COVID-19 Information

COVID-19 & Spring 2022

The Spring 2022 semester will start to look like a regular semester, with several safety mechanisms in place. Below you'll find information and links you might need to navigate the semester. Please reach out with any questions. For University-wide updates, visit the Safe Campus website. 

An Update from the Director

To all members of the Hubbard School community,  

I hope that you and your loved ones are healthy, and had the opportunity for rest and recreation during winter break. The COVID-19 pandemic continues to create challenges for the School and University, but I continue to be inspired by the creativity, innovation, and goodwill of our community. As we begin the Spring 2022 semester, I wanted to take a moment to let you know the steps that the faculty and staff in the School have taken to ensure that students can keep learning.

Access to technology
The Hubbard School remains committed to delivering a world-class education and learning environment for students. We have invested heavily in purchasing individual software licenses, audio, and video recording kits so that every student enrolled in our laboratory and skills classes have the richest possible in-person and blended curricular experiences. Alumni who may fondly recall turning in cameras or sharing audio equipment on a team will recognize how fortunate Hubbard School students are to have the advantage of full-term equipment checkout, which the School is planning to maintain thanks to the generosity of donors supporting investments in technology and software. 

In-person learning
With the benefit of a vaccinated and boosted community, we are planning for a robust student presence in Murphy Hall. The vast majority of classes will be offered in Murphy Hall and on campus, with a limited number of classes offered in a remote or online modality; these limited classes we have developed specifically to be online for execution in these modalities have been fully approved as equivalent curriculum to in-person instruction, and have been offered online now for multiple terms. We will continue to have students interning and reporting throughout the Twin Cities in accordance and compliance with the latest directives and guidelines from the Governor, Center for Disease Control, Minnesota Department of Health, and the University (please see the U’s Safe Campus website for the latest information and protocol). 

The next 100 years
Finally, as we have indicated in the latest issue of our Murphy Reporter, we are planning for some exciting changes to modernize the lower level of Murphy Hall. In Summer 2022, the full lower level and Sevareid Library renovation will begin as it is moved to the center of our lower-level workspaces, flanked by new classrooms, digital huddle, small group “Zoom rooms” and studio spaces. In preparation for this $4 million renovation, we have been integrating our book resources with the University library collections to allow students, faculty, and staff the ability to use its “Get It” digital retrieval and delivery services for all library materials. 

Staying nimble
The shifting nature of the Minnesota Department of Health’s guidance for universities and the realities of keeping student, faculty, and staff safety and health at top of mind will require that we react nimbly to navigate whatever circumstances and directives we are given from University and state authorities. Your continued support, flexibility, and patience are critical to the work that we do. We will continue to monitor the pandemic situation carefully and will update you on activities in Murphy Hall.

All the best,

Elisia Cohen, Ph.D.
Director and Professor
 

Building Health and Safety Procedures  

The School follows the University of Minnesota mask policy, as announced on Aug. 2, 2021. 

The University of Minnesota added the COVID-19 vaccine to those already required by students. See the Get the Vax page for more details.

Access

Murphy Hall will remain locked and restricted to U Card access during non-public hours. The card-key access system also provides a log of building entry. IMPORTANT: If you happen to arrive with another person, do NOT hold the door to enter the building together. Each person must enter separately and swipe your cards.

Classrooms and Computer Labs

All classroom capacities have been evaluated by facilities management. The School’s ventilation meets and exceeds the American Society for Health Care Engineering (ASHE) standards. The School will deploy additional air purification devices in School-controlled shared facilities, including its labs, central offices, and library spaces.

Student Services & Advising

Undergraduate and graduate student services are housed in 110 Murphy Hall, but appointments and drop-in hours may be virtual. Staff are also available by email, phone, and appointment.

Undergraduate students can use the calendar for drop-in hours or send an email to get answers to questions about registration, major planning, minor declaration, student activities, jobs and internships and more. Students are also welcome to stop into 110 Murphy with questions.

Those with graduate program questions, can contact graduate Student Services

Career Services

Appointments and drop-in hours are available. 
 

Library Information

While the Hubbard School prepares for the Summer 2022 renovations in Murphy Hall, the collections in the Sevareid Library have been transferred to storage in Diehl Hall. These books are still accessible to everyone at the University via 'Get It' book delivery in the library catalog, which includes direct delivery to any campus mailbox. During the 2021/22 academic year, in-person library services will not be available in Murphy but all other library locations are open and Cody Hennesy, the journalism librarian, is available to answer questions ([email protected]). 

Research Help

Expanded online access

We’re happy to offer new and expanded access to a number of databases that may be of interest to Hubbard faculty and students.

  1. Le Monde 1944-2000 (ProQuest) - Full-page digital archive of the French daily newspaper.
  2. S&P Environmental, Social, Governance (S&P): Financial data, analytics, and research on public and private companies, markets, and people worldwide with tools for analysis, idea generation, and workflow management.
  3. D&B International dataset (Mergent) - 45 years of U.S. private company listings data, including sales figures, employee counts, SIC Codes, addresses and family tree. Individual account creation using UMN email is required.
  4. Black Historical Newspapers (ProQuest) - Significant updates for a number of major papers brought these historical archives into the 21st century: Atlanta Daily World (1931-2010), Chicago Defender (1976-2010), and Pittsburgh Courier (1911-2010).
  5. British Library Newspapers (Gale): British newspapers from 1732 to 1950, with newly available national and regional newspapers from a variety of country and university towns, the manufacturing Midlands, as well as Scotland, Ireland and Wales. 

For in-depth subject databases: