Facilities and Logistics

Hours Of Operation

Campus Access

24 hours a day, 7 days a week

Administrative Offices

Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Fitness Center

Monday - Friday , 7:00 a.m. - midnight
Saturday - Sunday, 10:00 a.m. - midnight

McQuade Library

Monday - Friday, 24 hours a day
Saturday - Sunday, 10:00 a.m. - midnight

Post Office

Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Sakowich Campus Center

24 hours a day, 7 days a week

Travel and Transportation

The College currently has a travel ban in place, and this ban will remain in place for the entire fall semester. Prior to lifting that ban the College will evaluate the risk factors associated with travel along with the status of the CDC Travel Advisory. In a limited number of circumstances, travel related to research, recruiting, student activities and clubs, and athletics may be approved. Approval for travel will be made at the sole discretion of the President. It is expected that restrictions on travel will persist into 2021, or until the threat posed to travelers and the community has decreased or been adequately mitigated.

The College does not regulate the personal travel of staff and faculty but will inform them about government requirements regarding travel where applicable

Students Leaving Campus

Once the fall semester begins, Merrimack College strongly advises students to refrain from extended personal travel until such time as they return home or move elsewhere after the semester has concluded. Extended personal travel is defined as leaving the area of the campus community overnight or engaging in any activity off campus that would increase the risk of COVID-19 exposure.

Students should refrain from travel over weekends, on holidays or otherwise from the time they arrive at the start of the fall semester until the time they depart at the end of the semester. Merrimack will be providing expanded services during weekends.

College Vehicle Use

Employees are not permitted to ride in College vehicles unless necessary. All conference and event-related travel must be approved. In the event that an employee must ride in a vehicle with another employee, both employees must wear face coverings.

Traveling to Massachusetts from Out of State

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts’s new travel order went into effect on August 1, 2020 and requires that all visitors traveling to Massachusetts from the states outside of Massachusetts, Maine, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York and New Jersey must self-quarantine for 14 days or produce a negative COVID-19 test result that has been administered up to 72-hours prior to your arrival in Massachusetts.

The travel order also states that a traveler who is required to quarantine may be released from the obligation to continue quarantining upon obtaining proof of a negative test from an FDA EUAapproved molecular test, which was administered after the person’s arrival in Massachusetts.

Please review our Traveling to Massachusetts from Out of State found on our Health and Safety page.

Travel Quarantine

Employees and students who travel by airplane, travel overnight or to regional COVID-19 hotspots will quarantine for 14 days before coming back to campus, regardless of the reason for traveling. This policy ensures compliance with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts travel order, applicable to travel from specified destinations. The College will not support or pay for any travel for any student or employee unless preapproved. This includes team athletic travel, student and mission trips and admissions and athlete recruiting. All travel exceptions must be approved by the President or Executive Vice President; additional rules for preapproval will be updated as state policies are amended.

Study Abroad

Study abroad programs, both semester-long and short-term, are canceled for the 2020–2021 academic year. Students are encouraged to consult with the Office of Global Education regarding future possibilities.

Ride-Sharing

Any ride-share requests should be directed to a pickup location off of Rock Ridge Road.

Facilities

Building Capacity

To comply with social distancing guidelines, the capacity of buildings is being adjusted in various spaces, such as reduced seats in classrooms, dining locations, lounge spaces and meeting rooms. In addition, the capacity of residence hall buildings is being reduced, and triple and quad dorm rooms are all being converted into double-occupancy rooms.

Building Flow

Measures to improve pedestrian flow within buildings include wall signage and floor decals to encourage 6 feet of distancing. In addition, directional signage is being installed in dining locations where queuing and waiting occurs.

Bathrooms

To promote at least 6 feet of distance between individuals, use of restrooms should be limited based on the size of the space. Hands should be washed afterward following public health guidance.

Elevators

Elevators should be limited to one rider at a time when possible, and all riders should wear a face covering and avoid touching the elevator buttons, if possible. Upon departing the elevator, wash your hands or use hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol.

Offices

Multiple-occupancy office spaces, such as cubicles or shared offices, are being evaluated for either plexiglass installations, barrier modifications, furniture reconfiguration or reduced occupancy. Employees are encouraged to work from home when possible and in coordination with their direct supervisors.

Barriers Installed to Reduce Transmission

Plexiglass barriers have been, and will continue to be, installed in a variety of public-facing counters and offices across campus. Movable barriers are also being installed in all residence hall bedrooms for residents to use between socially distant beds.

Cleaning in Buildings

Cleaning protocols within buildings have been modified to be more frequent and stringent. Use of additional electrostatic sanitizing sprayers and EPA-registered COVID-19-killing green cleaning solutions will continue on campus.

HVAC

In modern HVAC systems on campus, the College is installing higher MERV value air filters, conducting more frequent preventative maintenance, and adjusting air handling units to allow for increased amount of fresh air into buildings (Sakowich, Crowe, Palmisano, Rogers, O’Reilly, Arcidi, Nursing, Cushing, Athletics Complex, etc.). Use of operable windows in buildings will continue to provide fresh air to circulate.

Rogers Center Events

The Rogers Center is closed to all outside visitors, and all public events are canceled. Instead, students and faculty will use the facility for classes and student events. Parents and residential students will be allowed into the Rogers Center for events, but the College reserves the right to limit access depending on the event. Events will be streamed online.