Facilities and Logistics
Learn more about Merrimack College’s protocols for travel, transportation and facilities during COVID-19.
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 a.m. - midnight
Saturday - Sunday, 10 a.m. - midnight
McQuade Library
Sunday 10 a.m. through Friday 10 p.m.
Saturday 10 a.m. to midnight
The Library is closed Friday from 10 p.m. - Saturday 10 a.m. and Saturday from 10 p.m. - Sunday 10 a.m.
Post Office
Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Sakowich Campus Center
24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Merrimack College follows guidelines from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Campus hours are subject to change if guidelines are modified by the Governor.
Travel and Transportation
The College currently has a travel ban in place, and this ban will remain in place for the Spring semester or until further notice. The College will continue to evaluate the risk factors associated with travel along with the status of the CDC Travel Advisory and the Massachusetts COVID-19 Travel Order in determining if this ban will be lifted. 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 Executive Vice President. It is expected that restrictions on travel will persist 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
From our experience during the fall we know that travel away from campus by residential students substantially increases the risk of contracting COVID-19. Once the Spring 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 Spring semester until the time they depart at the end of the semester. Merrimack will be providing expanded services and events 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. Specific rules regarding occupancy and cleaning of College vehicles have been developed and are available at the MCPD and will also be posted in the vehicles.
Traveling to Massachusetts from Out of State
Massachusetts Travel Order
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts travel order went into effect on August 1, 2020, and requires that all visitors traveling to Massachusetts from any state outside of Hawaii must complete the Massachusetts Travel Form and pursuant to State Order, must produce either a negative COVID-19 test administered up to 72-hours prior to arriving in Massachusetts or quarantine for at least 10 days upon arrival in Massachusetts. A traveler who is required to quarantine may be released from the obligation to continue quarantining upon obtaining proof of a negative test from a molecular test approved by the FDA for emergency use, administered after the person’s arrival in Massachusetts.
Individuals who are COVID-19-recovered, meaning individuals who tested positive more than 10 days
but less than 90 days ago and who do not have symptoms, do not need to obtain a negative PCR
test prior to traveling to or quarantine upon arrival to Massachusetts. COVID-19 recovered individuals
arriving in Massachusetts must have documentation of the positive PCR test result available if asked.
This exception does not include COVID-19-recovered individuals who have symptoms of COVID-19,
who must follow all testing and quarantine guidance outlined in the travel rules.
Faculty, staff or students who are commuting into Massachusetts to attend school or work meet an exemption from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Travel Order and do not need a negative COVID-19 test result or to quarantine.
At the time of publication, Hawaii is the only state exempt from the Massachusetts policy and all other states are considered “restricted.” For the most recent list of states visit www.mass.gov/matraveler.
Current List of Lower-Risk States Exempt From Travel Order
Residential Students From Outside Massachusetts
For students who are traveling from outside of Massachusetts (excluding Hawaii) a negative COVID-19 test result administered up to 72 hours in advance of arriving on campus and a completed Massachusetts Travel Form are required prior to moving into any residence hall. Please email a copy of the negative test to deanofstudents@merrimack.edu. Any student within 200 miles of campus who receives a positive test result after arriving on campus will be required to immediately enact their departure plan. Please contact the Dean of Students at deanofstudents@merrimack.edu with any questions.
If family members are accompanying their student on campus they must also complete the Massachusetts Travel Form or produce a negative COVID-19 test administered up to 72-hours prior to arriving in Massachusetts if they stayed overnight in Massachusetts, otherwise they meet the State exemption for transitory travel. Parents, guardians and family who stay overnight in Massachusetts and plan to accompany their student to campus who could not obtain a test administered up to 72-hours before arriving may obtain a test at the individuals own expense after arrival in Massachusetts but must quarantine until a negative test result is received. Please contact the Dean of Students at deanofstudents@merrimack.edu with any questions.
Visitors Coming from Outside Massachusetts
Visitors who are visiting residential students from restricted states, and who are staying overnight in Massachusetts, must produce a negative COVID-19 test administered up to 72 hours prior to arriving on campus. If a visitor from outside the region enters Massachusetts only to visit the student briefly and then immediately leaves the campus and the state, they meet the exemption for transitory travel and the travel order regarding testing or quarantining would not apply.
Visitors must be registered and students must fill out the Guest Registration Form 24 hours in advance of the visit. Please note that the student must fill out the form using their Merrimack email address. Completion of this form will assure access onto the campus to drop off/pick up students or any items. Visitors are not permitted in any of the campus buildings but may visit their students outdoors. If this form is not completed, visitors will only be allowed to pick up their students at Lot A near the Elm Street entrance.
As a reminder, students who travel to Massachusetts from restricted states and have a place off campus to quarantine for 14 days are permitted to do so before coming to campus. Students will still be tested for their baseline upon their arrival onto the campus. In that case, students will move in as part of the scheduled move-in January 27-29 and must complete a Massachusetts travel form upon arrival, which can be found online at www.mass.gov/matraveler. If your travel is delayed due to a positive COVID-19 test, please contact Hamel Health, which will work with you and the Office of Residential Life to find a new date for your move-in.
Commuter and Graduate Students from Restricted States
For those commuters and graduate students who are renting locally and will be traveling from a distance to your new residence please be aware of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts travel order that went into effect on August 1, 2020. This order requires that all visitors traveling to Massachusetts (except visitors coming from states that are exempt from the Massachusetts travel order) 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.
Additionally, as mandated by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, when arriving from outside of the state (except for states that are exempt from the Massachusetts travel order), students and family members must complete a Massachusetts travel form upon arrival which can be found online at www.mass.gov/matraveler.
If your arrival to campus is delayed due to a positive COVID-19 test, please contact Hamel Health who will work with you and your faculty to determine when you will be on campus to begin classes.
Students From Within Massachusetts
Although it is not required for students traveling to campus from inside Massachusetts, the College strongly encourages all to take a COVID-19 test administered up to 72 hours prior to arriving to campus, the College strongly encourages that all students begin to quarantine 10 days before arriving to campus and take a COVID-19 test administered up to 72 hours prior to arriving to campus.
Students will still be tested for their baseline upon their arrival. As in the Fall semester, if a student arrives on campus and takes a baseline test that produces a positive result, they will be asked to enact their departure plan and sent home if they live within 200 miles of the campus. Therefore, it is very important for students to do everything they can to ensure a negative COVID-19 test upon arrival to avoid having to leave the campus for the duration of quarantine.
Travel Quarantine
Employees and students who travel by airplane, travel overnight or to identified COVID-19 restricted states will quarantine for 10 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 pre-approved. This includes team athletic travel, student and mission trips, admissions and athlete recruiting. All travel exceptions must be approved by the President or Executive Vice President; additional rules for pre-approval will be updated as state policies are amended.
Faculty, staff or students who are commuting into Massachusetts to attend school or work meet an exemption from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Travel Order and do not need a negative COVID-19 test result or to quarantine.
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
At this time, we do not recommend using ride shares during COVID-19, however, should a ride share be needed, all requests should be directed to Lot A through the Elm Street entrance.
Facilities
Building Capacity
To comply with social distancing guidelines, the capacity of buildings has been 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 has been reduced, and triple and quad dorm rooms have been converted into double-occupancy rooms.
Building Flow
Measures to improve pedestrian flow within buildings include wall signage and floor decals to encourage six feet of distancing. In addition, directional signage has been installed in dining locations where queuing and waiting occurs.
Bathrooms
To promote at least six 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, have been evaluated for either plexiglass installations, barrier modifications, furniture reconfiguration or reduced occupancy.
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 have been 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 installed higher MERV value air filters, has conducted more frequent preventative maintenance, and has 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.