A novel coronavirus is a new coronavirus that has not been previously identified. The virus causing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), is not the same as the coronaviruses that commonly circulate among humans and cause mild illness, like the common cold.
COVID-19 seems to be spreading easily and sustainably in the community (“community spread”) in many affected geographic areas. Community spread means people have been infected with the virus in an area, including some who are not sure how or where they became infected. The virus that causes COVID-19 is thought to spread mainly from person to person, mainly through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or talks. These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs. Spread is more likely when people are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet).
Yes, the University of Montana Western requires face coverings on campus or at campus events. UMW also recognizes that the CDC recommends the use of face covering or face masks in public places, please wear cloth face coverings in public settings when around people not living in your household and particularly where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain, such as grocery stores, pharmacies, and gas stations. Cloth face coverings may slow the spread of the virus and help people who may have the virus and do not know it from transmitting it to others.
COVID-19 can be spread by people who do not have symptoms and do not know that they are infected. That’s why it’s important for everyone to practice social distancing (staying at least 6 feet away from other people) and wear cloth face coverings in public settings. Cloth face coverings provide an extra layer to help prevent the respiratory droplets from traveling in the air and onto other people.
The cloth face coverings recommended are not surgical masks or N-95 respirators. Those are critical supplies that must continue to be reserved for healthcare workers and other medical first responders, as recommended by current CDC guidance.
Students – contact Nicole Hazelbaker, Dean of Students, (406-683-7900). Employees – contact Mike Reid, Human Resources, (406-683-7349). They will be able to provide you with an exemption card to be shown when asked to wear a mask.
Handwashing is one of the best ways to protect yourself and your family from getting sick. Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing; going to the bathroom; and before eating or preparing food. If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
People with COVID-19 have reported a wide range of symptoms – from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. If you have fever, cough, or other symptoms, you might have COVID-19.
Most people who get COVID-19 will be able to recover at home. CDC has directions for people who are recovering at home and their caregivers, including:
Stay home when you are sick, except to get medical care.
Use a separate room and bathroom for sick household members (if possible).
Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing; going to the bathroom; and before eating or preparing food.
If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Always wash hands with soap and water if hands are visibly dirty.
Provide your sick household member with clean disposable facemasks to wear at home, if available, to help prevent spreading COVID-19 to others.
Clean the sick room and bathroom, as needed, to avoid unnecessary contact with the sick person.
However, some people may need emergency medical attention. Watch for symptoms and learn when to seek emergency medical attention.
When to Seek Emergency Medical Attention
Look for emergency warning signs* for COVID-19. If someone is showing any of these signs, seek emergency medical careimmediately
Trouble breathing
Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
New confusion
Inability to wake or stay awake
Bluish lips or face
*This list are not all of the possible symptoms. Please call your medical provider for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning to you.
Call 911 or call ahead to your local emergency facility: Notify the operator that you are seeking care for someone who has or may have COVID-19.
Beaverhead County Public Health will contact you if you have been considered a close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. Be alert for symptoms. Watch for fever, cough, shortness of breath, or other symptoms of COVID-19. Take your temperature and follow CDC guidance if you have symptoms.
Isolation is used to separate people infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, from people who are not infected.
People who are in isolation should stay home until it’s safe for them to be around others. In the home, anyone sick or infected should separate themselves from others by staying in a specific “sick room” or area and using a separate bathroom (if available).
Quarantine is used to keep someone who might have been exposed to COVID-19 away from others. Quarantine helps prevent spread of disease that can occur before a person knows they are sick or if they are infected with the virus without feeling symptoms. People in quarantine should stay home, separate themselves from others, monitor their health, and follow directions from their state or local health department.
You can wait to be contacted by Beaverhead County Public Health or you can call Beaverhead County Public Health (406-683-4771) and let them know your contact and the last time you were with the person. Public Health will determine if you need to be tested, self-quarantine, or continue your normal routine.
As soon as the list is given to Beaverhead County Public Health, they begin calling. Public Health has also been working weekends. This generally happens quickly once a positive test comes back.
