I write to alert the 乐播传媒 community that the City of Lewiston will begin a major infrastructure project on Central Avenue starting next Monday, April 20, 2026, that we can expect to run into September 2026.

Central Avenue will be fully closed to vehicle traffic during active construction. There will be no through traffic and no parking on Central Avenue while work is underway. Please use existing 乐播传媒 parking lots and heed local parking signage; note that winter parking restrictions on several streets adjacent to campus were lifted on April 1 for the spring.

Students in John Bertram Hall will be able to access the parking lot throughout construction as local traffic. Access routes may vary day to day depending on where active work is taking place. Access may be restricted and may change over the course of the project. 乐播传媒, working with the city, will provide signage and updates.

Vehicle access to campus from Russell Street will be rerouted through Lafayette Street and College Street. There will be two brief water shutdowns during the project; we will provide advance notice before each instance. Commons operations will not be interrupted. The loading dock will remain accessible at all times for deliveries and service vehicles. Pedestrian access will be maintained throughout, though routes may shift as the work progresses. Students in John Bertram Hall and 96 Campus Ave. should expect to cross Central Avenue at Commons or at Campus Avenue.

The work includes repaving the street, adding curbing, and adding sidewalks. While this work is performed Lewiston will replace the water main and rebuild the street and drainage system from Campus Avenue to Russell Street. Related to this work will be a 乐播传媒 project to upgrade the drainage from the roadway to Lake Andrews. This is a City of Lewiston project, separate from our Stoddard Center construction, though our Facility Services team is coordinating closely with the city and their contractor to minimize disruption. We are in close communication with Lewiston and will share updates as we have them.

Questions can be directed to Mike Walsh in Facility Services at 207-786-6207. This message, and future 乐播传媒 updates, will be posted on the Finance and Administration website. The city will have updates and announcements in news releases, social media, and the Lewiston Public Works website.

Thank you for your patience as this important infrastructure work moves forward.

Gratefully,

Geoffrey Swift

With the fall semester underway and the campus alive with students, I write to highlight some of the updates and investments in our campus from a busy summer of activity. As ever, we are dedicated to improving our campus and the state of our facilities. For those who are new to the 乐播传媒 community, oversight of facilities is one of my roles, and I look forward to sharing these updates at the beginning of the fall semester. The summer is always the most important window to undertake key projects and enhancements, and it also provides an opportunity for dedicated planning time as we look forward.

Key Investments in Academic Buildings

We have made our most significant and ambitious investment in Carnegie to comprehensively upgrade the building鈥檚 systems. This summer we performed a full replacement of the building exhaust system, proactively replacing the two main fume hood exhaust fans located on the fifth floor with new roof-mounted fans. The existing fans were at the end of life, and this fan replacement brings additional benefits of balancing the building pressurization, improving ventilation in classrooms, improving building space thermal comfort, and improving building humidity levels. We鈥檝e also replaced the building automation system and the building reverse osmosis (鈥淩O鈥�) water generation system. This is generally in the background in the building, but for those who rely on it, when it doesn鈥檛 work effectively it鈥檚 problematic. This work鈥攚ell over a million dollars in total鈥攚as done in partnership with the faculty in the building and with the company Cote Crane of Auburn. Replacing these systems is intensive and important work, and we appreciate the patience of the building occupants this summer. Paul Farnsworth led this effort. These investments follow work in prior years to replace the hot water loop, invest in active learning classrooms, improve the greenhouse on the top of the building, replace furniture, and more.

Elsewhere in academic buildings, after a series of office moves, we have converted space in Hathorn that had been used by our College Advancement team (who are now in Libbey) into offices for the Math Department. This has allowed more natural light into the second floor and creates needed faculty offices. We鈥檝e also improved access by removing the angled entrance to classroom 207. This renovation project was led by Ian Stanley.

Enhancing Campus Welcome and Accessibility

Ian also has been coordinating substantial improvements in Lindholm, which will refresh our primary guest reception area for all prospective students and their families, and create improved and accessible restroom facilities in this building. Attention to these details is essential for creating an exceptional first impression with prospective students visiting our campus. To further improve accessibility, two older restrooms on the second floor of Lane have been combined to make an accessible bathroom in this location as well. The work in Lindholm, Hathorn, and Lane was performed by M.W. Hoss Construction.

