{"id":6453,"date":"2021-03-03T09:52:04","date_gmt":"2021-03-03T14:52:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/?p=6453"},"modified":"2025-07-09T13:19:38","modified_gmt":"2025-07-09T17:19:38","slug":"a-thank-you-to-all-umpi-employees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/2021\/03\/03\/a-thank-you-to-all-umpi-employees\/","title":{"rendered":"A Thank You to All UMPI Employees"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Despite the difficulty and uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Maine at Presque Isle has stayed strong due to the hard work and resilience of its employees. From the university\u2019s president to the custodial workers, the entire institution has dedicated this past year to keeping its campus and community safe. UMPI is one of the few universities in the country still holding in-person classes. The university\u2019s faculty and staff members have dedicated a large portion of their time to keeping UMPI\u2019s environment safe and healthy. This pandemic has shone a light on the generous and hardworking people working for this institution.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0UMPI students were able to make a safe return last fall when campus reopened. Faculty and staff members of UMPI spent the summer working on a strategic plan for students so that they could return. UMPI was able to reopen, but it did come with some changes. With COVID-19 regulations in place, campus looks very different from what it used to.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Dick Gardiner measures some exercise equipment in Gentile Hall.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0When people walk onto campus, they will immediately notice some changes. Masks need to be worn at all times when people are on campus. The Campus Center, one of the most popular spots on campus, also looks different. A large portion of the seating area in the Owl\u2019s Nest was taken away to encourage social distancing. The Kelley Commons cafeteria in currently serving food through a takeout system. Students can still eat in the cafeteria, as long it is one person per table. Many larger onsite classes are being held in the Multipurpose Room. In the Campus Center and throughout the rest of the campus, there are arrows placed on the floor in order to<\/span> regulate traffic flow. COVID Testing is taking place in the MMG Center throughout the semester.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Craig Thompson is the Sodexo general manager and is responsible for day-to-day operations of the Kelley Commons cafeteria. Craig spent the summertime on campus seven days a week, running everything by himself, so that his cafeteria employees could stay home. One of his biggest priorities was to make sure that his staff members were safe and healthy. He had to figure out how to maintain COVID-19 guidelines in the cafeteria before the fall semester started. Craig\u2019s dedication this past year has given students the chance to eat a good meal while continuing their education.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Classrooms in Folsom and Pullen Hall look a little different. Facilities spent the summer break reconfiguring the classrooms so that they could be safer for students. Some desks and chairs in the classrooms have been rearranged or taken away to encourage social distancing. Wet wipes are available for students as they walk into class so that they can wipe down their area.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Students living in the university\u2019s dormitories have also dealt with some changes. Students must wear their face masks at all times, unless they are in their own rooms, brushing their teeth or taking a shower. Jeff Stevens, a facilities employee, has been working hard keeping the dorms clean. He cleans and disinfects the residence hall bathrooms, hallways and stairs. Public safety has never been more important, and Jeff makes sure the students are healthy in the dorms.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u201cI love the students. There is no other place I would want to work here than in the dorms. They are the reason myself and my coworkers have jobs,\u201d Jeff said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Sarah Coyer and Fred Thomas have been in charge of the COVID-19 testing on campus. Sarah is the associate dean of students at UMPI. She supervises several departments and when the safety and health of students became a priority due to the pandemic, Sarah took on another role as the testing coordinator for COVID-19. For the last two semesters, Fred has set up COVID-19 testing dates and times for students, faculty and staff. He also secures and oversees areas on campus being used as isolation and quarantine spaces, in case of an outbreak.\u00a0Between the two of them, they have successfully kept UMPI safe and healthy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u201cEvery day is an adventure and we have learned to adapt and overcome as the challenges present themselves,\u201d Fred said. \u201cWe are very fortunate that the administration both on our campus and at the University System level recognized very early on the need to put certain protocols and procedures in place.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Roger Getz has also contributed to UMPI\u2019s success through his work in the library. As the director of library services in the Center for Innovative Learning, Roger was in charge of making some of the drastic changes to the appearance of the building. The building is only allowing one person per table. The third floor is closed to prevent unnecessary traffic. Tutoring and the Writing Center are working remotely. The CIL is a very popular place on campus for UMPI students and Roger knew the importance of keeping it open. Although it came with many changes, the library is open and available for students due to Roger\u2019s work.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Dick Gardiner, Keli Marston and Donna Underwood of Gentile Hall have also done some work this past year in the university\u2019s wellness center. To keep the public safe, Gentile Hall is currently open only for students, faculty and staff members. The pool and rock wall are closed. Some cardio machines were moved downstairs to the gym to allow more space upstairs. Making these decisions was very difficult for Dick, Keli and Donna, but without their leadership, Gentile might have never opened back up.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Everyone on UMPI\u2019s campus has played a role in the university\u2019s success. This pandemic has not been good to the educational system and colleges around the country have struggled. There are not many universities that are holding live classes and UMPI was able to open its doors to students in the fall. Faculty and staff members across campus have demonstrated selflessness and heroism these last months. The UMPI community would not be where it is now if it weren\u2019t for the people running the university. Every UMPI student and member of the community should be thankful for the university and the employees who run it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Despite the difficulty and uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Maine at Presque Isle has stayed strong due to the hard work and resilience of its employees. From the university\u2019s president to the custodial workers, the entire institution has dedicated this past year to keeping its campus and community safe. UMPI is one […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":95,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7381],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6453","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-archives","et-doesnt-have-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6453","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/95"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6453"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6453\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8316,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6453\/revisions\/8316"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6453"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6453"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6453"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}