The University will be offering Symptomatic Rapid Testing to students Monday thru Friday, 11:00a.m. to 12:30p.m. in the garage of the Dean of Students building. We will be administering 6 tests per day until December 30th.
If you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, please call (406) 683-7388, to schedule an appointment. Please note, you will need to schedule an appointment by 10:30 a.m. the day of your test.
A healthcare professional will take the student-athletes temperature and ask about the symptoms related to COVID-19. A form will be filled out daily with the athletic training staff.
This term has been left somewhat open-ended, recognizing that each sport and the personnel involved to host a competition is different. Most certainly, it includes student-athletes, coaches, team managers, officials, and game management administrators. It may also include volunteers, ball boys, marching band or spirit squads, SIDs, scorers, athletic trainers and others, if those individuals are involved in administering or hosting the competition.
The primary requirement is that screening must be conducted within six hours of the competition by a healthcare professional. A visiting team could be screened prior to traveling to the contest if it fits within that time frame. If not, then screening will either need to be done by healthcare staff that travel with your team, or healthcare staff provided by the home institution upon arrival. Pursuant with the “Notice of Safety Preparations” requirement, the NAIA will indicate information to be shared with opponents in advance of each contest, including whether you will need the home school’s help with screening.
The NAIA recommends our members test student-athletes’ as frequently as possible, including a gateway test upon return to campus. However, based on feedback from presidents and AD’s, the consensus was that a mandate of more than one test was not reasonable or in some cases possible for many members. After much discussion regarding the best time to conduct the one test, the beginning of competition was chosen. It is consistent with the philosophy of deferring to each member regarding health and safety decisions for its campus community, while the role of the NAIA is to govern competition. It also will give the membership a snapshot of our population as we enter the season and provide us with data on how we should proceed. At the same time, it gives opponents some assurances that future opponents at least started the season with only students who tested negative. Please know, we realize requiring only one test has limitations, including a time lapse between the test and competition, but we believe it is the minimum we owe our student-athletes.
One test is required for all student-athletes and coaches within seven days of the team’s first competition. If for some reason an individual is unable to be tested within this timeframe, he or she must be tested and receive a negative result prior to being able to compete.
A healthcare professional includes but is not limited to an athletic trainer, team physician, campus doctor/nurse, etc. This definition has intentionally been left somewhat open-ended in recognition of campuses having a variety of athletic healthcare models and resources available to them. The intention is that the screening guidelines create consistent parameters that all schools will operate within, but that a healthcare professional has the ability to apply clinical judgment in evaluating specific symptoms.
As a reminder, screening is only required to be conducted by a healthcare professional on game day. Screening before practice or team activities can be conducted by another institutional representative, such as an athletic administrator or assistant coach.
It is best if you email us your questions to finaid@umwestern.edu. If you call, you will be asked to leave us a detailed question and we will return your call or will send you a detailed email as soon as possible.
Log into your DAWGS account with the following steps:
Enter your User ID (student ID# usually begins with 8000) and your PIN (New student PIN is DOB: MMDDYY), and click Login
New students it will tell you that your PIN has expired. That is correct. They do not want you to use your birthdate, so you will reenter your birthday (MMDDYY), then enter a new PIN. This has to be 6-15 digits, all numbers, and click submit
Read the Terms of Usage and click Continue
Set up your security question by entering your new PIN, then either choosing a question from the drop-down menu or making up your own. The system won’t let you do both.
Click on Financial Aid
Click on Eligibility
Select Aid Year July 1, 2020 – June 30, 2021 and click submit
Click on each unsatisfied requirement to print and complete the form associated with that requirement
(be sure to attach documentation with all forms requiring additional documentation)
You can submit your required documents the following ways:
Mail them to 710 South Atlantic Dillon MT 59725 (we will check at least twice a week)
Fax them to 406*683*7510
Scan and email them to FINAID@umwestern.edu. Be sure to black out any Social Security Numbers and place your UMW Student ID on the top section of your documents.
