Coronavirus Updates
(UPDATE JUNE 1, 2020)
MOUNT OLIVE – The University of Mount Olive Board of Trustees and administration met last week to finalize plans for the fall 2020 traditional seated semester in light of COVID-19. According to Interim President Dr. H. Edward Croom, the semester will begin on August 25, 2020 and go straight through to Thanksgiving. Fall break will be canceled, and the last day of seated classes will be November 25. The remainder of the semester will be conducted remotely, and will end on December 4.
“The premise behind this adjusted schedule is that typically during fall break, students leave campus and gather in large groups with family and friends, thereby potentially returning to campus with a higher probability of spreading COVID-19,” Croom said. “By eliminating fall break and completing the reminder of the semester remotely, we hope to limit the spread of the virus.”
Croom noted that a decision regarding graduation will be made at a later time. “We are actively working to determine the best protocols and practices to keep our students, faculty, and staff as safe as possible,” he said. “These are unchartered territories for everyone, and we are learning as we go. It is our hope that we can soon return to some semblance of normalcy. We realize that our students miss the interactions and collaborations that are so meaningful to the college experience. However, we also want to be receptive and responsible in our plan of action.”
The University of Mount Olive is a private institution rooted in the liberal arts tradition with defining Christian values. The University is sponsored by the Convention of Original Free Will Baptists. For more information, visit www.umo.edu.
(UPDATE May 22, 2020)
The University of Mount Olive has received funding from the CARES Act Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds to provide emergency grants to students experiencing financial hardship specifically due to the disruption of campus operations as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Updates can be found at https://umo.edu/cares-act/.
(UPDATE MAY 11, 2020)
(UPDATE MARCH 30, 2020)
In conjunction with the Governor’s order, the UMO campus is closed to everyone except essential personnel through April 29, or until further notice.
We will be pro-rating room and board (residence hall and dining) for all residential students who were required to leave campus. The unused portion of the pro-rated board plan will be credited to each student’s current account and any resulting credit balance will be paid to the student. For non-graduating students, the unused portion of the pro-rated room bill will be applied as a scholarship amount towards their student balances for Fall 2020. For graduating seniors, the unused portion of the pro-rated room bill will be credited to their current account and any resulting credit balance will be paid to the student. Any student whose room and board charges were covered by grant and/or scholarship funds from any source, will not receive the aforementioned refund(s) or scholarship for Fall 2020. All credit payment processes will adhere to guidelines set by the U.S. Department of Education, and any students due refunds will be paid by April 17th.
Applications for May graduation are still being processed through the registrar’s office (link). The May commencement ceremony has been postponed until August. Graduation regalia will be mailed to students that have completed the graduation application process. The University of Mount Olive will be postponing the Spring Commencement scheduled for May 2, 2020 to ensure the safety of our students and their families, as well as our staff and faculty who participate due to COVID-19. We have rescheduled the ceremony for August 29, 2020, and it is our hope that you will be able to participate during our Summer Commencement ceremony. Please continue to monitor the Graduation WEB page https://myumo.moc.edu/academic/registrar/Graduation/Pages/default.aspx for more information and to RSVP for the Summer Commencement. Graduation Regalia sent to the UMO Book Store for pick-up will be mailed to students that have completed the graduation application process.
(UPDATE MARCH 18, 2020)
(UPDATE MARCH 13, 2020)
As the University of Mount Olive continues to monitor the Coronavirus and works to comply with Governor Roy Cooper’s recommendations, the University has made the decision to close campus effective at 5 PM on Friday, March 13, 2020 for all traditional students.
All spring athletics will be suspended for the remainder of the year. This includes practices and competitions. Provisions will be made in those unique incidents where students need to remain on campus for an extended period. International Students should contact Student Affairs immediately to receive assistance with travel arrangements.
Residence Hall students will receive an email today regarding the checkout process. ALL courses will be administered in an online format for the remainder of the semester.
A decision on graduation ceremonies and other such events will be made as updates and mandates are provided on the COVID-19 Virus. The University will continue to provide the latest information as it is available. The most current information and directives can be found at https://umo.edu/coronavirus/.
(UPDATE MARCH 12, 2020)
The University of Mount Olive (UMO) has been monitoring the COVID-19 virus situation for the past several weeks. Although we have had no cases reported involving the UMO community, we are fully aware of the need to be proactive in implementing steps to keep the entire UMO community as safe as possible. In an effort to achieve this, the following guidelines will go in effect immediately.
ON-CAMPUS STUDENTS:
Spring Break will be extended until Friday, March 20, 2020. Effective, March 23, all seated courses will move to an online delivery mode until further notice. Any student who may have a challenge with this modified structure should contact their instructor to work out an alternative delivery format. Campus will remain open and operational during the extended spring break and during the online delivery process.
Effective immediately, campus activities and events are cancelled until further notice. This includes any departmental events, lecture series, professional meetings, chapel, club meetings, student activity events, etc. We are in the process of reaching out to off campus groups that have scheduled events on the campus for the next few weeks as those events will also be cancelled.
We are in on-going discussions with Conference Carolinas in regards to our athletic programs and sporting events. We anticipate additional directive from the conference later today on how we will proceed with scheduled athletic events.
ONLINE ADULT UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE STUDENTS:
All adult undergraduate and graduate online courses are operating on a normal schedule.
ALL STUDENTS:
You are strongly encouraged to register for UMO’s text and voice mail notification system as it is our primary notification system in case of a campus emergency and for class cancellations.
To verify you’ve already created an account (they do expire), click on this link: https://www.e2campus.net/my/moc/
If you have not yet set up a notification account, click here: https://www.e2campus.net/my/moc/signup.htm
(You will need to use your UMO username and email password to log into the system.)
If you experience difficulty registering or accessing your account, please submit a technology support ticket at: https://servicedesk.umo.edu/index.php?/.
PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS:
A priority will be to limit exposure from outside community members on campus. As a result, the upcoming Trojan First scheduled for Saturday, March 21st and the Open House scheduled for Friday, March 27th will be cancelled.
COMMUNITY MEMBERS:
In an effort to protect our campus and our community, we will restrict community member access to the cafeteria, library, and the Pope Wellness Center until further notice. We are in the process of reaching out to off campus groups that have scheduled events on the campus for the next few weeks as those events will also be cancelled.
UMO will continue to use the guidelines set forth by the Center of Disease Control (CDC). For up-to-date information, please visit their website at CDC Coronavirus Update. This situation changes almost daily. Please continue to visit the UMO website for updated directives or protocols related to campus activity.
This situation is very unfortunate and continues to change daily. Part of our mission is to serve the mind, body and soul of the entire UMO community. The actions being implemented are our attempt to fulfill our cause. Let’s continue to pray for God’s direction and healing as we move through the next several weeks and months.