Student Residence Upgrades

In student dormitories, Rand Hall has received considerable attention, with several teams working alongside each other for IT and electrical upgrades, elevator refurbishment, code improvements, light bathroom renovations, adding water bottle fillers, new lighting and shades within rooms, and all new student furniture. We are particularly appreciative of our partners who moved over 100 bedroom sets (beds, dressers, desks, and chairs) in the late August heat. This complements the work done in Parker last summer, where we similarly replaced all the student room furniture and completed the flooring work on the ground floor. David Larrabee masterfully choreographs the coming and going of furniture. He has been an important steward for the college for nearly 40 years, ensuring that the furniture we use in our buildings is functional and durable.

If you have walked between Parker and Gomes Chapel, you may have noticed that the front porch of the Parker has been entirely rebuilt.  Tim Pratt and his team have been working closely with Randall Swan, a longtime 乐播传媒 partner, to ensure the porch is safe for the next several decades, complete with a new decking layer that both looks and performs better. Coupled with the work last summer on the fourth floor dormers, Tim has improved both the integrity and appearance of one of our oldest buildings on campus.

A Safer and More Beautiful Campus

On Alumni Walk we鈥檝e reset the stairs to Hedge Hall, which has had related work on the surrounding pavers. Our beautiful Alumni Walk was completed nearly 20 years ago now, and in some spots areas of the pavers are showing wear and some underlying shifting of the ground. These undulations are slight, but can be troublesome for  people and snowplows. We鈥檒l review what we learn from this work as we approach other improvements to Alumni Walk in the summers ahead.

Athletics and Field Improvements

One visible project has been the work on Leahey field, continuing the improvements that began last autumn. This work, which was largely donor-funded, resulted in the installation of artificial turf on the infield a year ago, enabled more opportunities for practices for the Baseball and Softball teams last spring and significantly more and earlier home games for Baseball than ever before. The work now underway will replace the dated tension netting system with a more modern four-post system with a knee wall and enhanced spectator viewing around the home plate area. In August, we improved the soils and positioned frost walls and similar subterranean support, which is invisible once finished, but essential. Planning and fundraising efforts are underway to replace the playing surface for the Lafayette Softball field in the summer of 2026, and we continue to make improvements in the interim.

A Team Effort

I hope you鈥檝e had a chance to walk about campus to see these improvements. Additionally, our grounds team, led by Mike Fox and Rick Ouellette, has improved greenery all over campus, and is responsible for the various pops of color from planters and flower beds. Campus investments are a team effort, to be sure, and for every name highlighted above there are a dozen more who make this campus what it is for our students, faculty, staff, and local community. We鈥檙e thrilled to have campus and all these spaces energized anew.

Best wishes for a great fall semester,

Geoffrey Swift

I want to share an update on changes to campus you may have noticed. As ever, we are dedicated to improving our campus and the state of our facilities.  The summer is always the most important window to undertake key projects and enhancements. After a flurry of years in which we opened Bonney Science Center, Dana Hall, and Chase Hall in succession, our Fall 2024 campus improvements were not quite as prominent but they are important and transformational.

Our newest residence hall, 96 Campus Avenue, has turned out beautifully and is now home to 65 students. The college鈥檚 original dormitory, Parker Hall, needed new flooring, and we used that opportunity to make other upgrades, installing bottle-filling stations and replacing all the furniture in student rooms. Parker is one of our largest student dormitories, housing nearly 160 students. 

Other noticeable improvements on campus include ongoing attention to the exterior of Hathorn Hall (with a notable discovery of honey bees!), and accessibility improvements to Ladd. We have completed extensive exterior painting and other upkeep projects in Smith, Lane, and Parker Halls. We also upgraded the interior of several spaces, including  beautifully reupholstered furniture in Pettengill Atrium. In addition, our team has expanded the college鈥檚 storage capacity to satisfy our growing needs and renovated some faculty and staff housing.

You may also see new Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and accessible vehicles on campus. We continue to improve our fleet of campus vehicles with electric cars. Some less visible but important improvements include significant investments in mechanical and electrical systems around campus, from our steam distribution system to upgraded electrical services and a new building controls system in Ladd Library. While less visible, these projects represent significant investments needed to keep up with aging building infrastructure.

