COVID-19 Recovery Plan: Important changes to campus Step 4 guidelines take effect May 17

Adapting to changing public health guidance, we will be making certain updates to the university’s COVID-19 Recovery Plan Step 4, Version 4 guidelines for summer. (Note: All other Step 4 guidelines remain in place.) The changes below take effect Monday, May 17, and remain in place until Sunday, Aug. 15, or until guidelines for the fall semester are approved:

COVID planning and recovery strategies

  • In-person work on campus may resume if guidelines are followed and the unit’s ULC leader submits a work plan to the Recovery Team for approval.
  • Marquette’s travel guidance has been updated to include CDC guidance for vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals.

COVID dashboard

  • Starting May 27, Marquette’s public COVID-19 dashboard will be updated weekly, each Thursday at 2 p.m. The university will continue to share:
    • University alert level
    • Total number of cases
    • On-campus test results
    • Gating criteria — cases and quarantine and isolation space

Health and safety

  • Editor’s note | May 27
    The university announced new masking guidance in alignment with the City of Milwaukee, effective June 1: University to eliminate on-campus mask requirement June 1 in alignment with City of Milwaukee
  • All members of the Marquette community who will be on campus this summer, must complete the daily COVID Cheq, even if fully vaccinated.
  • In accordance with CDC guidance, students, faculty and staff who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (i.e., those who have received a second dose in a two-dose series of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine, or one dose of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine and two weeks have elapsed after their final dose) and who were in close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, do not have to quarantine if they have no symptoms of COVID-19 since the last close contact. If exposed, however, fully vaccinated individuals should still monitor for symptoms and get tested for COVID-19 if they become symptomatic.
  • Cleaning and disinfecting protocols will be adjusted to align with current CDC and City of Milwaukee recommendations related to surface transmission.
  • Common room items (e.g., microwaves, shared coffee pots or water pitchers) can be used, but employees are encouraged to continue to bring their own utensils, mugs, etc.
  • The university will suspend mandatory testing for students due to the limited number of students on campus. Marquette will provide testing for symptomatic students and close contacts.
  • The Marquette Medical Clinic will cease on-campus vaccine clinics after June 20. Vaccines are available on campus through June 20 — see details online. After June 20, students, faculty and staff should visit milwaukee.gov/covidvax for more information.
  • Marquette has identified rooms on campus for quarantine and isolation for students living in residence halls and university apartments. Students enrolled in summer classes who live off campus may request quarantine and isolation space.

Academic planning

  • Classroom capacities have been set based on physical distancing guidelines and will remain in place this summer.
  • Raynor Memorial Libraries will observe new hours:

Monday – Thursday         7:45 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Friday                                  7:45 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Saturday                             10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Sunday                                3 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Student life

  • The Marquette University Police Department’s coach bus service will be suspended due to the limited number of students on campus during this period. Students may request individual rides in university vans. Step 4 guidelines for capacity and health and safety will remain.

Campus events

  • No individual under 18 may stay overnight on campus, except for those enrolled in bridge programs (i.e., on-campus college preparedness or similar programs) or current or matriculating students.
  • All event proposals involving participants under 18 must reviewed by the COVID-19 Recovery Team. These participants will be required to participate in a daily prescreen process and provide a completed, signed waiver by a parent/guardian confirming the minor will not attend if they are exhibiting COVID or COVID-like symptoms. If a child exhibits symptoms or shows a fever upon screening, the child will be sent home. Marquette University requires groups involving participants under 18 to provide adult counselors, 24 hours per day, for all minors not accompanied by a parent or guardian. The counselors will be responsible for the security and behavior of those in the group. Marquette requires a minimum ratio of one resident counselor per 10 minors.
  • Every event attendee must complete a registration form for contact tracing purposes, and standard COVID-19 screening must occur the day of the event. This is the responsibility of the event host, and the COVID-19 Recovery Team will provide a screening questionnaire to the event host.
  • Event hosts will also be responsible for assisting in contact tracing in case of a positive COVID-19 test among any attendees. The hosts will need to provide to the Milwaukee Health Department a list of all attendees, including names, addresses, dates of birth and phone numbers.
  • All food service requests must be sourced through Sodexo and include a plan for distribution, dining location and other associated logistics and will align with the current Milwaukee Health Department order.
  • The university will not provide isolation or quarantine space to event attendees who are not currently enrolled at Marquette or living on campus. The event host will be responsible for coordinating private transportation for any individual in need of quarantine and isolation.

In addition to these summer updates, please be advised that MUIDs will continue to be required 24/7 for the majority of campus buildings through the summer. Directional and access point signage within buildings will be removed in the coming weeks with a return to regular building access and circulation patterns.