Starting tomorrow, Tuesday, Sept. 1, academic and research buildings on URI campuses will be open daily so faculty and staff may begin preparing for the fall semester. The University’s COVID-19 Task Force has been hard at work throughout the summer preparing our buildings for the fall term. As they return to campus, our faculty and staff should note that these buildings are reopening while some preparation is being finalized. Facilities Operations will be completing these and other tasks over the next two weeks so we’re ready for the start of classes.

Answers to many building preparation questions can be found in the URI COVID-19 Building Reopening Guide. If faculty/staff have additional questions or concerns about the preparation of their spaces on campus, we ask that they contact the Office of Emergency Management by email at emergency@etal.uri.edu. We will make sure the appropriate department responds as quickly as possible. This will be either directly or via community notice. Please do not call the Facilities Control Center to request additional work orders at this time (see below).

Building signs

Facilities Operations and other teams are installing building signs per plans submitted to the COVID-19 Task Force with priority given to teaching spaces. Building/department staff are welcome to assist in the process by putting up their own signs in offices and administrative areas if Facilities hasn’t already addressed them. All URI-branded COVID-19 building sign templates can be downloaded from the URI Building Reopening shared Google folder and printed on any office color printer. If you have very specific sign needs such as “Please wait here…call this number or person for access…” you should download, alter, print, and install your own signs in these instances.

Requests for additional modifications

Many departments have made additional requests such as tents, office partitions, and other COVID-19-related modifications and improvements. At this time, the resources of Facilities, Emergency Management, Environmental Health & Safety, and other University units are fully committed to the essential steps necessary to prepare for the return of our campus community. Facilities Operations, in conjunction with the COVID-19 Task Force, will do everything possible to support the requests of each department/building. Having said that, resources and supplies are limited, so actual installations may vary somewhat from requests and in some cases may not be feasible altogether. At this time we can no longer accept new requests for preparations beyond the essential steps outlined in the Reopening Guide.

Hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes

Hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipe dispensers are being installed in classrooms, labs, study rooms, and building common areas. Students will be expected to wipe down their desks before sitting down for their class session. These supplies are already allocated for these locations and no additional requests are needed. For offices and all other faculty/staff locations, department supply leaders should request hand sanitizer (16-20 oz) and disinfectant wipes (60-count) through the COVID-19 Supply Distribution Center. More information, including a link to the online order form, can be found at Emergency Management.