Sometimes improvements mean taking down buildings, including some with a cherished campus history. For example, Canham House, an unpretentious home named for an influential 乐播传媒 graduate, had created a family-type environment for generations of History faculty and students before the social science faculty鈥檚 move to Pettingill. It was then the home to Purposeful Work before their move to Chase last year. Along with its rich history were many quirks and flaws and due to its condition, we took the building down last month. Similarly, foundation challenges and structure conditions in the carriage house on Frye Street that had housed the Sailing team鈥檚 boats and another Frye Street garage housing college supplies required taking down those structures for safety reasons. Finally, we demolished 126 Wood Street, a college building that had been used for employee transition housing but was no longer viable because of its age and condition. 

Our work continues into the academic year. Soon, we will begin work on Leahey Field, replacing the current clay-and-grass infield with an artificial turf infield. Led by philanthropy and the generosity of gifts from parents and alumni, this improvement to the field will better position 乐播传媒 to play home baseball games in the Maine spring, which has historically been a challenge due to rain and even snow. We expect the project to be completed by the end of November and ready for play in the spring.

We will use this effort as a challenge to similarly raise funds to support a new artificial surface for the Lafayette Street Field with 2026 as the target for that project. In the meantime, we are making investments to the existing field for our softball team, including improvements to drainage, fencing and dugouts, as well as scoreboard updates, replacing the existing batting cage and adding a second cage. 

Finally, I will note that we are nearing the conclusion of the upgrade begun this spring to Russell Street Field, which provides  a flexible artificial turf surface. We expect this project to be complete for games and practices later this month. It is exciting to see the quality of our playing surfaces improve. In addition to Russell, the Campus Avenue Field Hockey surface was redone in 2016, and Garcelon Field was resurfaced in 2023. As we make these welcome improvements to our facilities, a gentle reminder that these playing surfaces do require care: Please honor the instructions on the posted signage and resist the temptation to use fields for campus shortcuts, and, in particular, metal spikes, broken glass, and even food waste may cause substantial harm to those surfaces. We greatly appreciate your cooperation.

Many thanks to our Facilities team of about 125 employees, who worked closely with numerous contract partners, for their work this summer to ready the campus for the new academic year, upgrade facilities, and enhance the campus environment.

It鈥檚 a great day to be a Bobcat,

Geoff

I write to describe two upcoming capital projects and to provide context and comments about 叠补迟别蝉鈥� campus planning.

Now underway, the first project will turn 96 Campus Avenue into a residence hall by this fall. Acquired from St. Mary鈥檚 Health System in 2021 and most recently the temporary home of Student Affairs staff while Chase Hall was under renovation, 96 Campus Avenue will create accessible living options for students, support the fluctuations we regularly experience in class size, and allow us to take existing residences out of service for needed repairs in future years.

The second project will pair college investment with fundraising support to convert Russell Street Field from grass to turf, a decision made after extensive discussions with staff and students involved in athletics and recreation. This will improve the 乐播传媒 student experience in myriad ways, including increased usage of Russell Field; better durability, playability, and consistency for varsity soccer practice and game play; and more opportunities for other varsity programs, club, and intramural teams. Subject to reaching our fundraising targets, we expect the project will be completed by August.

Along with the recent years鈥� capital investments, these two projects are guided by the Campus Facilities Master Plan, which has supported strategic planning decisions and helped to steer transformational improvements to our campus since its approval in 2003. At that time, Pettengill Hall had just opened, successfully bringing together faculty who had been working around the periphery of campus, including ground-floor offices in Libbey Forum. Dining was still in Chase Hall, Alumni Walk was Andrews Road, Hedge and Roger Williams afforded basic accommodations as residence halls, and other residences were just plain overcrowded.

Indeed, the 2003 plan, which was updated in 2010, envisioned many of the key dynamics of the campus we enjoy today 鈥� creating, reimagining, and improving a number of 乐播传媒 facilities to serve the needs of the campus community while strengthening bonds with our shared past through historic preservation. We see around us new (Bonney), updated (Dana), and converted academic buildings (Hedge and Roger Williams); new and improved residence halls (Chu, Gillespie, Kalperis); a new dining Commons; athletic facility improvements, including vastly upgraded Garcelon Field; and Alumni Walk, now a scenic pedestrian thoroughfare that knits two ends of campus. Other recent investments include construction of the Traquina Boathouse; an important multi-year and award-winning restoration of Gomes Chapel; improvements to the terrace between Ladd and Coram libraries, and interior renovations to the Davis Fitness Center. Routine infrastructure improvements, while not immediately visible, have played a crucial role in enhancing the functionality of the campus. In sum, the 乐播传媒 campus has changed significantly over the years, for the better.