If remote, we will also be using One Drive to allow students to upload their documents to us.
At this time, we don’t know, but once a decision is made by the Department of Education, we will get information out to the Supervisors & Students via your UMW email. Check your email daily and recommend you check it several times a day as this is the main source of communication from all departments to students.
Your financial aid is based on attendance and your enrollment status, Fulltime or less. It could affect your Cost of Attendance which may cause your loan amounts to change. You are encouraged to contact the Financial Aid Office to discuss if your financial aid would be affected or not.
The deferred contract form can be found on the UMW website under Business Services, Forms and disclosures. You can also get one at the Business Services office and one will be mailed with the first bill each semester. This allows you to split your semester costs into three payments. There is a $30 charge for filing this form.
If you have a credit balance on your account, you will be issued a refund. Refunds are issued weekly. They will be issued more frequently at the beginning of each semester.
When you see a refund has been issued on your account, the check should be available the next afternoon. You can pick up your check at the Business Services office, or send your name, student ID and the address you want it mailed to: businessservices@umwestern.edu.
No, the Financial Aid Office will continue to process aid which in turn will allow the aid to be disbursed as the Student Services Office pulls the funds onto the student accounts each week.
Depending on what the status is at the Department of Education locations/offices, there may be a delay in processing of FAFSAs and federal aid on students.
You must get your bookstore authorization on line on your DAWGS account. It will open approximately 3 weeks before the start of the semester and close 1 week before. After that point you must contact Business Services at 406-683-7101.
No, these funds do not count against your eligibility for other aid. Also, it will be disbursed directly to you to assist you with COVID-19 related expenses.
No. Emergency financial aid grants under the CARES Act for unexpected expenses, unmet financial need, or expenses related to the disruption of campus operations on account of the COVID-19 pandemic, such as unexpected expenses for food, housing, course materials, technology, health care, or childcare, are qualified disaster relief payments under section 139 of the Internal Revenue Code. This grant is not includible in your gross income.
The Federal Government made the decision that online students were not impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic because they were already fully online and not required to make changes to their course offerings. Financial Aid Offices as well as our National Association of Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) spoke up and tried to convince them that even though online student’s courses were not impacted, they were impacted in other ways. (ie: children home with assignments causing an increase in food consumption & internet availability for everyone) We were still told no and that the decision would not change.
If your financial situation changed or changes, you may be eligible for special condition consideration. You can view/print the Special Conditions Form via our web site. If you have any questions, contact the Financial Aid Office.
If a student does not successfully complete a semester in which (s)he received federal funding, including federal loans, the student may have to return a portion of the funds. The amount that has to be returned, if any, is determined by the student’s last day of attendance or participation in his or her class. This review process is called Return of Title IV (R2T4). If it is determined that a student owes funds due to withdrawing or unofficially withdrawing (ceased attendance or participation in classes), the student’s aid package will be adjusted at the end of the term, and the student will be notified.
SAP (Satisfactory Academic Progress) At this time, the federal government has not given any leniency for SAP for the Summer 2020 or Fall 2020 semesters. If you withdraw, all hours will be counted toward your attempted hours but not counted toward your earned hours. This will affect your 67% and your 150% categories within SAP. You are encouraged to view the SAP policy above.
Also, as mentioned above, a R2T4 will be processed and you may owe funds due to your withdrawal.
Yes, each club will continue to function. Clubs will need to present their plans for the semester outlining how they will follow the guidelines that have been established on campus. All plans will need to be submitted to Student Senate within the first week of Block 1. Please email keeley.fitzgerald@umwestern.edu for more information.
We have created a few different options for working out on campus. Please contact our Wellness Coordinator at (406) 683-7389 to get the most up-to-date options.
Although at this time our facilities will not have self-serve options from our hot food line, our staff will be happy to plate-up any choices you would like. Some items like desserts and salads will be prepackaged for your safety. You’ll be able to pick those items up yourself.
