantine at home.
All classrooms are set up to meet social distancing criteria. There are disinfecting stations for you to use in each classroom to support a safe environment.
Should the need arise, there are staff trained on how to respond to a COVID-19 situation. The Center for Well-Being can provide you guidance as well.
As we approach the new school year, it is important for all of us to realize that things have changed and we must do our best to adapt.
Get to know your floor and the people on it. Try new things. Try old things in a new way.
STAY SAFE!!
We are all in this together. We will get through this the Tommie way: “All for the Common Good.”
Sincerely,
Candy Sauer