Going forward, our Campus Facilities Master Plan continues to identify the strategic investments needed for 乐播传媒 to remain a leading liberal arts college that attracts excellent students, faculty, and staff. Specifically, we need to invest in athletic and residential facilities, since these have not kept pace with the renovations on the academic side.

Athletics: While the college鈥檚 key athletic structures 鈥� Alumni Gym, Gray Athletic Building, Merrill Gymnasium, and Underhill Ice Arena 鈥� have undergone modest improvements over the years, there is more work to be done as we continue to support the student experience. Spaces that support well-being are important to our entire community, and improvements in this area benefits everyone. Recognizing that approximately 40 percent of 乐播传媒 students participate in varsity sports, and many others, plus employees, seek out athletic spaces for club sports, recreational activities, and wellness programs, we are acutely aware of the need to modernize these facilities.

Residential: 乐播传媒 guarantees housing for all students for all four years of their 乐播传媒 experience. This commitment requires approximately 1,750 beds. The addition of Chu and Kalperis halls helped alleviate congestion in some residence halls and provided the opportunity to improve others. Moving forward, we look to improve additional student spaces across campus.

The two projects announced at the outset 鈥� the 96 Campus Avenue renovation and Russell Street turf conversion鈥� are important steps toward the ambitious goals of improving the athletic, recreation, and residential facilities on campus. Indeed, we remain committed to continued improvement, and our colleagues in Facility Services anticipate a busy year ahead. For those who have questions about our upcoming initiatives, I will be hosting several on-campus sessions in February, discussing the Campus Facilities Master Plan and providing updates on our current status. I鈥檒l send more details on these sessions early next month.

Sincerely,

Geoffrey Swift

I write to share with you that effective May 11, the college will end many of its COVID-19 protocols. This move is consistent with the Biden administration鈥檚 recent announcement regarding the expiration of the COVID-19 .

The shift in our approach also follows guidance from the and our advisors from the Mayo Clinic that it is appropriate at this point to consider COVID-19 as one among many infectious diseases that can be prudently managed on an ongoing basis. According to , COVID-19 deaths have declined by 95 percent and hospitalizations are down nearly 91 percent. Globally, deaths associated with the virus are at their lowest levels since the start of the pandemic, which public health experts attribute to vaccinations. 乐播传媒 continues to strongly encourage employees to be vaccinated and current on boosters. 

In light of these developments, 乐播传媒 will:

• End its employee vaccination disclosure requirement and remove the form for uploading vaccination status as well as the other COVID-19-specific forms and documents from Garnet Gateway. The college will purge images of vaccine records from 叠补迟别蝉鈥� systems. 

• Discontinue the policy of providing a separate bank of sick time for COVID-19-related illnesses, which will go back to being handled with sick time and paid time off.

• Recognize that masking is now fully at the discretion of the individual and one may not require others to wear a mask. Those who wish to wear a mask may do so.

• Remove the test requirement for travel and the additional layers of approval for international travel that were implemented due to COVID-19. Note, however, understanding your health insurance, particularly internationally, remains important.

• Sunset the COVID-19 resource page. Resources regarding the Employee Assistance Program, BWell, and other wellness programs will remain available on the Human Resources website.

• Discontinue the COVID-19 vaccination requirement (or proof of a negative test requirement) for guests/visitors.

• Public facing buildings that are actively staffed will have the requirement of keycard access lifted from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. when the campus is open or buildings are staffed for specific purposes. These buildings are Commons, Ladd, Lindholm, 乐播传媒 Museum of Art, and the Post and Print and College Store access to Kalperis Hall. Meanwhile, over the summer and into the fall, we will convene sessions with students, faculty, and staff focused on keycard access across campus, with the goal of understanding the range of views on how best to balance safety considerations with a desire to maintain a welcoming campus.

Many thanks to all of you for the actions you took over the past three years to  help mitigate the transmission of COVID-19 on our campus, so that we could support the mission of the college and ensure that students were able to advance their educational goals. It has been wonderful this year to see the campus experience return in full form, and I truly appreciate your continuing commitment to making 乐播传媒 a safe and healthy place to work and learn. 

Sincerely,

Geoff Swift

As we start the new year, I write to share a financial update on the college. I鈥檇 like to look back at the past two fiscal years, say a few things about the current financial year, and look forward given what we know now.