Yes. You can come through the checker station to the hot entrée line, our staff will ask you if you would like a “to-go” box. You will make your food choices and then you can take your food to your room or to an outdoor area on campus.
We have extended our hours of service to allow our customers to spread out the times that they come in to eat. We have also moved the Montana Youth Challenge Academy to a separate building for their meal service to allow our other customers ample time to come in to eat.
Dining has brought back our popular Burger Bar service with extended hours. Also, The Bookstore and convenience store have combined services to provide more safe and efficient grab-n-go options for customers. The Cup is also moving into the SUB for a more convenient service.
If the Bulldog Life office deems it necessary for you to be isolated on campus, they will contact Dining Services and we will prepare a 7-day meal kit that will be delivered outside of your dorm room.
A student who is feeling unwell should not attend class in person. They should call their healthcare provider. A student who is missing class should also contact their professors for information about missed work.
A student who has been ill but has not been tested for COVID-19 (or tested negative) can return to class if they are fever free for 24 hours without fever reducing medication. If a student tests positive for COVID-19, they should remain in isolation until directed by Public Health or their healthcare provider that isolation is no longer necessary.
We urge students to prepare for the possibility of emergency online/remote instruction by acquiring appropriate computers and Internet access. CARES Grant funds are available for eligible students to assist with the purchase of computers and/or Internet access that is needed for educational purposes. We recommend students acquire a device, e.g. a laptop, tablet with Bluetooth keyboard, or Chromebook, that can connect to the Internet and is equipped with a webcam and microphone. Internet access is available through local Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and also through mobile phone companies, e.g. Verizon or AT&T. If available, high-speed Internet (25 MB per second download speeds or greater) is preferable as it’s better able to support synchronous video meetings.
If you would like advice about Internet access or about purchasing devices, e.g., finding affordable options, contact Russ Mckethen at ITS by calling 406-683-7775.
The University of Montana Western does have CARES Act funds available for students that are impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Those funds can be used towards technology related expenses if it is for educational purposes. Students do need to meet certain eligibility requirements to receive CARES Act funds. Students can see eligibility requirements and apply for funds at: https://www.umwestern.edu/section/covid-19-emergency-assistance-request-form-for-summer-fall-2020-students/
Living options within Montana Western’s four residence halls for the fall 2020 semester will not be limited to single-occupancy configurations. In the vast majority of configurations, residence hall rooms will be limited to a maximum of two occupants.
In order to care for the health of the residential community, no off-campus guests are allowed in the residence halls. Residential students, while following the mask policy, may visit other residential buildings’ lounge areas but may not enter private rooms/apartments. Students are requested to maintain social distancing protocol with all residential students in order to help protect the health of the community.
At this time, Montana does not have a requirement for students returning from out-of-state. If an out-of-state student wishes to quarantine, they may contact Residence Life to be temporarily housed in the quarantine hall.
To allow for social distancing, lounge and kitchen areas in residential facilities will have limited capacity. Each space will have signs noting occupancy capacity or have furniture arranged to accommodate social distancing protocol. Wearing a face covering is required in lounge and kitchen areas. If a lounge and kitchen area is at its occupancy limit upon arrival, students are requested to go to a different space on campus.
On campus students should call the Bulldog Life Office at 406-683-7565 during regular business hours from 8 am – 5 pm. They should call the on-call residence life phone at 406-925-9828 after hours, weekends and holidays.
The answer is that you use your network ID. The easier way to say that is that you login to the library in the same way that you login to your email. Most people don’t know what a network ID is, but if you tell them it’s the same login as your email, they know what that means.
Students should reach out to their faculty member by email to receive confirmation of approval to add a course. The approval email can be forwarded to the advising or registrar’s office for further assistance in adding the course.
Students should reach out to their faculty member by email to receive confirmation of approval to add a course. The approval email can be forwarded to the advising or registrar’s office for further assistance in adding the course.
While not all student services are available on-line, most can be completed through phone or email. Please contact the appropriate office with your question to determine how to receive services.
