Over this year’s winter break, the University plans to raze Alvey Hall. This residence hall, adjacent to the Fitness Center, was closed during the summer of 2018 due to ongoing moisture control issues, which led to some mold growth within the building.

Alvey Hall has remained closed; during this time, we have explored a number of options, including full renovation as a residence hall as well as repurposing it for other uses. However, we currently have sufficient capacity in our other residence halls to fully meet the current and projected demand for on-campus housing. In addition, the cost of renovating Alvey Hall was estimated to be $12 to $15 million. That expense would have to come through higher residence hall rates, or – if the space was repurposed — increases in the Comprehensive Fee.

The razing of Alvey Hall will allow us not only to save renovation costs but also to provide additional green space in an area that is less open than other parts of campus. Final landscaping will occur later in the spring as weather permits.

Additionally, this project will aid us in reducing some of the University’s deferred maintenance, help us right-size the campus and reduce our operating costs for utilities, housekeeping and general maintenance.

Paul C. Messplay
Vice President for Administration and Finance & CFO
University of Mary Washington
(540) 654-1410

This message is from the Public Health Advisory Work Group and the Office of Human Resources

Dear Colleagues,

President Biden’s Executive Order 14042 requires employees of organizations that hold certain federal contracts to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. UMW qualifies as such an organization, therefore, all UMW employees are required to be fully vaccinated by December 8, 2021, unless they have a University-approved religious or medical exemption.

Since August 23, 2021, all employees who are not fully vaccinated have been required to undergo weekly COVID testing. This requirement will continue and employees with a religious or medical exemption must be tested every week.

You may apply for exemption from the COVID-19 vaccination requirement by completing the COVID-19 Vaccination Medical Exemption Request form or the COVID-19 Vaccination Religious Exemption Request form.

Contraindications to vaccination are described by current CDC recommendations and these serve as a basis for determining medical exemption. Valid evidence for any medical contraindication is required and should be submitted via the COVID-19 Vaccination Medical Exemption Request form signed by a licensed medical provider. Religious exemption request forms must be notarized. Exemption request forms must be uploaded to the Faculty/Staff Vaccine Survey by 5:00pm Monday, November 29.

The submitted materials will be evaluated and determinations of exemption will be provided as soon as possible. If the exemption is not granted, you will not be considered compliant with the University’s vaccination requirement.

Thank you,
UMW Public Health Advisory Work Group

…………………………………………………………………………………

Dear Students, Staff, and Faculty,

We want to provide you a quick update about COVID-19 vaccines and boosters based on the latest information from the CDC and VDH.

• The Virginia Department of Health has confirmed that any student or employee of an institution of higher education in the Commonwealth of Virginia is now eligible to receive a COVID booster based on the congregate nature of college campuses.
  • If you received the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine:
    • When to get a booster:
      • At least 6 months after your second shot
    • Which booster should you get?
      • Any of the COVID-19 vaccines authorized in the United States
    • You are eligible for a booster if you are:
      • 65 years or older
      • Age 18+ who live in long-term care settings
      • Age 18+ who have underlying medical conditions
      • Age 18+ who work or live in high-risk settings (includes college campuses)
  • If you received Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine:
    • When to get a booster:
      • At least 2 months after your shot
    • You are eligible for a booster if you are:
      • 18 years or older
    • Which booster should you get?
      • Any of the COVID-19 vaccines authorized in the United States
  • Boosters are available at most pharmacies and primary care offices. You may check for availability here.

• The CDC also now recommends that children between the ages of 5 & 11 received the Pfizer-BioNTech pediatric vaccine. Families should seek guidance from their pediatricians for household children within this age group. Vaccinating children can help protect family members, including siblings who are not eligible for vaccination and family members who may be at increased risk of getting very sick if they are infected. See the following from the Rappahannock Area Health District for more: CVC_PressRelease-RAHD 5-11 final.

Please let us know if you have any questions at COVIDvaccination@umw.edu.

Sincerely,
Public Health Advisory Working Group

Dear UMW Community Members,

As part of the continuing work of the UMW Police Community Advisory Panel (CAP) process, I am writing to inform you of the formation of the Community Advisory Board (CAB). This is a presidential committee that will strengthen the University’s commitment to community policing, which is a strategy and a philosophy that emphasizes proactive and collaborative partnerships between police and community members. Ideally, this collaboration allows for an exchange of ideas and identification of concerns that encourages our dedication to inclusive excellence, builds trust, and strengthens public safety as a community-wide commitment and responsibility.

Input and recommendations from students, including the UMW NAACP 2020 Campus Police Assessment report, have informed the creation and mission of the Community Advisory Board. The CAB’s charge, purpose, and membership are below.

Sincerely,

Troy D. Paino
President

Charge

The Community Advisory Board (CAB) will be comprised of students, faculty, staff, administration and UMW Police; it will serve as a bridge between the campus community and UMW Police. The Community Advisory Board will recommend reforms to reflect best practices in bias-free, inclusive policing and develop a process to continuously review and assess the effectiveness of campus policing policies and procedures, while also actively working to ensure alignment with accreditation standards.

Purpose
The purpose of the Community Advisory Board is to reinforce the community policing philosophy embraced by the UMW Police. Through its representation from various stakeholders, the CAB will support the UMW Police’s efforts to promote transparency of operations and services in affirmation of their mission to provide a safe and secure environment for the University of Mary Washington. CAB recommendations and input will help the Chief of Police and UMW Police staff improve their operations and make community-informed decisions.

CAB Members

Dr. Juliette Landphair, Vice President for Student Affairs, Interim Chair
Officer Giovanni Baez, UMW Police
Dr. Bridget Brew, Assistant Professor, Sociology and Anthropology
Arin Doerfler, Sr. Accountant-Fixed Assets
JoAnna Raucci, Associate Director, James Farmer Multicultural Center
Dr. Danny Tweedy, Associate Professor, English and Linguistics
Nahjah Wilson, UMW Student
Brian Wolf, UMW Student, Resident Assistant

Ex-Officio Members:

Mike Hall, Assoc. Vice President of Public Safety and Chief of Police
Dr. Shavonne Shorter, Associate Provost for Equity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer

The University of Mary Washington promotes a safe and secure environment in which to learn and work by prohibiting threats and acts of violence by or against members of the University community, and by prohibiting such threats and acts on University property and within University facilities. Members of the Threat Assessment Team (TAT) and Violence Prevention Team (VPT) are here for you. If you see or sense something, say something. Learn how.

UMW Faculty and Staff,

The IT Department is working on a project to migrate all Windows and Mac workstations from the legacy Symantec Endpoint Protection anti-malware software currently in use to next-generation anti-malware software from SentinelOne.

The SentinelOne software client will be automatically pushed to and installed on your computer in the coming weeks. Shortly after that, the old Symantec Endpoint Protection client will be automatically removed. There is nothing you need to do to prepare for these changes, and they will happen in the background and should not interfere with the use of your computer.

After the SentinelOne software client has been installed, you will see the product logo below in the system tray on your computer.

If you have questions or concerns about the SentinalOne anti-malware software, you can contact me directly or the Help Desk at 540-654-2255 or helpdesk@umw.edu.

Thank you,

Mike Townes
Director of Information Technology Security/ISO
University of Mary Washington
(540)-654-2152
mtownes@umw.edu