Where we鈥檝e been

In the summer of 2020, we entered the pandemic with a great deal of uncertainty about how college finances would be affected by the pandemic. About 75 percent of our resources come from single fee income after financial aid. If students were unable or unwilling to come to 乐播传媒 for a residential liberal arts education, the college would have sustained severe deficits. However, thanks to the creativity and dedication of the entire campus, and a robust COVID-19 testing program, we were able to enroll students at typical levels for the 2020-21 and 2021-22 academic years.

Savings from activities that, because of the pandemic, did not take place in the 2020-21 academic year helped offset over $6 million the college spent on direct COVID-19 costs, and kept us from having a deficit for the year. Meanwhile, the endowment grew at a strong rate. With gifts and investment returns, offset by the annual draw on funds from the endowment to contribute to operating expenses, the endowment finished the fiscal year at $466 million. 

During the 2021-22 academic year, COVID-19 testing, masks, cleaning, and other direct pandemic costs were considerably lower, and more 鈥渘ormal鈥� activities began to return. However, increased fuel costs drove the college鈥檚 utility expenses to nearly $1 million over budget. Similarly, inflationary price increases for food and travel drove overages in those areas. With savings in other areas of the college, combined with strong gift and grant activity, we were able to drive a net positive result for the year, which allowed us to continue to invest in facilities, most recently the Chase Hall revitalization. Unlike the prior year, however, the investment environment worsened and we closed the year with an endowment of $419 million.

Where we are now

叠补迟别蝉鈥� total operating budget for the current (2022-23) academic year is $131 million, which includes $98 million of net single fee income (75% of total revenues), a $20 million draw from the endowment (15%), unrestricted annual fund gifts of $6.5 million (5%), and $6 million of all other. Notably, the endowment draw is $3.1 million larger than the prior year caused by the significant increase in the endowment two years ago and gifts through the 乐播传媒 Capital Campaign. Incorporated in the revenue budget is a $2 million increase in financial aid as we strive to make 乐播传媒 more accessible.

These revenues are applied to our $131 million operating budget. Our largest allocation is to people – compensation and benefits of $84.3 million, or almost two thirds of the overall budget. This reflects the compensation increases from last summer, in addition to two off-cycle compensation increases provided to our hourly workers in both FY21 and FY22. Since the fall of 2017, overall budgeted compensation increased at a five-year compounded annual growth rate of 4.2%, led by a 7% rate for our hourly employees.

The FY23 budget reflects the impact of the remarkable capital campaign that closed this summer. With more than $100 million in gifts to the endowment received, the endowment distribution has grown from approximately $12 million a year prior to the campaign (FY17) to nearly $20 million in FY23. The 9% compounded annual growth rate from the endowment since FY18 has allowed the college to increase some expenditures, such as compensation (4.2% per year), at a higher rate than the single fee (3.2% per year). Overall, revenues and expenses have each grown at 3.7% over this period.

What we see ahead

Despite the college鈥檚 strong financial position, we anticipate some serious challenges ahead. These are the same headwinds that we experience in our individual daily lives. Everything the college needs to purchase – from healthcare to food to fuel 鈥� is more expensive. Our revenues do not grow as quickly as these costs, and the college finds itself in a challenging financial situation. 

The single fee is one important lever to increase revenue, but it is important to recognize that 乐播传媒 families, like the college, are experiencing increased inflation across the board, which limits how much the single fee can be increased in a given year. As noted, the endowment and its contribution to college revenues have grown considerably in recent years, but the current tumultuous markets suggest that the distribution into next year dictated by a formula to smooth yearly market fluctuations, will not grow commensurate with our costs. Meanwhile, we are experiencing pressure on healthcare, utilities, food, travel, and other core costs that are growing faster than our ability to increase revenues. Some of these price increases we cannot avoid 鈥� for instance, 乐播传媒 will budget an additional $1 million for employee healthcare and another $1 million for utilities next year.

To address these expected challenges in next year鈥檚 budget, I have asked senior staff to reduce their programmatic (non-personnel) budgets by 5% to ensure we retain capacity for compensation increases and are able to support areas that are growing more rapidly than our revenue base and areas where we need to invest in better services or new ways of doing business. I recognize that this is a tall order for budgets that are already efficient and lean.

