As the director of finance and facilities, I want to provide updates in both areas. This week’s column will be about facilities. Next week, I’ll give a finance update.

First, I want to thank the many people who worked many, many hours so that we can reopen the College and begin the new academic year. I was reminded of the dedication and commitment that has gone into this effort by Father John’s words during the recent Town Hall: “We are asking so much of ourselves and one another to gather safely for the 2020-21 Academic Year because we believe so deeply in our work of education and inquiry. Here on this campus, we learn from one another, how to work with one another and how to care for one another.”

On the facilities side, the preparations to reopen have included submitting a comprehensive playbook to the Re-Opening Committee for approval and conducting several walk-throughs in the building with Doug Marsh, vice president for Facilities Design and Operations and University architect, and project specialist Andrew Lechner. The playbook provides a detailed plan for how we will conduct daily operations in the College, from classroom protocols to traffic flows in the hallway to sanitation measures and much more. Once we have final approval — which I’m expecting even today — I will make the playbook available for your reference.

Our main objective — and the University’s — is to lower the risk of spreading the virus by controlling the number of people using the building as much as possible. If you are planning an event or activity and have questions about using College spaces, here’s the general guideline: Typical instruction-related gathering that are considered part of our normal operations — registrations, orientations, etc.—are included in the College’s playbook and do not require a separate one.

However, any events that are not part of our routine activities, such as a workshop, lunch or dinner, must be approved by the University via a separate playbook submitted to me two weeks in advance. The Executive Education MSF/MSBA Playbook prepared by Morgan McCoy is a great example that can be used as a template. Please also review the University’s Visitors Policy, which mandates that any visitors to campus must be deemed “essential” and approved in advance by the dean.

We’ve been able to complete some critical building renovations during these summer months. Stayer B003 (formerly Commons C) will be ready for the MSBA cohort on Aug. 17. We delayed the start of the renovation of Mendoza L062 into a computer classroom until Thanksgiving. In the meantime, Mendoza L061 and L062 have been rearranged to provide us with a much-needed larger classroom space that meets physical distancing guidelines with new chairs and tables installed. The Stayer third-floor student lounge also has been reconfigured with some new furniture replacing the two long tables and Mendoza’s atrium has additional seating.

We finished the renovation of Mendoza IT’s new office spaces in Mendoza L054 and L048 and completed the conversion of the 321 suite into seven new faculty offices. Perhaps most importantly, the Mendoza Ed Tech team has done an amazing job upgrading tech in the Stayer and Mendoza classrooms so that we can deliver dual-mode classes.

One last note on the facilities side: The third floor faculty/staff lounge will be open, but it’s important to observe the safety protocols — especially regarding maximum occupancy, physical distancing and the wearing of face masks — in order to keep it open. We want those who are working in the building to be able to socialize and grab a cup of coffee — just in a safe way!

Even with the best planning, there are many unknowns ahead. If you don’t know what to do in a certain situation, please ask! There is a lot of helpful information on HERE.nd.edu. You also can submit finance-related questions via Mendoza.finance@nd.edu, which will be received by me and my entire finance team — Tracey Plenzler, Angela Byce and Emilia Taylor.

I will close where I started — grateful for the commitment and support of so many in reopening the College. I especially want to thank Chris Henderson and Dana Pierce, who have done an amazing job getting the buildings ready, and the Mendoza IT Ed/Tech team led by Chris Fruehwirth and Nick Page.

In Notre Dame,

Doug