Contact the Registrar’s Office at 406-683-7371 or reg_off@umwestern.edu to receive instructions. Because of FERPA we may need to request additional information to complete your request.
Complete the enrollment appeals form available at https://www.umwestern.edu/wp-content/uploads/Policy-Waiver-Enroll-Status-Change-fillable.pdf. Provide documentation supporting your quarantine such as doctor’s note, confirmation from a school official (faculty, staff, residence life), health agency confirmation that you were on quarantine and unable to participate in courses.
Laptops are intended for short term loans, and are not to be considered as a campus member’s primary source for computing. They are a limited resource, intended to be shared with the campus community, paid for by student computing fees.
STC Labs are open Mon -Thurs from 7:00 am to 11 pm, Friday 7:00 am – 7 pm, Sat 12 pm – 6 pm, Sun 3 pm – 10 pm during the Fall, Winter and Spring. Block Break hours are TBD, but we will be open.
While faculty have the freedom to prepare as they see fit, we recommend faculty take the following concrete steps to prepare for the eventuality of online or remote instruction this fall:
Add course resources to Moodle, e.g., PDF and Word documents, hyperlinks to library database articles, websites, and online videos.
Add assignments to Moodle, complete with assignment instructions.
If you have exams that you administer in class, consider adding quizzes to Moodle (you can still administer them in person in a computer lab).
Draft a plan for how you will teach in the event we must return to remote instruction. In your plan, you may want to answer the following questions:
What aspects of your course will students be able to complete asynchronously, and which aspects will remain synchronous?
What additional technology or software, if any, do you plan to use to teach remotely (examples: webcam, headset microphone, tablet, stylus, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Screencast-o-matic)?
How will you make your remote course social, equitable, and experiential? The ACE Framework contains strategies to address these design challenges. Consider adopting one or two of the ACE strategies in your fall courses and/or working with one of our UMW faculty professional learning communities (contact Justin Mason or Bethany Blankenship for more info).
You should talk to the student privately and ask them to go home. You should provide some information about how they can make up classwork. You may also suggest that they should contact their health provider and remind them that they have access to health services through Community Health.
A student with symptoms that could be COVID-19 should not attend class. Instructors should provide students with information about their options to continue in the class remotely. Students should also be encouraged to call their health care provider for direction on what to do next.
If a student is being tested for COVID-19, Public Health will direct the student to stay home until results are back. Instructors should provide students with information about their options to continue in the class remotely. Instructors do not need to do anything further unless directed to do so by Public Health.
If a student tests positive for COVID-19, we may be notified through contact tracing, which is done through Public Health. No changes for the class need to take place until we are directed by Public Health to make a change.
Click here to download a flowchart for this scenario.
A faculty member who develops possible symptoms of COVID-19 or who is quarantined as a result of contact tracing should switch to remote instruction immediately and contact their healthcare provider. If a faculty member was sick but was not tested for COVID-19, they can return to class if they are fever free for 24 hours without fever reducing medication. If a faculty member tests positive for COVID-19, they should remain in isolation until directed by Public Health or their healthcare provider that isolation is no longer necessary.
If a faculty member is too ill to teach, they should contact their Division and Department Chairs as soon as possible so that a substitute instructor can be identified and brought in to teach. The faculty member should make suggestions to the chairs regarding possible substitutes, but the faculty member is not responsible for making the necessary arrangements to secure a substitute. Departments are expected to have made contingency plans for substitute instruction for all Fall 2020 courses, and faculty members should be aware of those plans and should act accordingly. Faculty members who substitute for absent faculty members shall be reimbursed at the pro-rated overload rate, as per CBA section 7.220.
Faculty and staff can contact Facilities Services (683-7142) to receive a sanitizing solution and paper towels that can be used to clean individual work stations.
Yes. Facilities Services is being extra diligent in the maintenance of mechanical systems and ensuring filtration systems are kept clean and in working order. Ventilating air brought in from outdoors and occupancy schedules are also being increased in areas with that capability in order to maximize fresh air to classroom and office spaces.