It may seem contradictory to hear that the college is financially strong, while also communicating increasing economic stress. We are indeed stronger than ever – with a larger endowment, larger financial aid budget, higher wages than before the pandemic, and with a new and renewed physical infrastructure to support the residential liberal arts experience. But the economic environment is changing, and we need to prepare ourselves to adapt to new circumstances.  With everyone working together, I am confident that we will weather these challenges together and that 乐播传媒 will continue to offer a distinctive and transformative experience for generations to come.

Thank you for all that you do every day to support 叠补迟别蝉鈥� mission. I look forward to working with you as we put together the plans and budget for the coming academic year. 

Sincerely,

Geoffrey Swift

We write to share news about the renovation of Chase Hall, which will begin at the end of the winter semester and will reopen at the start of the 2023-2024 academic year. This project will create a new hub for student programs and services in the center of the 乐播传媒 campus, and improve the accessibility and circulation for the building. Restoration of common spaces such as Chase and Hirasawa Lounges, and new technology-enabled conference rooms will add high-quality, multi-purpose programming spaces on campus. The renovations will also provide collaborative spaces for students, staff, and faculty, including a variety of open areas with soft seating and several private meeting rooms.

Historical Context

Named for George Colby Chase, the second president of 乐播传媒, Chase Hall is an iconic campus landmark, occupying nearly one city block on Campus Avenue. For decades, Chase Hall was known to 乐播传媒 students as the center of campus life and home to events large and small. While Chase maintains much of its original presence, the building has been added to or incrementally renovated no fewer than five times 鈥攊n 1949, 1966, 1971, 1978, and 2014.  Over time, several original functions have moved, most notably Commons in 2008 and the post office and the college store in 2016.

叠补迟别蝉鈥� Institutional Plan, developed in 2016 with broad community input and endorsed by the Faculty and the Board of Trustees, called for a re-imagining of Chase Hall. We now have an opportunity to reshape and revitalize the building, updating and upgrading Chase to complement recent renovations to the Bobcat Den and the Office of Intercultural Education. When finished, the building will be more accessible, more vibrant, and a center for student services. 

Renovating Chase for the Future

Several departments and services are currently located in Chase Hall, including the Office of Intercultural Education, Office of Campus Life, Office of Residence Life and Health Education, elements of the Purposeful Work program, and the Bobcat Den. By renovating the building, we can unify core student services under one roof and create much-needed space for new programs and social gathering. 

An initial renovation of the Office of Intercultural Education was completed in 2014 鈥� a modern rethinking of space that is actively and successfully used by students and staff. This revitalized space prompted further consideration of new uses for Chase Hall. The aim is to bring even more student-facing services offices into the building, including the Center for Purposeful Work and the Office of Community Standards.

New entrances on Campus Avenue and Franklin Walk, along with new connective corridors, new stair towers and a new elevator will greatly improve building accessibility and circulation for occupants and visitors and allow a much more welcoming and inclusive presence. Franklin Walk is the pedestrian thoroughfare where Franklin Street had once extended into campus, with Chase on the western side and Muskie and Gray Cage on the east, leading to the Class of 1910 gate just past Alumni Gym headed towards Alumni Walk and Commons.

Students will find new and vibrant spaces added to support student clubs, organizations, various other co-curricular activities, social events, and programs. There will also be an increase in the number of meeting rooms. From new common lounge areas to updated furniture and a streamlined access hallway to the Office of Intercultural Education, this project will address many challenges identified by students and staff over the last several years.

Temporary Relocation of Existing Offices and Campus Implications

During the Chase Hall revitalization project, the Office of Campus Life, the Office of Intercultural Education (OIE), and the Office of Residence Life & Health Education will move to 96 Campus Avenue. Located between the Campus Avenue Field and St. Mary鈥檚 Regional Medical Center, this newly acquired building will keep these offices together to seamlessly serve students during the Chase renovation.  

At 96 Campus Avenue, students will have similar programming spaces to those currently available in Chase Hall (e.g., Skelton and Hirasawa Lounges and Chase 119) for clubs, organizations, and student groups, as well as organization storage space. Campus partners will work closely with students and programs to ensure a smooth transition. Our collective goal is to make 96 Campus Ave a vibrant, student-friendly space that is easy to navigate and to make meaningful connections while we make these important improvements and updates to Chase Hall.

While Chase Hall is being revitalized, the entire building will be offline so that core systems can be upgraded and construction can be safely completed. Importantly, the Bobcat Den will be closed for the year. We are actively developing alternative programming to support the 乐播传媒 community while it is offline. The Bobcat Express pickup location and the Greyhound Bus Stop will be blocked due to construction fencing; updates on these services will be provided to the community by Campus Safety.

