Personal Safety Practices
When on campus, please plan to abide by Mount Union's Four Personal Safety Practices:
- Conduct a daily health self-assessment
- Wear a face covering
- Maintain social distancing
- Maintain personal hygiene
Conduct a Daily Health Self-Assessment
Campus community members are responsible for monitoring their own symptoms and protecting the health of others. If someone has any symptoms of COVID-19, they should refrain from interacting with others. This means that they should participate in academic and co-curricular events only virtually, stay away from campus or remain in their residential assignment, and seek appropriate medical assistance. You can access a comprehensive list of COVID-19 symptoms and a symptom self-checker tool on the CDC website.
At any time, any campus community members can download the symptom monitoring log and keep track of any symptoms they may experience. Symptom monitoring is supported and encouraged, and if campus community members are not feeling well, they are encouraged to stay in their rooms or at home and away from others, attending classes virtually, working remotely, and wearing a mask whenever they are in public or shared spaces. Students in isolation and quarantine will be required to complete the symptom monitoring log. Each residence hall, fraternity, and sorority house will have a touchless thermometer available for temperature checks, the apartments and townhouses will not. Learn more about how faculty and staff can access thermometers on campus.
As always, our Student Health Center will be our first line of assessment and support for students who fall ill throughout the year. Mount Union is collaborating with Aultman Alliance Community Hospital and the Alliance Family Health Center. Mobile testing and drive by testing will be available to students. At this juncture, the Student Health Center will continue to work with the state and federal government and insurers on the costs associated with testing and treatment.
Be kind! Note that COVID-19 shares many similar symptoms with the common flu, cold, and allergies, and that the baseline for a temperature related to COVID-19 is 100.4 or higher. Please don’t immediately panic and jump to any conclusions. Please be aware that students will get ill. Residents on the floor, roommates, coworkers, and friends may have allergies or will contract colds, the flu, or other illnesses with similar symptoms to COVID-19. There may also inevitably be students diagnosed with COVID-19. It is important to be calm and plan accordingly.
Wear a Face Cover/Use Other Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
When used properly, facial coverings can be effective for reducing the likelihood of transmitting the COVID virus. In compliance with the guidelines and recommendations put forth by the State of Ohio in the Responsible RestartOhio protocols for institutions of higher education, all members of the campus community are required to wear facial coverings. Employees and students should come to campus prepared to wear appropriate face coverings. Community members are asked to provide their own face covering; however, face coverings may be provided, if needed, through various offices on campus or at programs/events. The University of Mount Union requires that community members wear facial coverings in all shared and public environments on campus, and in alignment with other environment-specific guidance related to the use of face coverings on campus. Exceptions to wearing a face covering must be requested by submitting the Request for Accommodation Form and approved by the Office of Accessibility Serivces for students and the Office of Human Resources for employees.
Face Coverings FAQs – from the Ohio Department of Health Director’s Order
Provision of Additional PPE Items
As needed for compliance with personal safety practice protocols, the University will provide certain additional personal protective equipment. Included on this list: disposable face masks, facial shields, eye goggles/protection, gloves, disinfectant wipes, sanitizing spray, hand sanitizer, plexiglass divider shields (office/work spaces), thermometers and others.
To request the issuance or restocking of such equipment please download and fill out the appropriate form and return it to bondondl@mountunion.edu. If you have any questions contact the Physical Plant (330-823-7365).
Office/Workspace PPE Request Form
Department PPE Request Form
Maintain Social Distancing
When on campus, all community members are expected to maintain a physical distance of six feet. The CDC recommends safe distancing, which includes staying out of congregate settings (i.e., large groups), avoiding mass gatherings, and maintaining a distance of six (6) feet from others whenever possible.
Maintain Personal Hygiene
The best way to prevent infection is to avoid exposure to the virus. Campus community members should adhere to the following CDC recommendations to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 (or any type of communicable illness).
- Wash hands, with soap and water, often and for at least 20 seconds. When soap and water are not available, use alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
- Avoid touching eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.
- Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or shirt sleeve, then throw tissue directly in the trash.
- Do not share personal items such as water bottles, etc.