The campus community should expect to see the staff and offices located in Chase Hall being relocated to 96 Campus Ave. at the end of the Winter Semester (late April). Construction fencing will begin to appear in early June, and Franklin Walk between Chase and Muskie will be blocked to pedestrian access. Similarly the sidewalk in front of Chase will be closed to pedestrian and vehicular access.

Thank You

We recognize the campus disruption and inconvenience that are part of campus improvements, and we thank you for your patience and understanding. 

In April we will offer zoom opportunities to review the work and scope of the renovation project, and we hope to see you there. If you have questions about this project, please share your questions or comments at chasehallreno@bates.edu.

Best,

Pam Wichroski
Director of Capital Planning and Construction

Geoff Swift聽
Vice President for Finance and Administration and Treasurer聽

Important Employee Notes

• Employee Enrichment Week will offer onsite sessions during the week of June 7, including the on Thursday, June 10. Look for more information soon.
• Commons will progressively return to indoor dining this summer. Physical distancing will be required, and you can expect to see fewer seats in Commons. More information will be provided after Commencement.
• We welcome our emeriti faculty and retirees back to campus. Keycard access will be restored to Ladd Library and academic buildings during business hours.

Summer Visitors, Residents, and Programs on Campus

As with the summer of 2020, activity on campus will be limited, though there are several key programs to highlight:

• Admission tours of campus will begin in June to ensure that prospective students and their families have an opportunity to see all that 乐播传媒 has to offer.
• Students whose work requires them to be on campus鈥攍ocal internships, on-campus employment, research, and similar鈥攚ill be housed in Chu and Kalperis Halls throughout the summer.
• The 乐播传媒 Dance Festival is innovating in the pandemic, with modified classes and performances. Please see the for information, and welcome the dancers in July.
• Limited sports day camps will be in session.
• There will be no overnight camps for minors for any activity.

Please feel free to greet visitors with a smile and offer to help them find their destination if they need assistance. However, I ask you to refrain from our hallmark 鈥渉old the door,鈥� as we will not permit uninvited visitors into buildings, and hosts are required to escort their guests into and out of college buildings.

Publicly-Facing College Spaces

• The 乐播传媒 College Art Museum will be open for limited-admission viewings of exhibits. Please see the website for ticketing and information.
• The and Post & Print will open to retail customers starting June 1 with masks required and limited capacity. Please check their websites for specifics.

As indicated in an earlier message, construction activity will occur around Dana Chemistry Hall and elsewhere on campus, which coupled with the activity above, will make for a busy summer. I look forward to seeing you around campus!

All policies currently in effect remain in effect through May 2021.

We are eager to develop clear policies in the coming weeks regarding work from home and flexible work arrangements as we look ahead to the 2021-22 academic year. Changes to the policies that have been in place through the pandemic will benefit with input from Hope Burnell, who has recently joined 乐播传媒 as our new head of HR. The Remote Work Committee has developed a policy for consideration, as well. We are also carefully considering campus vaccine policies for the summer and coming academic year. Broadly speaking we should expect a full return to campus by mid-August as we welcome students back to campus and return to the residential and in-person education that we deliver so well. 

PUBLIC HEALTH MEASURES

Face Coverings

Effective June 1, 2021, following recent changes to both federal CDC and state CDC guidance on the use of face coverings, face coverings will no longer be required in outdoor areas when appropriately distanced from others. Regardless of vaccination status, if you are in close proximity to others, face coverings are still required, even outside. Face coverings are similarly required indoors unless in a private workspace. As more of the campus community and surrounding community is vaccinated, we will re-evaluate our face coverings policy.

COVID-19 Testing

The college will not offer COVID employee testing over the summer. The last day for employee testing will be Monday May 24th. With increasing ability to receive a vaccine, a de-densified campus, anticipating fewer local cases, and very low incidence of employee positive identification during the semester (11 on approximately 15,000 tests), we will rely on the public health measures that have proven to work well in a pandemic: vaccines, face coverings when physical distancing is not possible, physical distancing, and good hand hygiene. This will lower the operational impact on the testing team, which has had a particularly busy year. With a small residential student population on campus, student testing will shift away from the testing center in Underhill.

Visitors

Effective June 1, 2021, visitors will be permitted in college buildings for college-hosted business  (e.g., meetings) at the specific invitation of faculty or staff. Hosts are required to escort their guests into and out of college buildings. All buildings will continue on keycard access, and unticketed events open to the general public will not be held on campus (e.g., Concerts on the Quad will not be held this summer).

UPDATES TO PANDEMIC POLICIES

Hiring Freeze

Effective June 1, 2021, the hiring freeze that was implemented in April 2020 will be lifted. As managers work with Human Resources and post open positions, you will find enhanced functionality of the PageUp tool implemented this past year.

Pandemic Sick Bank

A Pandemic Paid Sick Leave Policy was implemented effective July 1, 2020 to ensure that all staff employees eligible for leave have paid time off specifically for COVID-19 absences. This policy will be reviewed in the summer of 2021 given the availability of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Travel and Food

Effective June 1, 2021, the college will resume support for domestic travel for business purposes, and related business meals. All state-required mandates and policies must be followed, which may make travel to certain locations impractical. Please be attuned to current  COVID incidence levels and calibrate indoor versus outdoor dining, and appropriately de-densified setting. Updates about on-campus catering will be provided in June.

International travel is not yet permitted on college funding unless by exception; faculty may request exceptions from the dean of the faculty, and staff seeking an exception may request exceptions to their respective member of senior staff.

A Comment on Travel and Food Expenses

This past year the college has reduced expenses dramatically, driven largely by limiting travel and food activity during the pandemic. While prudent travel and related expenses are important and will be supported by college budgets moving forward, we should carefully consider the lessons we have learned and the capacity we can create for other college investments. For example, we have learned that more and more of the hiring process can be performed over video conference formats, minimizing travel for candidates and enabling more on-campus flexibility for search committees. Travel and events should be carefully considered with the potential to meet business needs using Zoom and other technology where possible.

This is also a good time to review what are appropriate business expenses, and what are not permitted.

CONTINUED EMPHASIS ON THE IMPORTANCE OF VACCINES

Counties across the country have seen a correlation between high vaccination rates and decreasing incidence of COVID transmission. In short, getting vaccinated improves the health and safety for your community – work, schools, and so forth. To protect yourself, as well as your colleagues, the college urges all employees to get vaccinated.

Vaccines are easy to get in Maine, including walk-in appointments at the. There are many vaccine clinics in Maine; we highlight this clinic due to its close proximity to the college, and our partnership with CMMC and 乐播传媒 Health Services. A complete list of sites is available. Those without ready computer access may call (888) 445-4111, which includes translation services, or simply walk-in. There is no out-of-pocket cost for vaccines, and 乐播传媒 will provide two hours of paid time off to any employee to get a vaccine dose during work hours.

Employees may reach out to the Bobcat Express for rides to vaccine clinics during work hours to assist with any transportation hurdles to receive a vaccine.

As ever, thank you for your adaptability and efforts to make this academic year happen; it took a collective effort from all.

Overview: There has been a great deal of deserved attention given to the Bonney Science Center construction over the past two years. We will soon be turning our focus to Dana Chemistry Hall this summer with a full interior renovation that will introduce chemistry and biology teaching labs on the first and third floors, and flexible classrooms on the second floor for all academic departments. Interior spaces will improve circulation, provide modern restrooms, and introduce new student spaces into the heart of campus. Work will begin in June 2021, and is scheduled to be completed by next summer 2022 for use in the academic 2022鈥�23 year.

Pedestrian Access: As was experienced in the renovations for Hedge and Roger Williams halls, 11 years ago,  the Dana work 鈥� on Alumni Walk in the center of campus 鈥� will be prominent. The perimeter of the building will be contained with fencing and construction scrim, and Alumni Walk in front of Dana will be closed. Pedestrian traffic between the Historic Quad and Alumni Walk will be directed through the space between Hathorn and Dana. There will be no pedestrian access between Hedge and Ladd or Hedge and Dana, but the ramp to Ladd Library will remain accessible.

Trees and Plantings: As with any campus construction project, our goal is to remove trees only if necessary to complete the work. When construction is complete, new trees are planted as part of landscaping. With this project, particular care will be taken to preserve the butterfly magnolia trees that flank the front door from the Quad, and the Japanese stewartia on the southwest corner of the building. We will be taking down a mix of trees around the building, and care will be taken to replace these trees thoughtfully and sustainably upon completion of the project.